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Carnival Casino was my next stop, they offer a 100% initial deposit sticky bonus if you deposit up to $299, then it jumps to 200% if you deposit $300, but the terms and conditions change, and Blackjack falls off the games available to meet the wagering requirement. Be sure to check out the Carnival Casino website for details if you go this route.
*Update - January 5, 2006 - BLACKJACK is now excluded from counting towards the wagering requirement... see update at bottom of post!
I'm still building up the bankroll, so I deposited $100 into Carnival Casino via Neteller. Carnival immediately awards you the proper bonus, so you don't have to contact customer service like Grand Online and Golden Palace casinos.
So, right off the bat my account was at $200, and I was ready to get lucky playing blackjack. The fine print at Carnival Casino is as follows - you have to wager 8x the deposit + bonus, so in my case, $1,600, to meet the wagering requirement before you can withdraw. The rules are different if you're betting in British pounds, check it out:
Please note that in the interest of fair gaming: for $ and € you have to wager at least (8) eight times your bonus and deposit before making any cash outs, while for £ you have to wager at least (12) twelve times your bonus and deposit before making any cash outs. If you withdraw before having reached the minimum wagering requirements, your bonus and winnings will be void.
The games excluded from the wagering requirements are as follows:
Using the player's deposit and bonus funds to wager on Craps (all sorts Craps), Roulette (all sorts of Roulette), Baccarat (all sorts of Baccarat), SicBo (all sorts of SicBo), Jacks of Better 4, and Aces and Faces 4 does not fulfill the player's obligations with regard to the minimum wagering requirements for $ and €.
If you're betting in British pounds, Blackjack is also excluded towards the wagering requirement! But, as a US Player, Blackjack is all good, so the rules are great for me.
I immediately put all $200 (my $100 and the $100 bonus) on the first hand of Blackjack. Again, the idea here is that you are not allowed to withdraw the sticky bonus, you can only wager with it. So, you definitely want to wager that bonus and double it up, because the winnings CAN be withdrawn once you reach that wagering requirement. And, so even though you're betting $200 to win $400 on this single hand, it's really like betting $100 (of your real money) to win $300 (real money that could be withdrawn). Clearly, a great bet to make.
So, how did it work out for me? $200 on my first hand, I'm dealt 16. Sucks. Dealer is showing a 3. I stay. Dealer flips over a 9. Then hits a 2. Then hits an ace. Then hits a... ten! I win!
I've been very lucky so far on my big bets, 2-0. I'm winning the big hands, allowing me to withdraw profits. Now that I'm at $400, I decide to just work off that wagering requirement and see how much I can take home. Since I already bet $200 on one hand, I only have $1,400 more to clear.
At Carnival Casino, you can play on several different types of Blackjack tables, I started on the single hand table where I won the big bet. Then I moved to the five-handed table, playing 5 spots simultaneously at $2/hand. So each round, I was risking $10. This made it easy for me to keep track of how much I was wagering.
But that 5 spot table was crushing me, so I moved to the 3-handed table, and played 2 spots for $5/hand. So, I'm still risking $10 round, but the action moved much faster, and I did much better on this table, making up the money I lost on the 5-handed table.
I ended with $415, of which, $315 is mine, and $100 is the sticky bonus that I cannot withdraw. I got lucky on that first hand, and I hope I can do it again.
Carnival Casino's withdrawal process is easy and painless. Unlike Grand Online and Golden Palace, you do not need to send in any faxes of identification or anything. The withdrawal process takes 4 business days from the time of withdrawal. Here's the email I received from Carnival Casino:
Dear Tyson Tanaka,
Thank you for choosing to play at Carnival!
We have received your withdrawal request for the total amount of $315.00, together with your preferred payment method of money NETeller.
Your transaction request code is: 2843217NT.
Please be advised that all withdrawal requests are processed 4 business days following the request date, as per our Withdrawal Policy, unless stated otherwise according to your VIP level. Your withdrawal request will be displayed in the 'Pending Withdrawals' section under the casino's Cashier section until the day it is processed.
The withdrawal hit my Neteller account in the timeframe specified.
*Update - January 5, 2006 - Carnival Casino has changed their terms and conditions regarding their initial deposit bonus - BLACKJACK IS EXCLUDED FROM THE WAGERING REQUIREMENT. Below is the updated text from their website:
Using the player's deposit and bonus funds to wager on Craps (all sorts of Craps) , Roulette (all sorts of Roulette), Sic Bo (all sorts of Sic Bo), Blackjack (all sorts of Blackjack) and Baccarat (all sorts of Baccarat), Jacks or Better (all sorts of Jacks or Better), Aces and Faces (all sorts of Aces and Faces), and Deuces Wild (all sorts of Deuces Wild) does not fulfill the player's obligations with regard to the minimum wagering requirements for £ $ and €.
My next stop: Casino Tropez.
Starluck Completed (+$125).
PlanetLuck Completed (+$25).
Grand Online Completed (+$125).
Golden Palace Completed (+$165).
Carnival Casino Completed (+$215).
Starting Bankroll: $100
Current Bankroll: $755
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