Royal Panda - Scamaz Bamboo Bonus

[torriz]

RoyalPanda showing it's LeoVegas side with a scam "bonus" for you!

Aaah, new game - new promotions and competitions at CasinoGrounds. Let's try out Royal Panda again. 
Oh, they have a 50% deposit promotion running, "Summer Bonanza" - Bamboo Bonus. Turns out they will give you these every friday forward!!

So I make a small deposit, choose to use the 50% Summer Bonanza bonus to test out the new release from REELPlay
(CG Competition/Giveaway LV/RP)

I play some, no luck. Hit the bonus balance - get down to € 25 -ish.. Was sure it was rip.. Hit a good 600x on (lol) Show Master.. Feels good.. 
I continue playing. Thinking about how Royal Panda can be under LeoVegas and offer me a 50% bonus every weekend, when LeoVegas makes you wager with your own money to potentially unlock their (non-wager) bonus money. Sick! 
I check the wagering; 14.39%. Fine.

I continue next day, 110x, 39x on Book of Dead, hit a nice 324x in base game on Gorilla Kingdom. I check the wagering, it's still on 14.39%
Time to check what's going on. 

Norwegian version: "and they must be used in games with bets with kontanter => "physical form of money" (Kontanter <=> can obviously be translated from Cash. It should probably just have said Cash balance/Cash saldo or Ekte Penger vs Bonus Penger, as the word kontanter isn't used anywere else on the site, or simply stick with the English version of the terms, as those words Cash balance and Bonus balance is used on the site too).

Bamboo Bonus
1. Royal Pandas Bamboo Bonus er tilgjengelig for eksisterende spillere hver fredag mellom klokken 00.01 og 23.59 CEST og kan kun brukes til én innsats ved å velge dette når man foretar en innsats.
2. Den 50 % Bamboo Bonus krever en minimumsinnsats på 100 kr, og det gis maksimalt en bonus på 1 500 kr. En innsats på for eksempel 3 000 kr kan gi 50 % ekstra i bonuspenger (1 500 kr).
3. Bamboo Bonus og alle bonusgevinster du vinner ved å bruke den kan kun brukes på kasinospill og ikke på oddsspill.
4. For bonuspenger gjelder det standard omsetningskravet for bonus på x 35 av opprinnelig bonus, og de må brukes til spill med innsatser i kontanter.
5. Den maksimale tillatte innsatsen når man spiller med bonuspenger er 70 kr.
6. Innsatser som betales med Skrill, Neteller og Paysafecard kvalifiserer ikke for Bamboo Bonus.
7. Bamboo Bonus kan kun velges én gang per husholdning/IP-adresse.
8. bonuspenger utløper 90 dager etter den tiden de gis hvis spilleren ennå ikke har oppfylt omsetningskravet.
9. Verdiene som angis i disse vilkårene varierer etter valuta. Utførlig informasjon om dette finner du i vekslingstabellene nedenfor.
10. Generelle vilkår og betingelser for kampanjer gjelder.

The english version makes it pretty clear. "wagering requirement (..) must be met with CASH BALANCE bets" (Royal Panda's "Real Money balance" is called Cash)

Bamboo Bonus
1. Royal Panda’s Bamboo Bonus is available to existing players every Friday between 00:01 and 23:59 CEST and can be claimed on one deposit only by opting-in when making a deposit.
2. The 50% Bamboo Bonus requires a minimum deposit of €/$10, with a maximum bonus of €/$150 awarded. For example, deposit €300 get an extra 50% in bonus money (€150).
3. The Bamboo Bonus, and any bonus winnings won using it, can only be used on casino games, and not sports betting.
4. Bonus balance money is subject to the standard bonus wagering requirement of x35 the initial bonus and must be met with cash balance bets.
5. The maximum bet permitted when playing with bonus balance money is €7.00/$7.50.
6. Deposits made using Skrill, Neteller and Paysafecard are not eligible for the Bamboo Bonus.
7. The Bamboo Bonus is restricted to one opt-in per household/IP address.
8. Bonus balance money shall expire after 90 days from the moment it’s awarded, if the player has not met the wagering requirements.
9. The values detailed in these terms vary per currency. Check the currency conversion tables below for full details.
10. General terms and conditions for promotions apply.

Below is the __general terms__ for their promotions (Norwegian and English version). 
Ah, so this is what's going to pwn me.

Generelle vilkår og betingelser for kampanjer

10. Spillerens bonusbalanse består av bonuspenger og mulige bonusgevinster. Bonusbalansen kan ikke brukes til å oppfylle omsetningskravet med mindre annet er nevnt i den aktuelle kampanjen.
11. Omsetningskrav kan kun oppfylles av spilleren ved å plassere spill/spille med ekte penger på spillerens kontantbalanse på de produktene og spillene som fremgår av tabellen nedenfor.

English version 

General terms and conditions for promotions

10. The player’s bonus balance consists of bonus money and possible bonus winnings. The bonus balance cannot be used to fulfil the wagering requirements unless stated otherwise in the concerning promotion.
11. Wagering requirements: x35 (for casino games), must be met with cash balance bets on those products and games as outlined in the table below.

Okay, so how do you guys feel about it? 
Is a deposit bonus, where if you hit the bonus money you're basically at 0 - a bonus that benefits the player?

Example: 
You deposit 100 euro and take the 50% => +50 Euro. 35x wagering

150 euro "balance" in games.
You lose your 100, and start at bonus money. 50 euro.
50 * 35 = 1750 euro to wager

(bla bla bla, you maybe hit a 300x on 0.60 - making you 210)
but even if you hit some, and want to continue playing and wager it (or potentially lose it all) you can't win this money - unless you again make a deposit with real money and start wagering the 1750 with your NEW deposit (or ofc potentially lose it all).

Even the scummiest of Curaçao casinos let's you wager with the bonus money. The f is this?

 

[Teamkayenne]

@torriz hello mate. Well I was  a very high player there till 2016 or 2017. I can say that their bamboo bonus hasn't changed a bit since I left (due to jurisdiction).

I cannot say it's a scam but it's definitely not a benefit for the player. 

To sum up you either need to be lucky and hit a big win in the begining of your session or you have to win very very big win while you have the bonus balance. For example as you said 100+ 50 bonus. If you only have left is your bonus balance ( 50euros) you have to win like a 5k win so you can be sure that if you deposit to clear the wager you will have earnings. 

Yeah I know mate. It's harsh. 

PS  I gotta tell you this. Curacao licenced casinos can be more trustworthy than other that got 2 or even 3 licences. It's a fact.

 

[torriz]

To me this feels "scammy" and I can't believe it's actually ok. Is there really 0 regulation of this type of stuff from MGA or other eGaming "authorities"?
Offering a bonus and then lock your wins like this is sickening.

+ Leo was soo good when new/"smaller"  (since I mentioned LV the first post)

bamboo bonus hasn't changed a bit since I left (due to jurisdiction

What do you mean due to jurisdiction? Care to explain what you mean??

EDIT: Oh, you mean you left due to jurisdiction, not that the bonus didn't change because of it.. right?

 

[Teamkayenne]

To me this feels "scammy" and I can't believe it's actually ok. Is there really 0 regulation of this type of stuff from MGA or other eGaming "authorities"?
Offering a bonus and then lock your wins like this is sickening.

+ Leo was soo good when new/"smaller"  (since I mentioned LV the first post)

What do you mean due to jurisdiction? Care to explain what you mean??

EDIT: Oh, you mean you left due to jurisdiction, not that the bonus didn't change because of it.. right?

correct i left because Royal Panda couldnt serve anymore customers from my country. Unfortunately, neither mga or other authorities can get involved in this case. Its Royal panda's terms. And its accepted as legal. I think couple of other casinos offer this kind of promotion. The worst i have encountered in my life was a casino's offer which had the most hidden bonus terms i could ever find. It took us 30-40 minutes to find them. Players had been gettin their money confiscated.

 

[NudgeShuffle]

@torriz People have been moaning about their bonus system for years. Seemingly the only people who think it offers benefit to players is the rep Melvin and his army of affiliates. Everyone else can see it for exactly what it is.

And I would not call it a scam.... you're at no disadvantage financially but you're also at practically no advantage either.

 

[Pawel - Panda]

Dear torriz,

Thank you for your feedback regarding our promotions, I'm saddened to hear that they did not meet your expectations.

We've received a lot of positive feedback regarding our bonuses and their wagering requirements. This structure is not unique to Royal Panda and it's advantage is that if you win with your original deposit, your cash winnings are not tied to any wagering requirements. You’ll be able to withdraw the cash winnings immediately, and in other casinos this is often not possible.

I hope that this clears up the situation and will let you enjoy our promotions in the future.

Best regards,

Pawel

 

[Lizabelle]

I think it is a David and Goliath situation.

I am a pensioner and bet small

,Recently the biggest bet I made was one on Betfair bet £5 get £5.  I didn't get my £5 back so I argued and they fielded me, until, in the end,  I said I would report them to the Gambling Comission, which I did and that was just a waste of time.

I chalk it up to experience and won't be caught out again! 

However, the next thing I know when I log in to Coral, I get this self exclusion notice, Granted i take all the freebies going, but no matter in the end the bookie gets it all back and more. We understand that. Next thing I get the same notice from Ladbroke's. Looks like they got the hang of it! 

As a matter of fact I have come to the conclusion it is a very hypocritical business, showing all Gamble Aware notices and luring you in with special offers.

Maybe I was not profiting them enough  with my small bets, 10p ea way trebles etc...and small wins  Essentially there are plenty more fish in the sea.

If I ever want to exclude myself I will not need any bookie to advise me.

 

[Lizabelle]

Just received a patronising e mail from Coral suggesting they were looking out for me??

I am 83 and I didn't get here with their help! Obviously I was taking advantage of their freebies!

They ought to man up and say that!

Told them where to go and cancelled my Account and the same will go for any of the rest of the insulting  hypocrites,

who attempt to nanny me!