Glossary
Bonus abuse
Players exploiting casino or sportsbook promotions for bonus money, not play: duplicate accounts, coordinated groups, low-risk bets to clear wagering. The operator voids the bonus, and the affiliate loses the commission on those players.
Also called: promo abuse, bonus hunting, bonus fraud.
It is the iGaming case of fraud, and the hardest to spot from the affiliate's side, because the players are real people making real deposits. Typical forms: one person opening several accounts to claim a welcome offer more than once, groups sharing devices or payment methods, and play designed to clear wagering with as little risk as possible. Operators define abuse broadly in their bonus terms and keep the final say on what counts.
The affiliate pays twice. The CPA for those players is voided, and a high share of abusers in your traffic makes the operator look harder at everything else you send. Affiliate terms typically exclude players who breached bonus terms from commission, at the operator's discretion and with little evidence shared.
The common mistake is building a site around the biggest bonuses and the easiest wagering. That page attracts exactly the audience antifraud is tuned to catch. Ask the manager how voided players appear in your reports and whether they are broken down by sub ID, so you can find the source.
Related terms: Fraud, Antifraud, Wagering requirement, KYC, First-time deposit.