Play-thru or play through is a standard operational procedure used by all online Bingo sites (in fact you will find some variation of play-thru on all online gambling sites be it poker, casino games, bingo, etc.).  It’s a main area of frustration for newbie players due to the lack of understanding what exactly the rules.  This article will shed some light on what play-thru is and why it’s used by the online bingo sites so you won’t have your first online gambling experience spoiled due to not understanding the rules of the game.

Your online gambling experience will be more fun if you understand a few things before you play.  The most obvious is that online and offline gambling casinos are in the business to make money just like any other business.  Yes, they want you to have fun but in the end if they don’t turn a profit they will be out of business.  This is capitalism 101.  We’ve all heard stories of land based casinos banning players who won too much.  Even though it was done legally!  Learn how to count cards and start winning at the land based casinos and see how long before your banned! 

It's no different online, the online casinos implement rules to make sure they keep the house edge and you don't clean them out.  One popular feature that online bingo sites use is known as the play through rate.  This isn't some sort of ultra-seceter "trick" the online bingo halls try to hide from you, far from it, they want you to know all about it and you can find their play through policy and other rules written in black and white on their site.  Problem is most players never bother to read the rules.

Even though you might read the rules in the withdrawal/cash-out section of their website (if they don’t have it in writing on their site, don’t play there) it is a complicated concept to grasp plus most players don’t read the “legal” stuff anyway!  Then they’re upset when they can’t cash out their winnings.  Reading the sites rules and terms should be something that players always do, no matter how dull a read it is!

The concept of play through is simple once you draw it out.  For example if a site has a play through rate of 12 based on the initial deposit and any bonuses awarded after making the initial deposit.  So let’s say you make a deposit of $50.00.  You then start playing blackjack and you get hot and you win $50, so now you’re up $100!  Plus the site is awarding you bonuses for playing so you have $50 in bonus money.  Now you’re ready to cash out with your $150 winnings.  Well, not so fast.  Have you met your play through requirement you need in order to cash out?  At a play through rate of 12 you would need to have played through (hence the name) $1,200 BEFORE your request for a withdrawal is accepted.  On most sites the play through rate is your DEPOSIT + BONUS X 12 = PLAY-THRU RATE.  So in my example $50 (your initial deposit) + $50 (free bonus given to you by the site) X 12 (the play thru rate) = $1,200 (your play thru rate). 

If you have met your $1,200 play through rate then you can request your withdrawal and you’ll get your cash!  However if you haven’t your withdrawal will be declined.  The amount will be returned to your account (however most sites won’t return the free bonus money they gave you so make sure you’ve met all withdrawal requirements before making the request) and you’ll have to play until your play-thru rate is met.  Be aware that some sites also don't allow bonus bucks to be cashed out ever only your deposit cash while other do so check those rules since it varies from site to site.  The above X12 play through rate is common for casino games such as blackjack.  The online bingo games usually have a lower play-thru rate of x3, x6, x10, etc. but the same concept applies.  Casino games play through rates will be higher then bingo games.

If you peruse the forums and message boards you will notice that most complaints are about not being able to cash out.  Some shoddy outfits do make it hard to cash out in order to prevent you from taking out the winning you have earned but if you can’t cash out because you haven’t met the required play thru rate, rest assured it’s not shenanigans it’s just the sites following their terms of play.  Play-thru rates are always spelled out on the sites so this shouldn’t come as a surprise to you if you know the rules before playing. 

A well informed player will have a better playing experience then those who play but don’t take the time to review the sites terms of play.  Check out the areas of the site such as “banking”, “withdrawal”, “FAQ”, “rules”, etc. where you will find their polices.  You should check out those sections of the site BEFORE you deposit.  All the reputable sites offer customer service via IM, email, even a toll free number and some even on a 24/7 bases so ask if you’re confused.  Some of those players bad mouthing an online casino on the Net because “they ripped me off" simply didn’t understand the rules of play.