My online gambling story began back in the summer of 2004. A new friend of mine got me interested in poker, namely, Texas Hold’em. That was back when both online gambling and poker were really taking off.
I started learning the ropes by signing up for a play money account at Party Poker. I read about poker strategy and continued my hands-on poker education free. While I was searching for websites about poker strategy I found out about the great deposit bonuses that gambling sites offer new players. I read all about the ins and outs of getting the best gambling bonus offers.
Like many of you who may be new to online gambling, I was very skeptical about giving out my credit card or bank info to these internet poker rooms. So I dug further. I read other articles and forum posts about people makings hundreds and thousands from online poker bonuses alone. It wasn’t until later that I learned that online casinos offered great bonuses as well.
Once I got over my initial concerns about trust and safety, I decided to make a plan to make money with online gambling. My wife thought I was crazy when I told her about my scheme. Once I sold her on the idea, we put aside $500 with the idea that I would put it back after doubling it up.
My first online gambling bonus
As I mentioned earlier, I already had a play money account at Party Poker, so that’s where I made my first deposit. The Party Poker sign up bonus was 20% up to $100. After playing a couple of days, I cashed out nearly $700! That included my initial investment of $500, the bonus of $100, plus some small winnings from playing poker. I was completely excited and quickly moved on to the next poker room.
Online gambling buys a new car
After my first poker room experience, I moved on to other online poker sites. Later, I found out about some of the online casino bonuses and decided to give them a shot. In just a couple of weeks, I made over $4,000 with online gambling! After a couple of months of playing poker and blackjack, my wife and I decided to cash out the money to buy her a new car.
Getting started with online gambling
I’d say my first online gambling experience was a successful one. It’s been tougher for those of us in the U.S. every since the UIGEA was passed in 2006. However, it’s still completely possible for those living in the United States to gamble and make money online. There just aren’t as many sites to choose from. Don’t worry though; I’m doing the legwork to find the best online gambling sites for US players as well.
Do you have questions about online gambling that you would like to see featured in a future Bonus Hacker article?

Best Gambling Bonus 2008
June 20th, 2008 at 4:21 am
Hi, This rise in online gambling led to the introduction of online gambling awards and this in turn led to increased competitiveness amongst online gambling operators.