Is There a Sweet Spot for Bet Size for Online Promotion

[Archvaldor]

Assume an online casino is offering a $20 deposit bonus with $1,000 play requirement. This would be a positive value promotion assuming a house edge of a half a percent. You should make $15 on it.

Now I'm wondering if there is a sweet spot for bet size for playing it. You could play it in one hand at a $1,000 a hand and would lose $1,000 over half the time or grind it out at $1 a hand over several hours. Is there a sweet spot somewhere in between which balances time and risk so you will most likely win?

You say "deposit bonus". A deposit bonus is by definition given upfront for a minimum deposit. You haven't said what the minimum deposit is.

This changes the optimal strategy quite a bit. Please clarify.

Generally speaking the more aggressively you play the higher the expectation from a deposit bonus is. However you wouldn't bet $1000 because normally if you lose your bonus and deposit there is no reason to continue playing. So if the deposit was $20 and the bonus $20 and you lose $40 you have lost the bonus so quit.

Generally speaking the optimal strategy with this type of bonus hustling is bet as much as your bankroll can stand while leaving enough money for doubles and splits.