Ace From popular online casino bonuses and the way they work to what makes a great bonus and how to get max value from yours, we tell you everything worth knowing about the casino world’s top offers.
Used wisely, online casino bonuses can squeeze extra juice out of your time at the table. The best casino bonuses still come with conditions attached, and these terms ultimately dictate if the juice is worth the squeeze. Get clued up on everything from deposit bonuses and free spins to wagering requirements and other important terms with our essential guide to online casino bonuses.
Why do casinos offer bonuses?
Of all the industries likely to give away free money, online casinos would not be high on most peoples’ lists. So why do they give away so many bonuses, and are they really as good as they sound?
The online casino bonus is a useful tool for encouraging players to try a casino, play a specific game or make a deposit. They’re also a good way to reward loyalty and keep the players happy. Bonuses are a key part of a casino’s advertising strategy, but they’re good news for players too. Provided you know exactly what the deal is before you go for it, any of the following popular online casino bonuses can give you free shots at the big time.
Which casino bonus works best for you?
Welcome bonuses
The welcome bonus or signup bonus is the golden gate at the entrance to every online casino. To claim a casino welcome bonus, you’ll probably have to make a deposit and possibly even enter a bonus code. Welcome bonuses are just for new players, and can only be used once. They can be a match bonus, free spins or a combination of the two, and they are probably the best value of all the bonuses you’ll get throughout your time as a customer because attracting new players is the holy grail. If you’re thinking about claiming a welcome bonus, choose your deposit size carefully, because you only get one shot.
Reload bonuses
Keeping your existing players happy is important too, which is where reload bonuses come in. Most online casino players will bust off their stack once in a while, and casinos will often throw in some free spins or a smaller match bonus if you’re willing to deposit again and reload your account, hence the name.
Reload bonuses are also good tools for loyalty programs, as they encourage players to hit play targets or just reward you for recent play.
Free spins
Instead of cash, many deposit bonuses now offer a fixed number of free spins for one particular online slot. ‘Deposit $10, get 50 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza!’ is how one bonus might go. Once you’ve deposited to claim a free spins bonus, fire up the slot and you can play for free. The terms of the bonus will also state the value of each spin, so a 50 Free Spins Bonus at 10 cents per spin is basically a $5 bonus. If you win any cash during your free spins, you might get them instantly, or you might need to carry on wagering before they’re converted into withdrawable funds.
Free spins bonuses are currently the most popular type of bonus among players, as they’re easy to understand and give you a large amount of guaranteed play on a popular slot. There’s a growing trend for online casino offers with no wagering requirements too, usually with fewer free spins to offset the more generous terms.
Match bonuses
Match bonuses are designed for more experienced or higher staking players, which is why they often have generous match percentages and higher value maximum bonus amounts. They get their name because the casino will match your deposit amount with bonus cash, usually to the tune of 100% or more.
Here’s what a typical casino match bonus looks like…
CLAIM 200% UP TO $1,000!!
In this scenario, we can deposit $50 and get a $100 bonus. Some casinos give you the $100 immediately along with a wagering target to reach before you can convert any wins from your bonus into cash. Other casinos credit the bonus as a ‘pending’ bonus that’s released in full once you have staked a certain amount on games.
Provided you’re clued up on the terms, match bonuses are one of the most valuable online casino offers around.
No Deposit bonuses
Free casino cash and you don’t need to put down any of your own? Now that is a sweet deal, no cap. Don’t get too excited though, as these are usually a way for online casinos to give new players a small taste of their product. Because they are literally a free lunch, No Deposit Bonuses are usually very small, typically just $5 or the equivalent in free spins.
Wins are usually capped and there will be play through requirements to hit, too, before the cash is truly yours. The way No Deposit Bonuses are designed means they’re not ‘take it to the bank’ material. Still, there’s no harm in going for the big spin-up on someone else’s dime!
Bitcoin bonuses
The welcome bonuses offered by Bitcoin casinos have evolved over the few years they’ve been around, with most Bitcoin bonuses now featuring a match bonus, a free spins bonus and maybe even a No Deposit Bonus for good measure.
Bitcoin bonuses work just like other casino bonuses, except you make a deposit using a cryptocurrency and get your bonus credited in the same currency. There are two things to bear in mind with cryptocurrency casino bonuses. You’ll have to calculate what it’s worth in your own local currency, and because cryptocurrencies are more volatile than Nick Kyrgios on a bad day, a ‘100% bonus up to 1 BTC’ today might look very different tomorrow.
Loyalty program bonuses
Very few things beat free cash upfront, but sometimes a casino will offer something a little different that could be more valuable in the long run. A deposit bonus that shortcuts you to higher VIP levels or exclusive online casino promotions could be real useful if you’re a regular face in the game.
Depending on your level of play, access to a reward scheme with higher rakeback or bigger match bonuses might be worth more to you than a one-time cash injection. Get a rough idea of how much you wager every month, dig into the VIP club features and you’ll see if this type of bonus is the smarter play.
Bonus conditions
Every casino bonus, big or small, deposit or not, has terms and conditions attached. Terms have tightened over the years as shrewd players exploited generous bonuses. They got their cake, ate the cake and bailed forever. As a result, casinos have developed conditions designed to keep sharks away and incentivise people who are here to play.
The most common condition is a wagering or ‘play through’ requirement, like 50x. This means you have to bet a total of 50 times your deposit amount or bonus winnings to release a pending bonus or convert bonus funds into cash you can withdraw. Certain casino games with very low volatility are seen as contributing much less to wagering. Blackjack and Baccarat typically require 10 times more wagering than slots.
As well as play through requirements, bonuses sometimes include expiry periods, so it’s useful to know when you need to complete your wagering or use your bonus.
Casino bonuses are all about the terms and how well you put ‘em to good use. Pick the right type of bonuses for you, play them well and you’ll see that sometimes, lunch can be free.
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