Casino players love a good deal, and when you are playing at your favorite casino, or shopping around to sign up at a new playground, bonuses are what everyone craves. There are many types of casino bonuses that you can land, and today we will look at the various bonuses available, how you can land them, and why you should really shop around.
Online casino bonuses are designed to welcome the player to a new casino, a hello or a sign up gift, after that the player will be entitled to an amount of bonuses and promotions that will come along with deposits and gameplay. Let us give you some knowledge on casino bonuses, how to land them, how to win using them, and how to make the best out of them all!
Some of the casino bonuses that online gambling sites include the following:
- Welcome Bonus
- Cashback Offer
- Promo Codes
- No Deposit Bonus
Welcome Bonus
The casino welcome bonus is what normally attracts players to the specific site and not to another. If you are at a supermarket shopping for fresh fruit, you will of course get attracted to the fruit that is the brightest, the one that sticks out from the crowd, and this theory also applies to online casinos. Some casinos might offer you a welcome offer based on your first deposit at the site, whilst others will go that extra mile and reward you for up to your first 5 deposits. This is the reason we ask that you shop around and compare which is the best deal for you. A typical welcome bonus would look something like the below
100% deposit match up to 200 Euros
This means that the casino will match you up with a 100% match for your deposit, but this bonus is capped at 200 Euros in total. If for example you decide to deposit 50 Euros, you will get a 50 Euros matched back, and you will have 100 Euros of play money to enjoy with your first game play. It is also good to keep in mind that some bonuses come along with a wagering requirement, meaning the times you would need to pay your bonus money. Hence., we always suggest that you take a look at the Terms and Conditions for the bonuses prior to depositing.
A welcome bonus also sometimes offers you free bonus spins that you can enjoy. This is ontop of the deposit match that you would be granted. This bonus would look something like this:
100% deposit match up to 200 Euros + 20 free bonus spins
The above bonus format has also become very popular with casinos. This is a blend where the online casino grants you a deposit match plus additional bonus spins. Here you need to keep in mind that the casino will tell you which slot game you can enjoy the free spins, plus a wagering requirement would also apply here. Just like before, you would need to read the terms and conditions. What is the wagering requirement for the free spins? Keep in mind that the bonus and the free bonus spins might carry a wagering requirement , and sometimes this is different from the casino bonus or the same amount. The free bonus spins would also have an expiration date, normally casinos put a 24hr timescale for you to use your spins, after that they will expire. Again, reading the terms and conditions for the free bonus spins is always advisable.
No Deposit Bonus
A no deposit bonus is another bonus that is awarded by online casinos. This bonus is something that casinos grant either before your first deposit or throughout your tenure at the casino. A No deposit bonus would look something like this:
100 Free Bonus spins upon registration (No Deposit Needed)
Or
50 Euros bonus upon registration
Deposit Bonuses that are granted upon registration by operators, however there is a small twist here. You can definitely use the above free bonus spins and also the 50 Euro free bonus money, however even here terms and conditions do apply. Normally these come along as wagering requirements, so you would need to play the free money / spins, however to withdraw the winnings, you would need to make a deposit also. Apart from this, since you do not to send all your personal details and information to sign up at a casino, if you win, you would also need to send all your documentation to the casino as part of their RG commitments and regulations.
When a no deposit bonus is granted, this will be available for use for a specific amount of time, and you would need to meet all the criteria to claim the winnings. In this instance also, it would be advisable for you to read carefully the Terms and conditions of the bonus being awarded.
Although a no deposit bonus is a bonus that is not very easy to come around, they do exist and in most of the cases, you will find this bonus available at new casinos that have just launched. This will be a small taster for you the player to test the casino, see if it is the right playground for you. Just keep in mind that claiming your winnings always requires a small deposit. Sometimes this deposit is listed and advertised as a small 20 Euros, read the bonus terms at all times to see how you can get hold of a no deposit bonus. If you are lucky enough, there will be no wagering requirements attached, however sometimes they do apply.
Bonus Codes
Whilst some casinos just grant you a bonus with your deposits, other online gambling sites ask you to enter a bonus code. A bonus code would need to be entered when you make a deposit at the payments / cashier section of your player profile. Some bonus codes would be available at the promotion page, and you would need to physically enter the code when making a deposit to claim the promo. Example of bonus codes
FIRSTDEP - you would need to enter this bonus could with your first deposit, to claim the welcome offer.
SECDEP - This is a bonus code that is used most of the time when you are making your 2nd deposit at the casino, and when the casino offers you a second deposit match when depositing money.
FREE20 - This bonus code comes in many ways and forms including FREE25 FREE50 and more. When a casino has a promotion granting you free bonus spins, normally you would need to enter such bonus code in the cashier section to scoop and land the free spins.
Affiliate Promotions - Affiliate sites team up with online casino and gambling sites to grant you special deals and offers. Most of the time when this happens, the affiliate site would advertise a specific link and code. You can use these bonus codes to unlock bonuses and promotions that the affiliates have cooked up for you hand in hand with the specific casino.
Cashback Offers
Many casinos appreciate you for playing at their specific casino and not the competition. Due to this some gambling sites offer you Cashback offers as part of their ongoing promotions and offers. A cashback offer is when the specific site will grant you a percentage of all your losses at the casino or sports site during a specific period of time. Normally cashback offers are calculated weekly and they run from one week to another with a cut off time. To claim the bonus, you will be asked to make a small deposit of 20 Euros (sometimes less / sometimes more) The cashback will be granted as a real cash bonus, and even here some terms and conditions apply. Normally, you would have a wagering requirement even here to meet, so check all the bonus terms and conditions.
In a nutshell, a casino cashback offer allows you to get a portion back of your winnings. This applies for both online casinos and sports betting sites. Apart from having the wagering applied as a T&C, you will also find that some bonuses do have a timescale applied to them, meaning any bonuses received would need to be wagered and used in a specific timeframe. Some casinos will offer you 5% cashback on all your losses, whilst others are more generous and could go up to 20%. Cashback offers are deemed as continuous, hence can be claimed once a week at the casino offering you cashback.
Things to keep in mind when shopping for a casino bonus
The payment method you choose
Now that you have some knowledge about casino bonus, let’s get it in the small print, shall we? Starting off this list is the choice of payment methods. Whilst some payment methods do let you claim the above listed bonus, others do not, so some ground work before your first deposit is always advisable. This will prevent you from having to speak to the CS team and question why your bonus was not awarded.
Payment methods such as Skrill and Neteller do not offer you the facility of claiming a bonus when using them as your casino payment partner. Once you read both the casino and also the payment methods Terms and Conditions, this is clearly listed, so some advice from yours truly, always check if bonuses are supported with the payment method of your choice.
Some countries do not allow you to claim bonuses
When you are physically located also plays a big role when you are trying to claim a casino bonus. Whilst some countries where gambling is legal offer you the facility of claiming a bonus, other countries do not. Again, you can find all of this information if you will be able to land a bonus in the Bonus terms and conditions.
Wagering Requirements
We did mention above that most bonuses do come along with a wagering requirement. The ideal situation would be that bonuses do not carry a wagering requirement, but in reality most of them do. Most of the casino would have something similar to below to tell you about wagering:
All deposit bonuses have a wager x50.
Please mind the fact each game comes with its own wagering %:
- Table games – Baccarat, Blackjack, Hi-Lo – 5% (except for games with a live dealer)
- Videopoker – 5%
- Roulette, Poker – 5% (except for games with a live dealer)
- Slots – 100% (except for the games listed below
Taking into consideration the above, when the casino grants you a bonus, you would need to wager the amount and the winnings a total of 50 times. Playing slots counts 100% towards the requirements, Table Games 5%, Video Poker 5%.
