With hundreds of online casinos available for players to choose from, brands looking to stay relevant in the gambling scene are compelled to design features geared towards providing players with a positive and rewarding experience. Besides making sure they offer games to cater for every need, skill, and budget, gambling sites also feature what many players value – casino bonuses.
Online casino bonuses such as these are an incredibly popular incentive, which casinos take advantage of to attract gamblers and encourage them to stick to their gaming sites. Honestly, I haven’t come across a casino without any form of incentive for its players. So, it is a basic feature. It essentially serves as a token of appreciation to players for choosing the casino over the others.
If you don’t like casino games, you can read or other game reviews instead. But if you like to gamble, then below, we explore the various types of casino bonuses you’re likely to get in your online gambling journey.
Sign-Up or Welcome Bonuses
Most online gambling platforms offer welcome bonuses to new players. This type of incentive is typically available in the form of match bonuses or percentage bonuses.
Percentage bonuses are quite straightforward. The casino has a fixed percentage that usually ranges from 50% to 200%. If you make a deposit, you receive a percentage of your deposit as a bonus. For example, if the percentage is set at 200% and you deposit 50, your welcome bonus will be$100.
When it comes to matching bonuses, they are usually spread over a few deposits. Some casinos will allow you to claim your bonus with just one match deposit. However, most of the sites tend to require making up to 5 match deposits.
Here’s how the match bonuses work.
Let’s assume you have found a casino that offers 500 in match bonuses on 3 deposits.
- First deposit – you receive a 100% match bonus (up to $200).
- Second deposit – you’re given a 50% match bonus up to$150)
- Third deposit – you’re eligible for a 25% match bonus (up to $150)
To claim the entire first match bonus, you’ll need to deposit$200. The second bonus needs a deposit of $300, whereas the third bonus requires $600.
You will certainly find sites with more tempting offers, but I will give you a piece of advice – always make sure to read the terms and conditions before claiming the bonuses. Great incentives have friendly wagering requirements, which improve a player’s ability to win as well as cash out.
No Deposit Bonuses
No deposit bonuses (NDB) are common among new online casinos, which are looking to make a name for themselves as trustworthy brands that also deserve the attention of players. When a new player registers for an account, they become eligible for the bonuses.
These bonuses simply give players a chance to try the casino games and features without risking their real money. Of course, there’s a chance to win using the bonuses.
Well, no deposit bonuses often come in two options: cash or free play. With the free play type of NDB, a casino gives you credits to play with and win real money. However, you will have a limited period to utilize your bonuses. The timeframe is often short, but some sites are quite generous.
If you find a casino offering cash NDB, then you’ll most likely receive anywhere between $5 and $10. Please keep in mind that the operators providing the NDB usually have a list of games that you should use the bonuses on. Otherwise, you can’t meet the playthrough requirements.
Speaking of the playthrough requirements, the odds are usually not on your favor when you play with NDB because of their high wagering requirements. Meeting the cash out conditions in most cases is difficult, but not impossible.
Some casinos will also require that you make a small deposit and add a payment method before withdrawing your money.
Free Spins
Free spins have become popular in online casino gambling. Initially, this bonus type was offered to the existing players, especially when a casino had introduced a new slot game and wanted to promote it. Today, you will find several sites offering free spins as part of the welcome bonus.
Some operators will require you to make a small deposit and get the free spins, while others offer no deposit free spins. Top casinos might allow you to use the free spins on progressive jackpots. It is possible to strike gold with this bonus.
Refer Friend Casino Bonuses
Online casinos with the refer-a-friend program allow existing players to receive bonuses for every qualifying referral. The existing player is given a unique link that they send out to their friends, inviting them to register an account with the casino.
Bonuses are earned only if the friends sign up, make the specified deposit amount, and meet the wagering requirements. The incentives can take different forms, such as extra spins, cash, and free play. Your friends will also be eligible for other types of bonuses.
Unfortunately, not many sites offer the refer-a-friend casino bonuses.
Reload Bonuses
Reload bonuses are also known as monthly deposit bonuses. They are given away as percentages of your previous monthly deposit activity, but the percentages are usually small. It is a great promotion for players who gamble regularly.
Preferred Payment Method Bonuses
Players have a wide range of methods for transferring funds to and from their online casino playing accounts. A casino may have reasons to favor one form of electronic payment over the other. For instance, they might prefer cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum over e-wallets like Skrill and PayPal because of privacy or location-free restrictions.
The smartest way to encourage players to use the casino’s preferred payment method is, without a doubt, to offer bonuses. Well, you should expect to get an additional 5% to 20% of your payment transactions. If you’re a player who transacts a large amount of money, then you’re likely to make significant savings.
Loyalty Casino Bonuses
Top gambling platforms will have some type of rewards for players who stick to the site over a certain period.
You usually become part of the loyalty program from the moment you sign up and make the first deposit.
The loyalty schemes vary greatly, though. Generally, players can expect to receive monetary rewards and prizes. There are casinos with fantastic and life-changing VIP promotions. Some sites even offer tickets to holidays, sports events, and Sweepstakes.
When you play, you’ll accumulate loyalty points. These points determine your status level in the loyalty program. The more you wager, the more points you will earn. And accumulating more loyalty points means you will climb levels. Being the highest tier – VIP player means you will enjoy a lot more perks than standard players.
Another thing worth mentioning about loyalty points is that they can be converted into casino credits with less stringent conditions attached. However, there’s a level you must reach before you can redeem points.
High Roller Bonuses
High rollers wager large sums of money during gaming sessions. Such players often get preferential treatment when playing at online sites, and their packages are part of VIP programs. This group of gamblers enjoys ridiculously high bonuses, which are known to exceed 1,000. The bonus amount is a percentage of deposits. It can be as high as 50%.
The welcome bonuses for high rollers can go from 100% to 1000%. However, we must admit that these bonuses are great for professional players. If you’re new to gambling, you should proceed with caution.
Cashback Bonuses
Cashback bonuses are increasingly becoming popular among casino operators. With this type of incentive, you get back a percentage of the money lost during a specific time frame or on the category of games.
Let’s assume an operator offers a 20% cashback on specific slot games. If you wager$100 and you lose it, the casino returns $20 at the end of your gaming session so you can enjoy more playtime.
Depending on the casino, you might also be eligible for cashback on the daily losses. If your daily wagering amount lost is $500 with a 10% cashback, the operator will return$50.
Why do operators impose wagering requirements on casino bonuses?
Wagering requirements are designed to protect casinos from players whose main intention is to sign up, claim the bonuses, and then withdraw the money without playing.
Any winnings made while you’re playing towards meeting the wagering requirements will be stored in a pending balance. The funds are available for withdrawal only once you’ve satisfied the conditions.
online-casino-gamesOnce again, I want to remind you to take your time and go through the terms and conditions relating to an incentive before accepting the offer. Some casinos will give you generous bonuses, but make it nearly impossible to cash out.
Imagine you deposited $500 and you get an additional $500, but you have about half an hour to work down the wagering requirement of 40x. If the casino requires you to wager both the bonus and deposit amount, you could end up wagering $40,000 before you’re allowed to withdraw your winnings. You’re more likely to end up frustrated.
My Casino Bonus Thoughts
As you can see, players are spoilt for choice when it comes to online casino bonuses. Sometimes the incentives may be worth pursuing, at other times not. If you can find a casino with favorable terms and conditions, don’t hesitate to take advantage of the free money to play your favorite games and and you might be lucky and win some extra cash.
