Make the most of the latest online casino bonuses offered at our top recommended real money casinos. This expert guide will show you the types of bonuses on offer for you, how to use them, and how to understand the terms and conditions related to them.
The Essential Guide to Online Casino Bonuses
Casinos provide online casino bonuses as a means of encouraging players to sign up to their site, make a deposit, and play their wide selection of online slots and real money casino games. There is a range of different online casino bonuses offered, such as no deposit bonuses, welcome bonuses, loyalty bonuses, and more. To understand more about online casino bonuses, we have compiled a list of the most common casino bonuses and an explanation of each so that you have a complete understanding of what is offered and how to make the most of them.
1. Welcome Bonus
This is the most typical type of bonus that an online casino offers. A welcome bonus is a way of attracting new players to sign up for their particular online casino. The welcome bonus normally comes in a form of a percentage match-up to a player’s initial deposit. For example, if they are offering a 100% matchup and your first deposit is $100, another $100 will be credited into your account for free. This means that you will have $200 in your casino account balance that you can use to play your favourite casino games for longer.
2. No Deposit Bonus
A no deposit bonus is intended for players who want to play casino games without depositing money into their account. Casinos frequently offer this so that new players can test out their online casino games for free and without any risk. The problem with no-deposit bonuses is that they often come with very high wagering requirements (which we’ll get to later on) that you have to comply with in order to withdraw your winnings. Aside from wagering requirements, there might also be some game restrictions that apply which could limit your overall gaming experience.
3. Reload Bonus
A reload bonus, likewise known as a monthly bonus, allows you to get a bonus on a monthly basis in order to keep you playing. For example, you can receive a 100% reload bonus of up to $100 during the first day of each month from the casino you’re playing in. Most casinos will grant you a monthly bonus depending on your activity over the last month. Hence, the more active you are, the higher the bonus you can get.
4. High Roller / VIP Bonus
In some cases, online casinos will reward players who deposit more to their account, allowing them to play even more. Players who like to play with high sums of money are called high rollers and are given even bigger bonuses as compensation for their huge deposits. Sometimes they are given other rewards, such as automatic VIP Club membership, box office tickets to sporting events, trips to Vegas, and more. In addition, many online casinos offer loyalty points just for playing specific games. Once you have accumulated enough comp points you can convert them to cash to play at the casino.
5. Payment Method Bonus
Online casinos come with a range of casino payment methods allowing you to deposit and withdraw funds into your casino account. In some cases, they might even encourage players to opt for a certain payment method and provide them with a payment method bonus just for choosing that method. This type of online casino bonus is common with new banking methods the casino is trying to promote and often casinos offer Bitcoin bonuses or Neosurf bonuses.
6. Refer-a-Friend Bonus
This type of bonus isn’t too common nowadays, but it does give you a bonus by simply referring a friend to sign up for a particular casino. In most cases, you can get the bonus upon successful signup, but there are casinos that will only give you the bonus once your referrals make their first deposit.
7. Match Deposit Bonus
A match deposit bonus is when the casino will give you bonus credit that depends on the amount you choose to deposit. For example, if they are offering a 100% match bonus up to $200, then by depositing $100 you will get another $100 credit in your casino account as a bonus. This will mean you now have $200 to play your favourite online casino games. However, the 'up to $200' is the limit of how much of a match bonus the casino is willing to credit you with. So for example, you will get an additional $200 of credit for depositing $200, but if you deposit $250 you will only get the same $200 as a bonus.
8. Bingo Bonus
Often you will find that online bingo halls offer free sign-up bonuses like their casino counterparts. However, playing bonuses can differ significantly. If you receive a Bingo Bonus, you are only allowed to use it in other bingo rooms at the venue that gave it to you. These can be received as freebies during games by the group admin, or for winning. There are also game bonuses that allow you to play other bingo or side games. In addition, in some bingo games, you will play for actual prizes - which can vary from venue to venue.
9. No Wagering Requirement Bonus
To offer more incentives to players, some casinos are offering some wager-free bonuses, usually free spins. What this means is that you do not need to fulfill any wagering requirements in order to receive your bonus. It is there for the taking. These bonuses are a great offer for players but are not offered often.
Casino Bonus Codes
Many online casino bonuses have bonus codes associated with them that need to be entered in order for you to activate the bonus. A bonus code is simply a code that you must enter in order to claim your bonus. Some codes can be used once only, while others can be used a number of times, usually within a specific time period. We have gathered a list of the best bonus codes for online casino players. Have a squiz and try them out.
About Bonus Wagering Requirements
A wagering requirement is basically a multiplier representing how many times you will need to play through a bonus before you are allowed to withdraw your winnings. For example, if a casino gives you $50 as a welcome bonus with a 5x wagering requirement, it would mean that you will have to play the bonus money at least five times, playing on eligible games before you can withdraw your pending winnings. But it's a common misconception that this applies to both the money you deposit AND to the bonus amount, which is usually not true: in most cases, the playthrough requirement ONLY applies to the bonus money they've added to your account for free. Because, in fact, the bonus is not 'money' at all: it's free games that you can win real money playing. But because every player has their own favourite games, the casino gives a bonus in the form of 'casino credits' so you can choose how and where you want to play.
However, any amount you win with the bonus you've been given will be labeled as 'pending' and can’t be withdrawn until you complete your wagering requirements. In almost every online casino, when you check your balance you'll see there are, in fact, two balances: one is your bonus balance and the second is your deposited balance. And when you play, your betting funds are drawn from your bonus balance first until it empties and then they are drawn from your deposited balance (unless you specify otherwise).
