The casino welcome bonus or sign-up bonus is the casino’s way of greeting you upon your registration. In most cases, the casino welcome bonus is a number of credits extended by the casino, which is the equivalent of a predefined percentage of the deposit you initially made. The welcome bonus is usually 100% or, in many cases, bigger than your initial deposit.
Players should understand casino bonuses because he may not know exactly what he is getting. Having a clear understanding of the different bonuses and their wagering requirements will better equip the player to qualify for them by meeting these requirements.
A deposit bonus is a type of casino bonus that a player receives when he makes a real money deposit at the casino. It means that a player has to deposit money into his account in order to avail of the bonus. The amount of bonus that a player needs to deposit, called the wagering requirements, and the allocation of the bonus is explained in the welcome bonus terms and conditions, which every player must read and understand. Each casino gives away a unique welcome bonus, different from what other casinos are giving out. No two deposit bonuses are the same. It is necessary that players fully understand the bonus terms and conditions before they sign up and make a deposit.
The welcome bonus is a good and common form of a deposit bonus. Most casinos give generous and comprehensive welcome bonuses. The welcome bonus is offered only to new players, awarded when the new player has met the wagering requirements of the bonus.
There is one very important thing that online casino players should understand – all bonuses have a playthrough requirement before any winnings can be cashed out. Players should make sure to know the playthrough requirement and which games are allowed and which are not.
Playthrough or wager requirements
Playthrough or wager requirement is often the cause of confusion on the topic of deposit bonuses. The topic is best explained by way of an example:
The best example is a casino giving out a deposit bonus but with the requirement that you have to play your deposit plus your bonus 20 x or whatever the casino requires. Please note here that different casinos have different requirements as to the number of time deposit and bonus need to be played
If you deposit $100 and the casino gives you a bonus of $100, you will end up with $200 to play with. Since the casino requires you to wager your deposit and bonus 20 x, you have to wager the $200 you have on your pot at least 20 x before you can even think of withdrawing out any of your winnings.
There are instances also when the casino requires you to play your bonus, not the deposit, a number of times. Again, if you deposit $100 and the casino gives you a bonus of $100, you will have to wager the $100 the number of times required, which in the previous example is 20x. This means that you have to wager at least $2000 worth of bets before you can cash out your winnings.
Another important consideration will be the games that you are allowed to play using your deposit and bonus, or bonus only. Most casinos have exclusions on the games where you can wager your deposit bonus. In the event that you will play in games that do not count for the playthrough, say the roulette, you could win tens of thousands of dollars and not a single penny will count towards your bonus playthrough.
There are some casinos that will allow you to play table games using your bonus but the playthrough requirement is a lot higher.
The most important thing online casino players should always remember is getting a full understanding of the mechanics of the deposit bonus.
No deposit bonus
There are casinos that offer new players a no-deposit bonus. In this type of casino, all you need to do is register a player account and you can avail of their no-deposit bonus. You will receive the money that you can use playing various games.
A no deposit bonus does not require you to make a monetary deposit, a practice that is very common in most casinos. The no deposit bonus may be credited automatically to your account or through some other means such as claiming the no deposit bonus by replying to the offer with an email or by submitting a form on the casino’s website. Regardless of how the bonus might be claimed, the no deposit bonus is always a very simple step.
As with other casino bonuses, it is important that you read the terms and conditions of the no deposit bonus. Before you sign up or claim your bonus, make sure that you are familiar with the casino’s rules about the subject. Check the limitations on the amount you may withdraw using the no deposit bonus. Find out also if the casino requires you to make a monetary deposit before you become eligible to withdraw your winnings from playing using your no deposit bonus.
Match bonus
This type of casino bonus, as the name suggests, is a bonus that a casino gives to match a player’s deposit. The match bonus could be a percentage of the amount deposited, which may go up to 100%. A casino may offer a player 100% match bonus up to a certain amount limit, such as $200. This means if a player deposits $100, he gets an extra $100, bringing the money in his account to $200.
The match bonus is usually offered by a casino to a new player who opens an account with them
Free money bonus
A free money bonus is offered by a casino to a new player who signed up with them, regardless of the amount he deposited. This offer is not absolutely free as it is also a conditional bonus. A casino will offer you free $100 if you will deposit a minimum of $20. If you deposit $50, you still get a free $100.
A player has to check the amount of minimum deposit required before deciding to avail of the offer. Some casinos may offer a bigger amount of free money bonus but they require a bigger minimum deposit also.
Reload bonus
It is a bonus given by a casino each time a player makes a monetary deposit to his account. It is not a one-time welcome bonus because the player can receive several bonuses, depending on how many times he will reload his deposit. As with other bonuses, the reload bonus comes with playthrough or wagering requirements.
Cashback bonus
This type of bonus is given by a casino to a player who has lost a certain amount of money during a particular period, usually on a weekly basis. A casino may give a cashback bonus of 10% for the player’s total losses in one week.
As with other bonuses, playthrough or wagering requirements apply also to cashback bonuses.
Loyalty bonus
A loyalty bonus is given by a casino to players who reached a certain status at the casino. Most of the loyalty bonuses given by casinos do not have a playthrough requirement but there are some that require some token requirements before a player can cash out.
Exclusive bonus
This type of bonus is an exclusive deal between the website owner and a casino. By visiting the website, the visitor is entitled to avail of a bonus offered by a casino that has a tie-up with all kinds of online gambling website.
The exclusive bonus could fall under any of the classifications of a deposit bonus. It is important to read the fine prints before signing up for anything that will entitle a player to a type of bonus.
Conclusion
Many people mistakenly think that casino bonuses are scams. They could not imagine casinos giving away free money. However, casino offers for bonuses are real. They are not scamming.
Casino bonuses are a way of attracting new players. With the steep competition among online casinos today, casinos do every trick in the book just to entice new players to sign up with them.
What players should be concerned about is the variation in the playthrough or wagering requirements of the different casinos on their bonuses. Some casinos require playthrough or wagering requirements including Live Casino that are very difficult to fulfill, while others offer more manageable and realistic wagering requirements.
