What is an online casino bonus?
One of the first things you will notice when you want to start playing at an online casino, poker or bingo room is that most providers offer you some kind of bonus.
It’s no secret that they offer you a bonus because they hope that you will use this to start playing and thus turning it into their won advantage, however, you should still take the bonus. You might as well exploit that the gambling site offers you free money. If you take the bonus, you will probably find that the money you deposit will last longer.
Several different types of bonuses
Before throwing yourself at all the different bonuses offered by the online casino, poker or bingo rooms you should be aware that there are several different types of bonuses.
Sign up bonus/Welcome bonus
The most common bonus is the welcome bonus. When surfing around at the different online casinos, you will find several names for this type of bonus, namely the "Sign Up" Bonus, "New Player Bonus" and of course "Welcome Bonus".
When a casino offers you a welcome bonus, you should be aware that these fall into "percent" or "match" bonuses. This means that you will often see casinos offering you everything from a 10% to a 500% welcome bonus. If a casino offers you a 50% welcome bonus and you deposit $ 20, the casino will give you 10 dollars. If the welcome bonus is 300% and you deposit $ 20, you’ll get $ 60.
A 100% bonus is called a "Match bonus which means that the casino matches the amount you deposit. For example, if you deposit $ 100, the casino gives you $ 100.
Loyalty bonus
A loyalty bonus is a bonus you can get if you have played in the same casino for a longer period. You'll also be able to meet this type of bonus under the name VIP bonus. To get the bonus you will often have to collect loyalty points every time you insert money on your account up to a certain limit. Once you’ve collected enough points you can exchange them for a bonus that will be credited your account.
Bonus on deposits with online payment (Bank bonus)
Some casinos offer you a bonus if you use a particular form of payment. The reason why they offer you this type of bonus is that sometimes you risk experiencing difficulties when using usual credit cards and in order to avoid any bad experiences with credit cards, they hope that you will start using an online payment instead like Neteller or MoneyBookers. Usually you will see this type of bonus in connection with a 100% welcome bonus. If the casino offers you for example a 100 % match bonus up to $ 100 plus a 20 % bank bonus and you deposit $ 100, you will have a total of $ 220 in your account.
Monthly bonuses
Some casinos offer its players monthly bonuses allowing you each month to get a special bonus on certain types of games which could be slots for example where you could get a 100 % match bonus up to a certain amount. You may only redeem one month bonus per month.
No deposit bonus
If the casino offers you a No Deposit Bonus, you get money to play for without having to deposit any money. This means that, in theory, you get free money to play for. As with every other types of bonuses, there are things you should be aware of before accepting a such bonus. Normally, the bonus is very small compared to other bonuses however it still allows you to get an idea of the different casino game.
Important information about bonuses
You should be aware of the fact that for the different bonus types apply different rules. Obviously, the rules are made by the casinos to make you continue playing and therefore it’s important that you meet the conditions set up by the casinos for receiving your bonus. A golden rule is that you cannot always expect to use your bonus an all casino games. In other cases, you will discover that you have to wager a certain amount before being able to withdraw the bonus money. There may also be a time limit involved - 30 days is the most common time restriction, but other time frames may also occur. Last but not least, you may need to deposit your own money before being able to withdraw your winnings.
Therefore we recommend that you always read the terms and conditions for free online games at the casino in question.
Wager requirement
When you read about the casino bonuses, you will often meet the word "wager". It is important that you know what this word means. Sometimes the casino require a minimum wager (deposit) before letting you withdraw your bonus. The conditions for the bonuses will typically be listed in the casino’s Terms and Conditions. If the requirement is 20 times the bonus, it simply means that you have to multiply the bonus by 20. For example, you will have to play for $2000 (20x€100) before you can withdraw your bonus.