Online Casino Bonus Guide
One of the advantages of playing casinos online is the wide range of excellent bonuses that are available to both the new and regular players. Many players are enticed into trying casinos with offers such as 400% free for every deposit up to £100 and whilst many of these bonuses are indeed very player friendly they are rarely as good as they first seem. Some casinos require you to claim the bonuses and there can be delays in the bonuses being credited to your account whereas other casinos will credit the bonuses automatically. While there are some excellent bonus offers available there are also some that will seriously restrict your game-play through excessive wagering requirements and others can never be cashed. Because of this experienced players sometimes decline bonuses and it is important to understand why and when it is prudent to do so. Therefore we have created this casino bonus guide to help put newcomers in the picture from the start.
Terms and Conditions
It is important that before you sign up for a bonus that you have at least a reasonable understanding of the terms that the bonus is being offered. If you do not want to bother reading through bonus terms then stick to casinos such as Bet365 where you will only get bonuses if you sign up for them.
Key terms that frequently appear include:
- Play-through/Wagering requirements – such as wagering 20 times deposit AND bonus before a withdrawal is allowed.
- Restrictions on withdrawals until bonus term requirements are met
- Excluded Games – e.g. no Blackjack. Sometimes these will void all winnings and other times will just not count towards play through requirements if you play excluded games
- Minimum and Maximum deposit levels to trigger a bonus (e.g. 100% match bonus up to £100 with £20 minimum deposit)
- Maximum Bets whilst playing through bonus terms or risk voiding winnings
- Play on some games will be heavily discounted towards play through requirements e.g. Video poker wagers may only count for 10% of value
- Time limits which to meet play through requirements varying from 1 day to 1 month.
- Confiscation of account balance if terms are breached!
- Maximum winnings from bonuses – This is really bad if you want to play high variance games such as progressive jackpots
- Threats of confiscation of funds if not played within the “Spirit of the Bonus”. Generally we recommend avoiding casinos who use these clauses but some casinos will lock accounts even when no such clause is present.
- Non-withdrawable bonuses – sometimes known as “sticky” bonuses these are bonuses that can be wagered but never withdrawn. They can still be good to wager with but much less advantageous than other bonuses.
- Only one bonus per group of sites – many brands are owned or linked together and often have a one bonus per group rule. This can be tough on players as many groups will market their different brands so that they do not seem similar to each other.
As you can see if you do not check out the terms and conditions you are risking not being able to make any withdrawals from your account. If there is any grey area you are not sure about then if they are a highly respected casino you should be alright but otherwise make sure you ask questions in advance and try to make sure everything is recorded in case you have problems later.
Types of Bonus
Deposit match bonuses – These are bonuses that are triggered by making a deposit at the casino. Often there is a play through requirement and a range of conditions attached before the bonus and the main deposit can be withdrawn. These bonuses are often available as new depositor bonuses but some are available in other circumstances such as for your second and third deposits, on your birthday, every Tuesday, by an email or by requesting customer service. Some casinos offer these bonuses for every deposit. Few casinos offer regular bonuses as good as their first deposit bonuses and this is one reason why many players will switch from casino to casino to take advantage of these bonuses.
Free Spin Bonuses – Sometimes these come with restrictions such as maximum wins or winnings having playthrough requirements before these can be withdrawn but they are still a great bonus and often a free way to test out a slot game you might not be familiar with. As always check the small print before claiming the spins if you have a balance with the casino or if it is a bonus with a deposit.
Free Play – Some casinos offer a period of free play as their initial bonus. Often with these bonuses you do not have access to the full range of casino games but they provide you with a good idea of what the casino is like. Often there are restrictions on the amount you can win, the bets you can make and often you are not playing for actual money but instead what amounts to a deposit bonus. These bonuses are great fun and a good way to try out a new casino but we do recommend you read the small print and form a strategy to best take advantage of these bonuses.
No Deposit Bonuses – Often these are for very small amounts of money and sometimes have large play through requirements, even when they don’t you are risking fund confiscation if you claim a bonus and ask for a withdrawal without playing any games with it. Some bonuses promoted as No Deposit Bonuses are actually free play bonuses and you need to make deposits to withdraw winnings so it is worth reading the small print.
Comp Points and VIP Status – Many casinos have VIP clubs and statuses that can sometimes require a level of play or deposits to trigger. With VIP status you can sometimes get a range of benefits including lower fees on banking transactions, enhanced customer services and extra bonus offers. Although it can be tempting to hope from sign up bonus to sign up bonus it is worth finding out what VIP status at a casino will get you.
Freeroll and Guaranteed Pool Tournaments – There are two types of casino tournaments, play chip tournaments in which you do not wager your casino balance but get separate credits to play the tournament like a poker tournament and tournaments when you play and tournaments where you use your casino balance. With play chip tournaments you sometimes can get free entry and often can benefit from guaranteed prize pool tournaments when there are insufficient players join for it to be otherwise met. With other tournaments there may be set conditions that will trigger prizes if you have say won the most money on Thunderstruck slot within certain time frames. These are great extra value but it is easy to gamble hundreds to win tens of dollar prizes. Some times these prizes
Big Win Bonuses – These could be bonuses to whoever won the most on a given day or to anyone who wins more than £1000 on Blackjack over the weekend.
Cashback Bonuses – If you meet the requirements and lose then cashback bonuses typically give you a percentage of your losses back as a bonus that if you meet the requirements such as playthrough etc you can withdraw it. These bonuses give you extra play for your money if you happen to lose and reduce your losses a little. Always check the small print but these are generally worth taking advantage of although not worth the full value they suggest.
When You Can Get Bonuses
Many of the best bonuses are available when you are new to a site, often for your first deposit or first series of deposits but there are some casinos that will offer a range of other bonuses including welcome back bonuses, email offers, VIP offers, additional deposit bonuses and it is always worth noting that you can actually negotiate your own bonuses with customer support that will often have leeway to give you better bonus terms than are generally advertised.
What is a Good Bonus?
Any bonus that enhances your playing experience is a good bonus. The more a bonus requires you to study and think about its terms, the more it restricts you from gambling and withdrawing the way you want to the less worthwhile it is. As a general rule the more games you can play and the lower the play through requirements, the better the bonus. If you love slots then there are a lot more bonuses that will be worth your while than if you love table games such as blackjack or roulette.
