Our Beginners Guide To Online Casino Bonuses
April 4th, 2019Ready to take a new casino bonus, but not sure which is the one for you? We give you a quick break down of each, and what you need to know in our guide to online casino bonuses.
To attract new customers, casinos make various cash and non-cash offers, known as casino bonuses.
Casino bonuses are one of the most attractive features of online casinos. You can use them to extend your playtime and increase your bets without depositing your own funds.
To help you understand a few of the different types of online casino bonuses, we have put together a list that will assist you in choosing your bonus type with more confidence and help you improve your gambling experience.
Casino Welcome bonuses
Welcome bonuses usually add a set percentage to your first deposit at a site, usually ranging from 25% to 200% of the amount you deposit into your account.
The idea is often simple. A 100% bonus “doubles” your deposit. So if you deposit 100, you get 100 in bonus money and play with 200. A 200% bonus, on the other hand, “triples” your deposit: so if you deposit 10, you’ll get 20 in bonus money and play with 30 in cash.
The offers are often incredibly enticing, but these packages usually come with certain requirements – as do they all.
Make sure you calculate the wagering requirements
Many casinos that maintain welcome promotions will indicate a wagering requirement, which means that the bonus amount given by the casino cannot be cashed out automatically by the recipient.
It will need to be ‘wagered’ a certain amount of times. ie. 20 times, 30 times, 35 times etc… You can use our bonus casino wagering calculator for exact figures.
Generally, we prefer our wagering requirements not to go above 35x, and to be on the bonus money only. If you see that the wagering is on your bonus AND deposit amount, don’t take it.
It locks your deposit with the bonus and means you won’t be able to take out any winnings. Even if you win big with your deposit, you won’t be able to withdraw.
The best bonuses let you play with your real money and cash out if you win, but if you do run out of real money, you then start playing with the bonus, and that’s when the wagering comes into play.
Casino Loyalty Bonuses
When you sign up for an online casino of your choice, their main objective is to show you a good time by offering the best array of casino games out there and to ensure that you keep gambling on their site.
Casumo’s Unique and Fun Loyalty Program
- Earn badges as you play
- Travel worlds and universes
- Earn free spins and bonuses as you travel
As a result of this, loyalty bonuses are often offered to high rollers who choose to play at their site, as well as regular players who keep depositing money into their account week after week.
These can come to you in multiple ways.
What kind of casino loyalty programs can you find?
Every casino likes to do things a little differently, but that’s not to say that they don’t have some common ground.
- Random deposit bonuses: Given to you randomly for being a loyal player. These can be given as deposits or free spin casino bonuses.
- Loyalty shop: As you play, you’ll get coins or points you can spend at a loyalty shop to buy your own rewards.
- Points for cash: As you play, you’ll get points, which you can then exchange for cash bonuses
- VIP account manager: For high rollers who want that personal touch. You get bonuses tailored to you.
- Social gaming: As you play, you go up levels, get badges, and encounter rewards.
There are many variations on these, but generally, a good casino will reward players willing to stick around.
Related: Casino loyalty programs
Free Spins Casino Bonuses
Specifically applying to the online slot machines, these are often offered as they are or can be bundled with deposit bonuses. Free spins range between 10 to 300, and once you win your free spins, you need to first identify their value – which varies based on the casino and game.
So, for example, a free spin on the Book of Dead slot or Starburst game is common, mostly because the minimum bet is 0.10 a spin.
Most standard free spin bonuses offered will be set on the minimum bet, so 10 free spins on Gonzo’s Quest will be set at 0.20 a spin. It’s worth doing your research to get the most value for money.
At the same time, the volatility of a slot machine will also affect how much you win,
The winnings often contain wagering requirements, so you may need to play your winnings a certain number of times before you can actually withdraw.
You can find free spin bonuses with no wagering requirements
Wagering requirements are a key part of any casino bonus, which means it’s rare that you’ll find any casinos offering free spins without wagering requirements on a welcome bonus.
However, where you might find no wagering casino bonuses is when a casino offers a new casino promotion, promoting new slots or old favourites.
Mr Green casino does this often, letting players grab free spins on a top slot when you make a deposit. However, anything you win from your free spins bonus is yours to keep. Not all come with no wagering, so always check the bonus terms and conditions.
No Deposit Casino Bonuses
Designed as a welcome offer for new players, the no deposit bonus allows players to enjoy a casino bonus without having to make a deposit.
This provides users with the perfect opportunity to try out new casino games and explore their features, understanding the pros and cons and whether you would like to continue playing them or not.
These are often free spin no deposit bonuses, but you can sometimes find cash amounts. It’s not easy, but they exist.
The winnings generated by a no deposit bonus will almost usually be treated as additional bonus money and so will need to meet the casino’s wagering requirement before they can be cashed out.
Related: Try some exclusive casino bonuses
Always pay attention to the small print
If you have found a bonus that looks too good to be true, that may be the case, especially when it’s a no deposit casino bonus.
They tend to have high wagering requirements, usually around 40x to 50x, and max cashout amounts. So it’s not free money in any sense of the word. It’s more like ‘try before you buy money’.
Therefore, ensure you read the small print and wagering requirements before you decide to use any casino or its bonus.
Using a bonus is a great way to maximise your profit, but it can hinder the way you want to use your money to play.
Conclusion: Make The Most Of Online Casino Bonuses
As you can see, many opportunities exist to take advantage of online casino bonuses. You can pick to play with a welcome bonus or play without depending on what’s on offer.
Welcome casino bonuses with free spins offer extra value, while no deposit bonuses, which are rare, let you test out the casino and slots without needing to make a deposit.
When looking for new casinos, the welcome bonus isn’t the be-all and end-all; you’ll want to look to see if they offer regular promotions, seasonal bonuses, have a loyalty program rewarding you the more you spin, and their range of slots and casino games.
Here at Lucky Mobile Casinos, we keep our readers completely up-to-date with our recommended gaming sites, showing players how to have a great mobile gambling experience.
Find out more about the different promotions and live online casino reviews we have available, browse our website today.
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