Everything You Need to Know About Online Casino Bonuses

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Online casino bonuses can be the ultimate deal sweetener. These days, it’s rare to come across an online casino that doesn’t advertise an extensive range of bonuses and incentives. Nevertheless, not all online casino bonuses are cut from the same cloth.

In fact, there are some online casino bonuses that are best avoided entirely.

With bonuses and free spins for casino offers in general, it’s a case of letting common sense be your guide. All online casino bonuses attach terms, conditions and wagering requirements to take into account.  This is where you’ll determine the true value (or otherwise) of the deal in question.

Irrespective of how much cash is apparently on the table, you need to know the T&Cs. As a general rule of thumb, the more generous the bonus, the stricter the terms and conditions attached. These will govern how much you can win with the bonus funds, how much you can withdraw, for how long they are valid and so on.

With wagering requirements, it’s a case of how many times you have to ‘play through’ the bonus amount, before being able to request withdrawals. The higher the wagering requirements, the trickier it becomes to access the funds.

Aimed primarily at newcomers to online gambling, we’ll now be taking a look at some of the most popular online casino bonuses and their respective characteristics:

What’s a No Deposit Bonus?

As competition grows, online casinos have no choice but to offer simpler and more accessible bonus offers than ever before. One of the most popular examples of which being a no deposit bonus offer.  As the name suggests, this is an online casino bonus that’s available without paying a deposit. You simply sign up with the casino in question and receive an incentive for doing so.

Given that there’s no deposit payable, it’s the kind of bonus you cannot possibly lose. It’s not to say you’ll win a fortune from it, but there’s no risk of loss whatsoever.

That said, the vast majority of no deposit bonus offers are governed by relatively strict terms and conditions. For obvious reasons, casinos aren’t typically in the habit of handing out money free of charge. Hence, a no deposit bonus offer will usually carry heavy wagering requirements and associated restrictions. They’re more than worth checking out, but you need to read those T&Cs carefully beforehand.

Free Spins

It’s a similar story with free spins, which may be offered with or without depositing funds in your account. A popular online casino bonus, free spins provide players with the opportunity to try their luck with one or more slots for free. Free spins are often restricted to select games, though can be great for trying things out for free.

Again, free spins are always subject to extensive terms and conditions. The most important of which being how much you can win while using them. When spins are given away for free, you may find that the maximum prize is limited to say £10 or less. In addition, you will probably have no more than a few days to use your free spins. During which time, wagering requirements may also apply.

Free spins are routinely offered alongside other online casino bonuses.  Particularly when new players are concerned, it’s not uncommon to be handed hundreds of free spins to get started with.

Game-Specific Casino Bonuses

Some casinos offer bonuses that are restricted to certain types of games. For example, you may be offered an introductory bonus that can be used exclusively on slots. Alternatively, it may only be possible to satisfy wagering requirements by playing blackjack.

Increasingly, online casino bonuses are favouring live-dealer games. Live casino gaming is growing in popularity all the time, prompting casinos to up the ante with bigger and better bonuses. The long and short of it being that whatever type of gaming you’re into, you’ll find plenty of bonuses that are right up your street.

Just ensure that any bonuses you accept can be used on the games you like.  Otherwise, they may be of little to no value to you.

Standard Deposit Bonuses

These days, most introductory online casino bonuses are offered in the form of a deposit match bonus. This basically means that a percentage of the amount you pay into your account is handed over in the form of a deposit.

In a typical example, a 100% introductory bonus means that for a £100 deposit, you receive £100 in bonus funds. This gives you a total of £200 in your account to play with, effectively doubling your money.

Once again, however, such bonuses are always governed by strict terms, conditions and wagering requirements. A deal like this will usually feature wagering requirements of around 30X. This means that before being able to access your winnings, you’ll need to ‘play through’ the bonus amount 30X over – so £3,000. The more generous the bonus, the more difficult it can be to satisfy these kinds of requirements.

Cashback Bonuses

An increasingly common variation on the traditional casino bonus is the cash-back bonus. This is where a percentage of the total amount wagered is returned to the player in the form of real-cash.

In this instance, there may be no wagering requirements whatsoever. You wager £100 and with a 5% cash-back offer, you receive £5 in real money. After which, you can withdraw it or use it as you wish.

However, it’s worth noting that most cash-back bonuses only apply when you lose. If you were to wager £100 and win £500, the bonus wouldn’t apply. Cash-back incentives are usually calculated on losses, rather than the sum-total of your bets in general.

Final Word…

Online casino bonuses can be great for stretching your bankroll as far as possible. Nevertheless, it’s rare to come across a deal that isn’t governed by strict terms and conditions. As such, it’s up to you to ensure you know what you’re getting yourself into, before signing up.

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