What Casino Bonuses Are There?
One of the things you first notice about an online casino is its bonus offering. As a general rule, casinos try to attract as many players as possible by offering a variety of benefits to their new players, along with the best possible game variety of games to play with. Bonuses are the ones to stand out – they are what players notice first when visiting a new casino. So, let’s take a look at them today – let’s see what types are there, and what are their benefits for you, the player.
What Casino Bonuses Are There?
No-deposit bonuses
One of the most attractive casino bonuses you can stumble upon at an online casino is a “no-deposit” bonus. As its name suggests, this type of bonus comes with no deposit requirements attached – it’s a bit like “free money” offered by the casino as a reward.
Casinos often present their new players with a no-deposit bonus as a reward for registering an account with them. These bonuses can also be given out on special occasions – like holidays, birthdays, and so on.
While they do sound like “free money” (or free spins, depending on their specifics), they do come with strings attached. They are often not cashable (as in they can’t be cashed out – only the winnings generated using them can) or come with playthrough requirements.
Welcome packages
As their name suggests, welcome packages are offered to new players at online casinos. These can consist of single bonuses or packages of bonuses, depending on the casino. You can find quite a few examples at Gambleonlineaustralia.com.
Welcome packages often consist of hefty bonuses applied to the players’ first – or first few – deposits. The casino will match a certain percentage of the players’ deposits. The percentage is usually anywhere between 50% and 200%, sometimes even more.
For example, you register an account at an online casino and make a deposit of $100. With a 100% match on your first deposit, you’ll have the $100 you deposited plus $100 in bonus funds from the casino.
Welcome packages often also contain free spins on specific games, tokens for participating in tournaments, or other benefits.
Reload bonuses
Also called “deposit bonuses”, these bonuses are given out when you reload (top up) your casino account. When you play through all your funds and want to play more, you need to make a deposit in your casino account – it’s like buying chips at a brick-and-mortar casino. Casinos often match this deposit with a certain percentage of bonus funds, so you can play more with the same amount.
Deposit bonuses – including those that are part of welcome packages – always come with strings attached. Sometimes, they do not apply to certain deposit methods, like certain e-wallets, and sometimes they only apply to deposits over certain amounts. Besides, they also come with playthrough requirements.
In most cases, these bonuses are not applied automatically – it’s your decision whether you’d like to redeem them or not. And, to be able to withdraw any winnings generated using them, you’ll need to complete playthrough requirements.
Rewards
Many casinos have so-called VIP / Rewards programs for their loyal players. In most cases, players get points for every dollar spent at the casino. Depending on the number of points they receive in a certain time period (usually a month), players can reach various levels – and these levels come with certain benefits.
These benefits can be anything from faster approvals for withdrawals, access to exclusive tournaments or raffles and increased rewards points generation. Plus, the reward points can also be exchanged for increasingly valuable items or benefits, from bonus cash (often cashable – that can be withdrawn) to real-life objects, from smartphones to luxury cars. Of course, this all depends on the individual casino.
Playthrough requirements
Finally, let us mention the dark side of casino bonuses: playthrough requirements.
While bonuses may sound like “free money”, they are not – if you redeem one, you accept its terms, including the “rollover” or “playthrough” requirements.
When you receive a bonus, the casino requires you to play through the amount multiple times before you can cash out. These playthrough requirements change from one casino to another.
Some casinos require you to play through the bonus amount received, others ask you to roll over the amount you deposited plus the bonus received.
Let’s say you make a deposit of $100 to your casino account and get the $100 deposit match. The casino asks you to play through your deposit and the bonus you received 35 times. This means that you’ll need to play through $7000 before you can initiate a withdrawal. The multiplier is usually smaller if you need to play through both the deposit and the bonus, and larger if you have to play through the bonus only.
Sometimes, the multiplier is smaller. Quite often, the casinos will offer free spins with small playthrough requirements, or none at all. In any case, these requirements are always listed in the casino’s or the bonuses’ Terms and Conditions – make sure to read and understand them before redeeming any casino bonus at all.
