Online casinos have become synonymous with bonuses. It is hard to find an article about online casinos that doesn’t mention bonuses. These freebies are like shopping discounts designed to make you choose one website over another.
But with so many offers out there, how do you choose one bonus over another? Learn how these rewards work. Find out about the best bonuses, their terms, limits and everything else you should use to determine the best offer for you.
Types of Casino and Slot Bonuses
Bonuses come in many forms and shapes. Some of them only require that you create an account. Others demand a deposit. Still, you can get a bonus for doing nothing more than logging into your account.
- No Deposit Bonuses: the requirement is to create an account. After that, you receive a handful of free spins or betting cash to play a popular slot. No deposit bonuses come in small amounts and have small withdrawal limits. But they are also pretty easy to claim.
- First Deposit Bonus: you get a bonus after you add money to your account. The best casinos match your money 100% so that £100 becomes £200. Great pages like this one can help you discover the best first deposit bonuses in the UK. They also inform you the payment methods to use to qualify for a bonus and how to cashout your winnings.
- Reload Bonuses: this is a bonus given to existing customers when they fund more money to their accounts. It’s usually small in amount compared to the first deposit bonus. But still, it’s money that can help you play slots and card games free.
- Cashback Programs: you receive a percentage of your losses back daily, weekly or monthly. You get the money as cash you can withdraw instantly.
- Loyalty/VIP Programs: in many casinos, loyalty and VIP programs are the same thing. Everyone qualifies to earn bonuses and cash prizes for gambling regularly. However, the systems are level-based so that high rollers get the best rewards.
- Missions and Contests: this is a relatively new way to reward casino players. You get a mission to fulfill daily. And at the end, you receive a bonus. Alternatively, you could engage in quests and tournaments with much bigger cash prizes.
Why do Casinos Give out Bonuses?
When you think about it, bonuses are a big expense for casinos. Gambling businesses dish out thousands of pounds every month, sometimes without expecting something in return. Why do they do it? What benefit do casinos gain from giving out bonuses?
- Collecting Email Addresses
One of the main goals of digital marketers is to acquire email addresses from potential clients. Using illegal means to acquire email addresses is a crime that could be punished with a fee from regulators like the UKGC co a ban from search engines like Google. However, giving out a small bonus in exchange for an email address is perfectly legal.
- Attracting Paying Customers
The ultimate goal of every business is to attract people willing to spend their money on your products. Bonuses have this power. Take the first deposit bonus as an example. At the best casinos, you get a 100% match on your bonus, which is a promise to double your bankroll.
Many people are willing to deposit their money if a casino is willing to double it. Some casinos offer to triple your cash, which becomes even more appealing. By comparison, a casino with no bonus might not appeal a lot of people.
- Trust Building
For many new casinos, convincing players they’re trustworthy is the hardest part of running their job. People are generally afraid of new online businesses. To help build trust with players, casinos use bonuses like no deposit and first deposit rewards.
Of course, building trust is a process. That’s why the best casinos don’t stop at welcome offers. They continue to give out bonuses daily, weekly and monthly.
- Competition
The online gambling industry is fiercely competitive. New operators come and go. To survive, the best operators need to provide quality services and give out bonuses regularly. Providing great services trumps bonuses. But players are so used to free bets and spins that they switch sides to whoever has the best rewards from time to time.
Bonus Policies and why they’re Important
Although some casinos come with no strings attached, many giveaways have terms and conditions. Maybe it’s an email address or a small deposit. When it comes to casino bonuses, look out for these policies:
- Qualifications
This describes what you must do to get a bonus. Registration bonuses, for example, require that you create an account. First-deposit bonuses come at the expense of a deposit. There are also additional requirements like you live in the UK for British bonuses and be of legal age.
Read qualification requirements for casino bonuses is important because they can help you save time and money. You don’t want to claim an offer only to be denied a withdrawal request because you did it illegally.
- Limits
With many bonuses, there’s always a limit on the maximum you can bet. You can’t use your entire £100 bonus in one occasion. Also, there are rules on which games qualify. If you claim a slots bonus, you can only use it on selected slot machines.
That said, bonuses also feature a maximum withdrawal limit. Look out for bonuses with a decent limit, say £100 for no deposit offers and up to £5000 for deposit-based bonuses.
- Wagering Requirements (WRs)
Wagering requirements are the most important rules when comparing bonuses. They dictate the amount money you must spend before you can withdraw bonus winnings. Usually, WRs range from zero to 60x your bonus amount. Obviously, you want a bonus with no WRs or a few WRs.
- Validity and Game Weightings
This goes without saying—bonuses are short-term. There’s only too much time you can stay without fulfilling wagering requirements before a casino voids your winnings. Take note of a bonus’ validity time and the games you must play to fulfill WRs. This is the only route towards cashing out bonus winnings.
