Given the immense number of online casinos that have sprung up in the past decade, players are now presented with a wider choice than they have ever had before. While this benefits the players, online gambling operators are now in fierce competition with one another, each devising clever ways to attract new customers and retain existing ones.
One way to achieve this is to shower players with a variety of promotional incentives and bonus offers on a regular basis. These serve as a great way for casino fans to extend the duration of their playing sessions and possibly boost their profits, since bonuses are, in fact, free casino credits that players can use for betting on the games, with the added benefit of keeping what they win.
However, one important thing to bear in mind is that such promotional incentives are an investment for online gaming operators, much like the junkets and comps offered by brick-and-mortar gambling establishments. The idea behind these generous offers is to provide players with an incentive to return to the casino, make deposits and stake some of their own funds on the available games.
Various restrictions and requirements are in place, and these must be complied with if one wishes to cash out their bonus winnings. Nevertheless, when used wisely, online casino bonuses can add significant value to your gaming session. One simply needs to know which offers are worthwhile and which to skip. In this article, we will look at the most common types of casino deposit bonuses, how to claim them, and the conditions that must be met in order to withdraw any profits.
The Distinction between Cash Bonuses and Play Bonuses
Before we proceed with the different types of bonuses your deposits at an online casino can earn you, we must draw one very important distinction – that between cash bonuses and play bonuses. This is something many casino players neglect, unfortunately to their own disadvantage.
The cash bonus is generally considered the better option and is more beneficial to online casino players because it can be withdrawn once the respective wagering requirements (also called play-through) have been met.
This is how cash bonuses work – once players have met the wagering requirements laid out in the bonus terms and conditions, they are allowed to cash out any amount that remains in their casino accounts, including any leftover bonus credits. What this means is that even if players lose some of their own funds while covering the play-through, they can still turn a small profit by cashing out the remainder of their bonus. Such bonuses are often available upon completing your registration and making your first deposit. In the majority of cases, cash bonuses range between 50% and 100% of the deposited sum.
The second type of deposit bonus is called a “play” bonus because it can be used solely for wagering purposes. This means that players are not allowed to withdraw the bonus credits as cash after meeting the play-through. Any remaining bonus credits are automatically removed from the player’s casino account as soon as they request a withdrawal. The winnings generated with the bonus will be released from the account once the wagering requirements are fulfilled. Also, if the player is unlucky and loses some money while covering the play-through, the lost sum will be taken from the deposited amount. If the entire deposit is lost, subsequent losses will be deducted from the bonus amount.
Such offers are also known as “sticky” or “phantom” bonuses. Note that online casinos are not in the habit of advertising their play bonuses as such. Nevertheless, players can easily distinguish these offers by the wording in the terms and conditions, which in such cases reads “for wagering only”. The free credits can be used to place bets but can never be withdrawn as cash.
Another way to recognise a play bonus is by its ceiling amount. Such bonuses are usually quite generous as the deposited amount may be matched up to 400% or sometimes even more. For example, if a player decides to participate in one such offer with a deposit of £150, they will receive the additional sum of £600 to play with.
Some players prefer play bonuses because they are more generous. The downside of these offers is that the wagering requirements attached to them are more difficult to cover, which also means withdrawing your winnings will be harder. Many online gambling operators impose various restrictions on play bonuses and limit their players to certain types of bets on specific qualifying games.
This is not to say that play bonuses have no positives. Players are granted a far greater amount in bonus credits, and having more money to play with increases their chances of hitting it big. A larger bonus also means that one will be able to play for longer with the amount they have deposited.
Widespread Deposit Bonuses to Claim at Online Casinos
The wide variety of bonuses is precisely what makes online casinos appealing in the eyes of many gambling enthusiasts. There are many different offers you can qualify for with a deposit, but do keep in mind that their names often vary from one online casino to another. Below is a list of some of the most common deposit bonuses you can opt for at the majority of reputable online casinos.
The Welcome Bonus Package
Welcome bonuses are a great way to introduce new customers to a given online casino – if the newcomers are impressed with the games and the quality of the service, they will readily return for more and continue to deposit at the casino. Welcome bonuses are also called “New Player” or “Sign-Up” bonuses because they are granted to players who have just registered a real-money account at a given website.
Once players sign up and make their first deposit, the bonus is paid directly into their new accounts. Depending on the online casino, the newcomer may be required to enter a valid bonus code or use a coupon. In most cases, welcome bonuses on first deposits are set at 100% up to a specific amount. For example, if your casino of choice offers you a 100% welcome bonus up to £300, you are eligible to receive £300 if your deposit is £300, meaning you will then have a total of £600 to play with.
Note that the sum you can receive is capped, as becomes clear from the wording of the terms – “up to”. That is to say, if you deposit £350 the first time, you will still receive only £300 and the remaining £50 will not count towards the bonus.
At some online casinos, newcomers benefit from more generous welcome packages, where they receive such match bonuses on their second, third, fourth and even fifth deposits. The deposit bonuses in these instances may range between 50% and 500%, but as a rule of thumb players should be wary of offers that exceed 200%, because these typically have greater restrictions in terms of eligible games and play-through. Normally, there is a minimum deposit amount required to become eligible for the bonus.
Free Spins
Some welcome bonus packages consist of a match deposit bonus plus a certain number of free spins, which can usually be used on selected, qualifying slots from the casino’s collection. Free spin offers provide a fantastic way for players to spin the reels of selected slots without actually having to pay for them. The number of free spins one can receive as part of a welcome bonus depends on the online casino they have registered with.
Sometimes the bonus spins are released in increments. For example, if a player is rewarded with a welcome package that consists of a 100% welcome bonus of up to £200 and 100 free spins, they will receive the entire deposit match immediately. However, if the promotional terms and conditions state that the free spins are released in increments of 20, the player will initially get only 20 spins. Then, on each of the following four days when the player logs in to their account, they will receive 20 more bonus spins until the total of 100 is reached.
As with match deposit bonuses, the free spins come with specific wagering requirements that must be met before the profits are released from players’ accounts. The winnings you accumulate with the bonus spins must be wagered a specified number of times in accordance with the casino’s terms. Also note that the amount you can win with this bonus is capped. For instance, if you win £50 with your free spins but the offer’s conditions stipulate that winnings are capped at £25, the remaining £25 of your profits will be removed from your account when you request a withdrawal.
Deposit Method Bonuses
Some online casinos have adopted the practice of rewarding their loyal players each time they make a deposit into their accounts. These offers are also referred to as “Payment Method” or “Reload” bonuses. Their purpose is to maintain the interest of existing members and encourage them to return, deposit and play more regularly.
Each deposit players make via a specific payment method earns them additional casino credits amounting to between 5% and 15% of the deposited sum. For example, a deposit of £100 via Neteller can earn you £15 extra, provided that your chosen casino offers a 15% reload deposit bonus. Of course, wagering requirements and other restrictions apply to this type of bonus as well. For instance, some gambling operators do not allow their players to opt in for such offers if withdrawals are pending on their accounts.
There are also monthly bonuses on players’ first deposits of the month. These are more generous than payment-method bonuses but, in many cases, players are eligible for the offer only if their account balance has dropped below a certain amount.
Cash Back Bonuses
Cashback bonuses provide players with the opportunity to reclaim some of the money they have deposited and subsequently lost during their betting session. The refund players are entitled to is percentage-based and calculated on the basis of their overall losses for a given period of time or on a specific qualifying game. The percentage of the refund varies between casinos but usually ranges between 5% and 25%.
An example would be a casino offering players a 25% cashback bonus for American roulette to motivate more fans of the Devil’s Wheel to bet on that particular game. Let’s say a player has deposited £100 and has experienced a poor run, causing them to lose their entire deposit. If the player has opted in for this cashback bonus, they will be entitled to a refund of about £25, or 25% of the lost amount. However, if the same player has been luckier and has won a profit of £150, they will not qualify for any refund, simply because cashback bonuses cover losses only.
Similarly, if a player opts in for a 25% cashback of up to £100 and they end up losing double that amount, or £200, they will receive a refund of only £100. Of course, to be able to withdraw the money they have been credited back, players are again required to meet certain wagering requirements.
Cash Giveaways
Sometimes depositing members of online casinos can benefit from so-called cash giveaways. Players are eligible when they deposit the minimum amount specified in the promotion’s terms and conditions and play the qualifying games during the promotional period. More often than not, participants need to opt in for the giveaway by responding to an email sent by the casino. Once the promotional period ends, there is a prize draw to determine the winner of the giveaway. Sometimes the overall amount is divided among several draw winners.
Qualifying players who are not successful in the prize draw are sometimes treated to various consolation prizes. Some casinos are known to offer free spins on selected slots to such participants in the cash giveaway.
High-Roller Bonuses
Certain players prefer to place more sizeable bets. Such high rollers are very valuable customers from the perspective of online gambling operators, which is why they are generously rewarded for their extravagance and boldness with larger bonuses. Many online casinos offer separate welcome bonuses designed specifically for high rollers. These lavish bonuses often start at around £1,000, but it all depends on the online casino you have signed up with.
It stands to reason that the minimum deposit required to qualify for these lucrative offers is also considerable. For example, there are online casinos where more daring players can claim £1,000 as long as they make a deposit of no less than £2,000. Wagering requirements, of course, still apply; high rollers are expected to stake significant amounts of their own funds to meet the casino’s conditions and withdraw their winnings.
Understanding the Bonus Terms and Conditions
If you think online gambling operators freely hand out money just to attract more players, you should think again. When it comes to virtual casinos, there is no such thing as a free meal. Various restrictions and promotional conditions are always in place, aiming to prevent players from abusing the terms of the bonuses they claim. If these restrictions were not enforced, players would be able to claim a welcome bonus, use the free credits to turn a profit in a risk-free manner, withdraw their winnings and move on to the next online casino.
That being said, it is also players’ responsibility to carefully read the promotional terms and conditions before they deposit and opt in to any casino offers. Established operators value their customers enough to avoid any form of false advertising and are known for their transparency; this is why the terms and conditions of their bonuses are always written in a straightforward and comprehensible manner to prevent misunderstanding on the part of players.
Such operators provide efficient and responsive customer support. If you struggle to understand any bonus conditions, please contact the support agents for further clarification. Remember that bonuses are not mandatory and, if a gambling operator accidentally grants you a bonus you do not wish to use, you can contact their support and request that the free credits be removed from your account.
The Wagering Requirements
Wagering requirements apply to the majority of bonuses one can receive at online casinos. The term refers to the amount players are required to bet using their own money so that they can release their bonus winnings into their cash balance and then request a withdrawal. With most bonuses, players are forbidden to withdraw the bonus, the deposit and any profits related to it before they cover the specified play-through.
Sometimes the wagering requirements apply only to the bonus amount, but some online casino operators require their players to turn over both the bonus amount and the deposit amount. For instance, imagine you have claimed a 100% deposit bonus of £30 and have received the same amount in free casino credits, for a total of £60.
If the wagering requirement for this offer is 25x the bonus plus deposit amount, you will have to stake £1,500 of your own money before your winnings become withdrawable. The same offer would give you far greater value if the 25x play-through condition applied only to the bonus amount, in which case you would need to bet only £750 of your funds before you are permitted to cash out the profits.
Another important thing to consider when claiming deposit bonuses is the time limit you must comply with. In the majority of cases, players are expected to complete the wagering requirements within a time-frame specified by the casino. Those who fail to do so will have their winnings forfeited along with any remaining bonus credits.
Do keep in mind that limitations sometimes apply to the amount of winnings players are allowed to claim when playing with bonus funds. This is typically the case with games where players can bag a substantial amount relative to the bets they make.
The Games’ Contribution towards the Wagering Requirements
A game’s contribution (also called game weighting) is of fundamental importance when it comes to covering the wagering requirements within the specified period of time. This is because different game categories contribute differently towards clearing the play-through. A bet placed on blackjack, for example, will not contribute as much towards the play-through as a bet made on any of the video slots.
For further clarification, let us assume you are playing roulette, which has a 20% weighting. Therefore, only £20 out of every £100 you wager on this game will be deducted from your bonus’ wagering requirements. It goes without saying that it would take you a long time to cover the entire play-through, and you would also have to bet more of your own money. In comparison, slots normally have the highest weighting of 100%.
Sometimes, when tighter restrictions are imposed, certain casino games will be altogether excluded and therefore will not contribute towards the wagering requirements at all. Usually, players are still allowed to bet on restricted games, but there are instances where this leads to the bonus being removed from one’s account. It all depends on the policies of the respective casino.
Stake Size Restrictions
Another condition players need to comply with concerns the size of the stakes they are allowed to make when playing with bonus credits. For instance, the casino’s terms may stipulate that players are prohibited from staking more than 20% of their overall bonus amount on a single bet. Therefore, those who have claimed a bonus of £200, for example, would not be allowed to place bets exceeding £40. Players who abuse this rule will have their bonus, along with any bonus winnings, forfeited.
Pros and Cons of Playing with Deposit Bonuses
Participating in promotional offers and taking advantage of deposit bonuses adds value to players’ betting sessions and can greatly extend their play time, but there are some pitfalls one needs to be aware of.
The biggest advantage of these bonuses is that you are given more money to play with than you have actually deposited. More money to play with means more chances to win a nice amount. Moreover, you can test the new games that are added to your favourite casino’s collection for free, without putting your own money at risk.
The drawback that prevents many casino players from opting in for deposit bonuses is that there are strings attached to these offers, and the bonus money one plays with is not entirely theirs, so to speak. The wagering requirements must be met and sometimes these are rather high. Some players do not like the idea of being restricted, as certain bonuses are valid only on selected games from the casino’s library.
In conclusion, deposit bonuses can be a great option for players who wish to extend their gameplay, provided that the requirements attached to the offers are reasonable enough. Obviously, a bonus with a 99x play-through does not fall into this category. All in all, if you want more money to play your favourite casino games with, then by all means claim a deposit bonus. However, if you do not like being restricted by wagering requirements, time limits and low stakes, you can always decide to opt out of the bonus when you are offered one. The bottom line is that the decision is yours to make.
