Online casino bonuses are the best part of gambling on the web, aren’t they? Each operator offers at least one to pique interest and give players a flying start along with pretty fat chances of winning big. However, more often than not, such bonuses come as a whammy when you realize they are not just unrealistic, but also unachievable.
Not every bonus would suit you; not every offer is meant to be profitable. How then, do you claim the best online casino bonuses, make the most of them and up your game? More importantly, where exactly do you find them? Get all the information right on this page!
Before we get into the details of how to pick a casino bonus that would benefit you, check out our list of top offers in 2021 from legit online casinos. We have done the homework so you do not have to. Rest assured each bonus has been objectively picked according to its type, value and profitability.
What do you do when looking for the best casino bonuses?
Most people would simply have a quick look at the bonus amount and settle on the highest one without even blinking. The underlying terms and conditions do not bother them until they realise they got trapped into a deal that was not so favourable after all!
Now, you must bear in mind that this bonus money has been lent to you by the casino operators so you can play real money games.
The objective is to bankroll you and increase your chances of staying in the game, ergo winning. You can’t just withdraw it to your bank account soon after receiving it. That would be bonus abuse.
To control costs and put a check on the same, casinos tie their bonuses to certain requirements. Meet them and whatever you win from the bonus would be yours. So, it goes without saying you need to act smart.
Of course, the secret to finding the best casino bonus is not just one. It is a combination of multiple factors which we have discussed below. Read on.
Bigger is not always better when the talk is about a casino’s welcome bonus. This is why, in your hunt for the biggest online casino welcome bonus, you can’t and shouldn’t ignore the fine print.
As we talk further, check out these 3 valuable casino bonuses that are worth claiming.
Almost every bonus in a casino comes tied to wagering requirements. They speak of the conditions you must meet if you want to withdraw your bonus winnings. It could be anything – a minimum amount of money you must play or a minimum number of times you need to wager before cashing out.
Wagering requirements also come with a specific time window within which they must be met. Dare you withdraw without fulfilling any of these conditions, your money would be forfeited. For this reason, you must always watch out for the wagering requirement whenever you sign up for an online casino with big bonuses.
What if the requirements are tied to the deposit as well as the bonus amount? What if the time window is too short? What if meeting the minimum wager is impracticable? There is just so much to worry about! Throw in the need to find legit casinos with worthwhile bonuses and it turns into a wild goose chase.
Luckily, we have done the research for you. The aforementioned welcome bonuses we have picked are not just sizeable, but also come with wagering requirements that are easy to meet.
The legitimacy of the casinos offering these bonuses has been verified by our review team based on their licences, reputation in the market and performance history.
Additionally, if you want to know about a certain online casino offering big bonuses, do not forget to check it out with us. If it is out there in the market, we are probably already talking about it.
Slot bonuses make a perfect choice when you want your bankroll pumped up. Why? – Because most online casinos offer 100% weightage on slot games. Any amount of money you wager on qualifying slots contribute towards meeting the wagering requirements.
If you have not found a good slot bonus yet, we have listed the best ones below.
Here’s a pro tip: Play low or medium volatility slots; they go easy on your bankroll and let you play for longer. Playing high volatility slots could drain your funds pretty damn quick.
By the same token, average RTP slots are more profitable because certain online casinos lower or ban bonus wagering on high RTP slots.
Of course, it would be silly to discount a slot game based only on the RTP, volatility and contribution towards wagering requirements. There are plenty of slots out there with great RTP (over 97%) that carry 100% weightage towards wagering requirements.
Whatever game is excluded in a gambling site would always be mentioned in the fine print. Therefore, our reminder once again would be to read the terms and conditions thoroughly before opting for a slot bonus.
Sometimes, it feels more tempting to pass up a regular casino bonus and grab a live casino bonus instead. However, getting a hang of the wagering requirements and other criteria regarding such bonuses could become tricky to an extent where changing your mind might seem like a better option.
Do not worry; we are here to explain how to use live casino bonuses to your advantage. But before we clear things up, check out our list of top online casino bonuses on live dealer games.
In the world of online gambling, not all games contribute to the wagering requirements equally. We have talked about it while discussing slot bonuses. The difference becomes more evident when you start playing live dealer games.
The weightages are drastically brought down in almost every other casino depending on the game you choose. For instance, games such as live roulette and blackjack would usually contribute anywhere between 5 – 10% towards meeting the wagering requirements. Less common table games such as Teen Patti and Andar Bahar could contribute an even smaller percentage.
Casinos do it because of economic reasons owing to the general low volatility of such games and their substantially high RTP. The fact that players can apply winning strategies also contribute to such limitations. This is where you need to dig deeper.
Online Casinos that allow live games to contribute anywhere from 50% to 100% towards the wagering requirement could be a rare find. But they exist.
Please note that such gambling sites would almost always specify a wagering requirement for live dealer games that might look way higher than that of regular games. But placing a bet on them would significantly budge the wagering requirements you must meet as well as fetch you some grand winnings.
An online casino bonus is an incentive offered by a gambling site to boost your bankroll and help you play real money games for longer. Such offers are handed out to new as well as existing players and come in various sizes. Players can usually opt in for one when they sign up or as they play.
A casino bonus could be anything ranging from a welcome offer, a cashback, free spins, free bets, redeemable loyalty points, referral bonus or other occasional promotional rewards. Depending on the type, bonuses could be offered irrespective of whether you make a deposit.
It is worth keeping in mind that almost every casino bonus is tied to some wagering requirement or the other. You can cash out the winnings you acquire by spending your bonus money only when you meet these requirements.
Moreover, the availability of a bonus might be subject to the payment method you choose and the game you decide to play.
To understand how bonuses add value to your deposits, you have to understand two vital aspects of playing games at an online casino.
A majority of casino bonuses are match bonuses where your deposit amount is matched with a certain percentage of bonus money.
For instance, if you see a casino offer a 100% match bonus of up to €100, you will receive €100 when you deposit €100. That leaves you with a bankroll of €200 to play with.
Similarly, if you see a casino offering 200% up to €100, you will receive an additional €200 for depositing €100 and have €300 in total in your bankroll.
In a way, the bonus percentage decides how well you would be bankrolled by the casino. Theoretically, the higher the better. But as we discussed before, you must never claim a match bonus with the intention of withdrawing. Instead, use it to play more games and for longer.
You claim a match bonus and receive a certain portion of your deposit amount from the casino. You use this money to play games and win. Now you want to withdraw your winnings. While it might seem to be pretty straightforward, wagering requirements throw a spanner in the works.
A necessary evil in gambling, this is the amount of money or number of times you must wager before a casino allows you to cash out. It is usually a multiple of the incentive you receive and makes an important part of any casino bonus.
For instance, if a casino specifies 35x wagering requirements on a match bonus of 100% up to €100, you must wager 35 X 100 = €3500 before you can make a cash withdrawal.
Now, bonuses in a casino with a 35x wagering requirement could work entirely differently from those in another depending on how they are structured.
Enter sticky and non-sticky bonuses.
Let us consider this example: Casino A has set a 30x wagering requirement on its bonus of 100% up to €100. The same is tied to only the bonus amount (non-sticky bonus). Therefore, if you deposit €100, you would need to wager 30 X 100 = €300 before you can cash out.
Now, let us assume Casino B has the same set of requirements. However, the wagering requirements are tied to the bonus amount as well as your initial deposit (sticky bonus). Therefore, if you deposit €100, you would have to wager 30 X (100 + 100) = €600 before you can collect your winnings.
In the latter case, the wagering requirement is effectively 60x, which might be more difficult to meet and beat.
Do not conclude that sticky bonuses are any less advantageous. Depending on the wagering requirement, the bonus offered and your intention of gambling, each comes with its own merits and demerits. For instance, if you are looking for a fatter bankroll right off the bat, a sticky bonus offers a larger amount of money. However, if cashing out quickly is your ultimate goal, non-sticky bonuses could be rewarding.
As we already mentioned, you can find different types of casino bonuses online. Here we will briefly discuss the different online casino bonuses you can claim
Online casino cash back bonuses are not that ubiquitous as reload bonuses but they are around and could be especially interesting to high rollers. With a cash back bonus you can reclaim a percentage of the house winnings on a given day or in a given week or month. This means a part of the losses you have made will be returned to you. This way you can keep the fun alive, even if luck is not on your side.
The welcome signup bonus is a well-known treat you receive at most self-respecting online casinos when you sign up as a new player. On most occasions the welcome bonus consists of a reload bonus of at least 100% on your first deposit. Some casinos offer you free spins as well on your first deposit or, what is slightly less usual, a casino can offer you free spins only. There are a few casinos around that offer you a cash back bonus on the house winnings in your first week. There are a handful of reputable casinos that offer free spins and/or free credit for which you don’t have to make a deposit upon registration. At plenty of casinos your welcome bonus is not limited to the first deposit and you can claim bonus cash and/ or free spins on your second and third and on occasions also on your fourth and fifth deposits.
Free casino bonuses are also known as no deposit bonuses. These bonuses come in different forms and include any online casino treat for which you don’t have to make a deposit. This means an online casino can give you free spins, credit to wager, cash back or a combination of these options as a treat on its own and not as something extra on top of your deposit. There are a few casinos around that offer free spins or wagering credit to new players when they open an account. Other casinos might offer loyal players a no deposit bonus as a way to say thank you and bind these players to the casino.
A casino deposit bonus, also called reload bonus, is an online casino treat that gives you extra credit on top of your deposit. A casino deposit bonus tends to be expressed by a percentage, for example 25% or 50%. This means that when you make a deposit you get the mentioned percentage on top of the deposit amount.
As you can guess from the name, with this bonus you receive free spins you can wager on slot games. A free spin is a free round on a slot machine for which you don’t need to pay a wager, yet can deliver you a real cash win. You can receive a free spins bonus when you make a deposit or when you register as a new player at a casino. Some online casinos give loyal players free spins without the need for a deposit when a new game is launched or to celebrate a special event.
For an almost complete online casino package you can claim a casino bonus that consist of a reload bonus as well as free spins. These bonuses tend to be welcome bonuses, that are discussed below and are sometimes offered as a treat to existing players.
It is not unusual for online casinos to issue bonus codes with which you can claim a certain bonus. Casinos often do this to make it easier and quicker to credit you with a certain bonus. To claim your bonus you need to quote the bonus code. The payment of system of the online casino has the code linked to a certain bonus and the system immediately knows how much to credit to your account. Online casinos also strike special deals with certain websites to offer exclusive bonuses for every player who signs up through this website. An online casino will clearly instruct you when you need to apply a bonus code to claim.
In most instances a casino bonus has wagering requirements attached to it. That means if you make a win which you would like to cash out, you need to wagering this amount a certain number of times before you can do so. A few great casinos issue bonuses with no wagering requirements. This means that if you make a big win with the help of a bonus you can cash it out from your online casino account straight away without the need to wager that amount several times. A casino bonus without wagering requirements comes as close to a free bonus as can be. There are a few casinos around that offer no deposit free spins bonuses without wagering requirements. These bonuses give you a great opportunity to win real money without you spending a penny depending on the exact terms and conditions.
Most online casino bonuses are free in the sense that you don’t have to pay for them, however most have a few conditions attached to them depending on the type of bonus. Conditions include making a deposit of at least a certain amount, wagering requirements and/or maximum amounts that you can claim.
Casino bonuses can be found at pretty much all reputable online casinos and these bonuses come in different forms. Casino bonuses can be divided into deposit bonuses and no deposit bonuses. Most bonuses have wagering requirements and/ or other terms and conditions attached to them. Make sure to check these terms and conditions before you claim. You can receive a bonus as a new player as well as an existing player at an online casino. As a new player you can claim free spins, bonus cash, cash back or combination of these options upon registering your account and/or on your first deposit(s) at the casino. Existing players can claim bonuses that are announced through the online casino newsletter and social media page and published on casino comparison websites, forums and other online publications. Use a bonus to try out a new game or strategy or just to have more gambling fun for your money.