What are Casino Bonuses and How Can You Use Them to Your Advantage?

There are lots of online casino websites out there competing for customers ...

14:35 30 October 2018

There are lots of online casino websites out there competing for customers, and one way they try to stand out from the crowd is to offer bonuses to players. Sometimes these are only, or mainly, available for new registrations, in other cases bonuses are also on the table for existing members too, and either way they offer a good way to maximize potential profits from playing on a particular site.

Types of casino bonuses

Free spins

These are commonly included in new membership welcome packages, and may be either available for free use or only usable on one particular game.

Cash to play with

A straight up deposit of anything from £5 up paid into your online account, sometimes directly after registering, at other times it is triggered after an initial deposit is made by the customer.

Matched deposits

The casino matches a percentage of your first deposit, and sometimes even the second, third or fourth too. The percentage matched can range from 25-100% and there is usually an upper limit on how much will be matched.

Loyalty bonuses

These are for existing players and come in various forms, including random draws for cash, credit or free spins, and point collecting schemes where depositing cash and playing can rack up points which can be switched when they reach a certain target number.

Tips on getting the most from casino bonuses

Check the wagering requirements

Every casino will set a rate for how many times bonus cash or matched deposit cash (and sometimes the deposit made to get the match too), must be recycled through the system before it can be withdrawn. Considering the odds of winning it’s best to compare casinos and choose one with a lower rate, as you are unlikely to ever see a profit from the bonus otherwise. [The average is around 35 times bonus & deposit.]

Not all games are weighted equally

This means that while a £5 bet on a slot may count as a full fiver towards the wagering requirements the same bet on a roulette table could well only count for 50% (£2.50). Play the games you like if you have time, but otherwise stick to the 100% options.

Time constraints

Making the most of the casino bonus takes strategy, and this includes having time to play enough to use the bonus before it expires. Check the expiry date before joining, and if you can’t play enough to make it worth it move on.

Bet max limits

Some casinos set quite low maximum bet limits on some or all games, which in turn means players need to work harder to cycle their bonus and deposit cash through the system. If you have plenty of time to devote to playing this may not matter, but otherwise it’s worth taking into consideration.

High cashout ceilings

Some casinos let you cash out once you have say £10 profit, others set the bar much higher. You may never reach unrealistic targets so avoid them.

All this information is listed in an online casino’s website terms and conditions, and is usually easy to find.