Casino Bonuses

The world of online gambling is highly competitive, with operators vying against each other to convince you to sign up and play with them. One of the main tools at their disposal when it comes to finding and attracting new players is casino bonuses, and in particular, free spins or sign-up bonuses for new players. These are incentives to create an account and make your first deposit, and they can often appear very attractive to those choosing where to play.

What are the Best Casino Bonuses?

Several things, First, you need to narrow down your search because there are lots of places offering casino bonuses. Second, it is important to read honest casino reviews about real money online casinos where each one is rated well for their specific denominations or categories. Finally, make sure to read the fine print on any promotional deals.

Offers like £100 free on your first deposit, £200 plus 20 bonus spins or no deposit casino bonuses can seem like a no-brainer. After all, who wouldn’t want free money to get started playing at their chosen online casino? However, it’s important to dig deeper with these offers and to make sure you understand what is involved. We suggest you do this before accepting any casino welcome bonus.

So what are the common terms and conditions attached to casino bonuses, how do they work, and how can you use this information to choose the right casino bonus for you?

Wagering Requirements

The first and perhaps most crucial issue of the terms and conditions of any casino bonus is the wagering requirements. This is a limitation on withdrawals from the bonus, and is in place to ensure that operators don’t get ripped off.

Imagine a casino offering a £100 no-strings-attached bonus for new accounts. The casino would quickly be scammed by people setting up dozens of new accounts, simply to withdraw the £100 bonus. A tidy business for any would-be fraudster.

Instead, casinos have in place what are known as wagering requirements. This is a minimum multiple of the first deposit that must be wagered before any winnings, can be withdrawn. This could be 20x, 30x, 50x the original deposit amount.

So in the example of a 100% deposit match bonus on £100 with wagering of 30x, the player would need to bet £3000 (30x£100) before they could withdraw the £100 bonus, or anything they have won from that bonus.

As a player, this means you need the wagering to be as low as possible, in order to ensure you have the best chance of cashing out.

Game Limits

There are also limitations on the games that are supported by these casino bonus offers. For example, some bonuses will not be available for use with roulette or blackjack, and will only apply to online slots play. In other cases, you’ll find that only slots contribute 100% to the wagering requirements, while roulette might contribute 10%. In other words, your wagering requirements become 10x bigger (and more difficult) if you’re using the welcome bonus for roulette play than slots play.

These limits are very important to know from the outset to avoid nasty surprises later down the line. This is generally specified in the offer terms and conditions, and you typically won’t find this in the bonus offer headline. These game limits can make meeting wagering much more difficult if you’re not playing optimally to the bonus terms. This is a large part of the reason why you should be reading the terms and conditions.

Bet Limits

So you find yourself with a wagering requirement to meet. Why not just bet big (or smaller) than you usually would to meet the requirement more easily? Not so fast. Bet limits are also a common feature of casino welcome deposits. They restrict how exactly you work towards meeting those wagering requirements.

There’s usually a minimum and a maximum bet attached to bonus offers to prevent abuse of the bonus. This is because casinos keen to ensure you play through your bonus in a specified way. You can be sure this typically disadvantages the player by eliminating strategies that could reduce your risk profile.

Thanks to bet limits, like these other restrictions, it becomes much more challenging to meet your wagering requirement and cash-out. The casinos actively make you take risks with the free bonus credit. This protects the casino from bonus abuse, and to make sure you play through in a set way.

The Benefits of Casino Bonuses

So with all these restrictions, what are the benefits of casino bonuses? For all that you are constrained in your use of casino bonuses, they can and do still provide value, especially for new depositors. They provide a kickstart to your gaming, giving you additional bankroll until you find your feet.

They can also prove lucrative if you’re able to meet the wagering requirements allowing you to win from no-risk wagers. They’re also a great way to get a feel for how a casino operates and how it treats players. This can be a useful indication for what you might expect later down the line.

How to Choose the Best Casino Bonuses

The best casino bonuses are invariably those with the fewest, or least onerous, terms and conditions attached. When it comes to weighing up different offers, it’s all in the Ts and Cs. Never take a bonus offer at face value – it’s almost certain to lead to disappointment. Instead, make sure you find out all the applicable restrictions to the offer before accepting it. Also, remember that accepting a bad offer can do more harm than good to your account.

The easiest way to compare offers is to write the terms and conditions as they apply to competing bonus offers. Make a grid and compare the equivalent terms between different bonus offers. This should give you the most complete insight into the terms and conditions you’ll be up against. When it comes time to trying to cash out from your bonus offer there will be no surprises.

Conclusion

Casino bonuses won’t be the ticket to your jackpot win, but they are a useful tool when deciding which casino to choose. With the right terms, these bonus offers can still help you maximise your winnings, either by rewarding your loyalty or incentivising a new account. With free credit available whichever way you cut it, taking advantage of sign up bonuses is always recommended for new players. It’s only a question of finding the right bonus, with the right terms and conditions, for maximum impact.