Online Casino Bonus Guide

Almost all online casinos give some kind of bonus to their players. There are many types of bonus: sign up bonus, cash back bonus, loyalty bonus, and many more. Given the great number of bonus variations, each one with their own rules, it's a good idea to know exactly what casinos are giving you to avoid complications. We publish some articles in this section to help you better understand all casino bonus rules and implications.

Online Casino Bonus

Posted by: SharpGambler on Wed, 26 July 2006 15:52:08 (284 Reads)

Almost every online casino rewards new players with a bonus offer at the first deposit. It means that when you open an account and make your first deposit, you will receive some extra money to play with. Generally, online casinos offer a match bonus in the form of a percentage of your first deposit up to a certain amount. It can be 100%, 200%, 300%, or even more.

Why they offer free money

The answer is very simple. There is a huge competition amongst online casinos, so that every casino tries to capture your attention with an incentive for you to make a deposit. If you can play with $200 with a deposit of $100 it would be great for you, and certainly will catch your attention. Given the huge competition in online gambling, a bonus offer can make the difference.

What to expect from the casino bonus

As you know casino owners are no fouls. They offer you free money with your deposit for you to play at the casino. There is no way of receiving the money and withdraw it without playing. You must risk the money before you can withdraw any funds. Otherwise, everyone could open accounts at different casinos, and earn money without risking a dime. Of course that’s not possible. The casino always impose you some requirements when giving you a bonus.

Understanding casino bonus requirements

Before requesting a casino bonus, you should read the casino terms and conditions and any specific promotions terms and conditions. All trustable online casinos have a page with all terms and conditions explaining how gambling works at their site, how the bonus is given and what kind of requirements it has attached. The most common clauses you will find are:

• Bonus Amount – the casino states how the bonus is given. Generally it is as a percentage of your initial deposit and up to a certain amount. For example, a match bonus of 100% up to $100 free. It means that the casino will match your deposit up to $100. If you deposit $50, they give you $50. If you deposit more than $100, you will only receive $100 as bonus. Look for match bonus percentage, maximum bonus amount, and sometimes minimum deposit to be eligible for the bonus. Please note that this is what you will generally find. There are other ways to fix the bonus, like in the case of no deposit bonus offers, and fixed amount offers. Some casinos offer a small amount of money for you to try the casino without requiring any deposit, and some others give a fixed amount bonus with a certain amount of deposit. Fixed amount bonus usually target high rollers and are given on high deposits.



• Playthrough Requirements – the casino imposes a minimum level of play before a withdrawal of funds can be processed. This clause is common and is known as wager requirements or playthrough requirements. You are required to make a certain level of bets. Usually the casino imposes you to play X times your deposit plus bonus. For example, they can say that you must play 15X your deposit plus bonus. If you deposit $100 and receive $100 in bonus, you must play 15 X ($100 + $100) = $3000. You must place $3000 in total wagers before cashing any money. This rule is only to ensure that you will risk the money and not simply get the bonus and go away with the casino money. Remember that a wager is a bet placed. It does not have anything to do with winning or losing. If you play video poker and place 50 times a bet of $5 your total wagers are $250.



• Game Exclusions – This rule is more recent and it is added to most online casinos because there are many people to try to get the bonus without risking seriously the money. Because there are games with a very low house edge, and with a low volatility, it would be possible to fulfill the wager requirement playing certain games and guarantee a profit when receiving the bonus. Because of that, online casinos limit the games where you can play when receiving a bonus. I will write a full explanation of house edge, volatility, and the need for game exclusions later. Please note that there are many variations on bonus terms. You should always look with care at the casino terms.

To accept or not to accept a bonus offer

After all I said you may be thinking that it is better to play without bonus to avoid any problems. Well it’s not true. You can play with the bonus that can give you a money boost and help you to put higher stakes. What is important is to read the terms of the bonus offer and to see if they are favorable to your needs. If you want to play blackjack, and the terms of the bonus clearly say that blackjack is not allowed or does not count towards the wager requirement fulfillment it may be better to play without the bonus. Don’t try to foul the casino. If you do so, you are risking your money, and giving the casino a reason to not pay your winnings. Just read before playing and you will have a great gambling experience and avoid any delays or even winning forfeits.

In order to see the latest online casino bonus offers see our section online casino bonus.
More information about online casinos is available at our section online casino reviews.

Note : When you open a new casino account, you are offered money. Online casinos usually offer match bonus. What to expect? What are the requirements? How to use bonus?

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