The best online casino bonuses are probably the shiniest attraction when a player is trying to decide whether to sign up with a new online casino and looking for beginners’ tips and guides. Thing is, finding the best online casino bonuses and a good online casino takes a lot of research and time – time that you could be otherwise spending surfing the best real money slots or tasting the table games. Not to worry, as on this page I will offer an in-depth guide to the way the most popular (and some less popular) casino bonuses work, which ones offer the best value, new casino bonuses and – just as importantly – which reputable online casinos have the juiciest bonuses.
Types of TOP Casino Bonuses
It is not necessary to claim every single bonus the casino offers you. Bide your time and choose the best casino bonuses for your budget and gameplay. Check the promotions pages to see when they’re running the offers you want.
Check when the next free entry slots tournament is running, plan your play around the free spins on the latest game releases or perhaps plan your big spend for the next promotion to be run on your preferred deposit method.
As you can see from the list below, not all casino bonuses are the same. Some bonuses require deposits, others don’t. Some casino bonuses are split across several deposits and other bonuses are exclusive to VIP players and cannot be utilised by standard players.
Bonuses can be real game-changers when it comes to picking your casino, and what each and every casino that offers you a welcome bonus is trying to do, is to give you an advantage when starting out. So, what really are your bonus options and what do each mean? There are several different types of offers available at your favourite online casino.]
| Bonus Types | Deposit | When Is It Given |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome Bonus | Yes | When registering with a casino |
| Wager-Free Free Spins | No | As part of a casino promotion |
| No Deposit Free Spins | No | When registering with a casino |
| Reload Bonus | Yes | When adding money to your casino account |
| VIP Casino Bonus | Yes | As part of a loyalty program at a casino |
| Live Casino Bonus | Yes | As part of a casino promotion |
| Refer a Friend Bonus | Yes | When somebody registers using your referral link |
Welcome Package Bonus
To make the most out of your casino gaming experience, most casinos offer a welcome bonus package for their newly registered players. When a player opens a new account, they usually immediately reach for the right payment provider to make their deposit and start playing.
To help them on their way, players can choose to make use of a dedicated welcome package. This goodie bag of bonuses primarily consists of a match up bonus and some free spins.
Match up bonuses can be recognised by the fact that they will always match a player’s deposit with a certain percentage to a capped amount. For example, a 100% up to €/£/$100 bonus will result in the player getting €/£/$100 in bonus money on top of the €/£/$100 deposited by the player. Let’s see some highlights of this promo:
- You can get different offers in one shot;
- Generous in casinos licensed by MGA or Curaçao;
- The best for beginner players.
Wager-Free Free Spins
Several online casinos offer wager-free bonuses or free spins instead of a deposit bonus package. These free spins live up to their name for being “totally free” since they do not come with any wagering requirements.
In order to obtain these wager-free spins, the player needs to create an account at the online casino that offers them and the spins have to be used within a certain time (usually 7 days) before they expire.
- Very hard to find;
- Not widely common among casinos;
- The amount is usually very low.
No Deposit Free Spins
No deposit free spins are pretty self-explanatory but there are a couple of things you need to know. Firstly, as the name suggests, this type of free spin don’t require a deposit to be granted.
They are awarded to newly signed up players as a gesture of goodwill while at the same time it gives them the opportunity to get acquainted with the casino site.
The number of no deposit free spins tends to be far lower than when offered as part of the welcome bonus, simply because free spins aren’t really ‘free’. Casino operators will need to purchase these spins in order to be able to offer them to their players, which is why the number of no deposit free spins is not bombastic.
The value of each no deposit free spin usually is on the lower end of the spectrum and many a time, they come with wagering requirements and capped winnings. This means that in order to cash out on your free spins, you will need to wager your winnings a number of times before your bankroll is eligible for withdrawal.
Capped winnings simply mean that the online casino will set a limit on the winnings you’re able to cash out from the free spins. Consider this example. An online casino has a 20 No Deposit Free Spins offer available to all players upon registration, with no wagering requirements or capped winnings. 500 players sign-up and take advantage of the offer and 150 of them make a profit of €/£/$30.
- Suitable for online slots lovers;
- They can be played on popular games;
- The amount of spins is usually generous.
Reload Bonuses
This one works in tandem with the initial welcome package that the player can receive when signing up at an online casino. Reload Bonuses mean that they regenerate after a deposit was made and the first bonus has been exhausted.
For example, if the player has made use of the first match up bonus, they are given the option to make another deposit and receive a follow-up match up bonus. Sometimes Free Spins are included in these bonuses as well.
- Amazing for casino players retention;
- The best promo for high-rollers;
- Good for those fast-paced games.
VIP Casino Bonuses
VIP status can be acquired when players want the online casino to go the extra mile for them. VIP status is given to a player who has waged a large amount of money. Online casinos value these high rollers and usually would have their very own VIP club. High rollers are treated to special promotions and benefits for being in the VIP club.
These benefits include but are not limited to exclusive events and bonuses (like winning a trip to Las Vegas), birthday presents tailored to the player, a dedicated account manager or VIP-specific deposit and withdrawal methods.
Usually, a high roller bonus amount would have a larger payout but obviously would require a larger deposit amount. Many VIP memberships come in different levels as well, usually indicated by a Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum membership.
- Good to reward players efforts;
- They can be very generous with benefits;
- They boost the loyalty of players.
Refer a Friend Bonus
Online casinos love it when you get a family member, friend or neighbour to play at their casino as well. To endorse players who direct happy punters towards them, they have a special bonus ready for such people.
This is usually called the “Refer a Friend bonus”. When a referral signs up and deposits a certain amount of money at the casino, the player who referred the new person will be rew arded. These reward scome inseveral forms: either Free Spins, free cash or raffle tickets to a prize draw.
- Not a big amount of bonus is given;
- Good if you have some friends to introduce;
- Effortless bonus.
Live Casino Bonuses
With live dealer games gaining traction, bonuses similar to bonuses on other casino games are also being offered more frequently. Ongoing promotions such as weekly cashback or reload bonuses are the most common bonuses offered for live casino games.
It is unlikely to find a no-deposit live casino bonus as these are usually limited to slot games however there are casinos that allow you to opt-in to a live casino when you claim a welcome bonus.
It is a high possibility that live casino bonuses would have wagering requirements that need to be met before a withdrawal of winnings is requested otherwise such funds would be eligible for withdrawal. Make sure to read the terms and conditions carefully so that you can find the bonus which is most suited for you and which game offers the lowest wagering requirements.
- This bonus is often given as a real bonus;
- Great for those in love with live dealer games;
- Pretty easy to use.
Casino Bonus Terms
To make it easier for you, we’ve gathered some of the frequently used casino bonus terms and provided a brief explanation on each:
- Wagering Requirements: an amount that has to be wagered, before a withdrawal request can be made. Usually, the bonus and deposit amount must be wagered a number of times, before any winnings can be withdrawn;
- Bonus Code: some casinos might require a bonus code or promo code to be inputted by the player when opting in for a particular bonus. It is commonly used for exclusive bonuses, tournaments or promotion;
- Welcome Bonus: this bonus is reserved for new players; it usually consists of a deposit match bonus and free spins bonus. The welcome bonus could also be offered as a package split over multiple deposits;
- Free Casino Bonus: this is usually a form of a no deposit bonus, meaning casinos offer customers free cash without any deposit requirement. These types of bonuses will come with wagering and maximum withdrawal;
- Wagering Contributions: games will have different contribution weights. For example, slots usually would have a 100% contribution, thus anything that’s wagered on slots will contribute to the wagering requirements;
- Verification Procedure: serious casinos will have AML and fraud screening processes set in place, usually will be asked to provide documents by the support team, in order for the withdrawal request to move forward;
- Cashable Bonus: bonus amount and winnings can be cashed after the wagering requirements have been fulfilled. This term is always visible inside the conditions of a bonus offer at the best online casinos;
- Non-cashable Bonus: only the winnings can be withdrawn after the wagering requirements have been fulfilled. This is a very important detail when reading the T&Cs apply of a casino promotion before playing with it;
- Max Bonus: the maximum bonus amount which is offered. For example, if the first deposit bonus offers is 100% up to €200, that’s the maximum bonus amount. Any deposit amount which goes over will not go towards the percentage;
- Expiration Date: bonuses won’t last forever, keep this in mind. Each of them has a day expiry. When the valid period is over, you won’t be able to cash out your bonus amount and everything will be lost;
- Valid Games: the bonus amount is not available for every game on the casino platform. The most common bonuses are valid on online slots, while live casino, jackpot slots and skills games are usually out;
- Payout Percentage: simply explained, this is the chance of winning percentage for slots. The larger the payout percentage, means the lower the house edge, thus a bigger advantage for the players.
