Playing the various casino games in an online casino is obviously done with real money. The idea is to try and win more money with it. The funny thing is that in any online casino you can win without even playing a single game. You win by taking advantage of the often generous casino bonuses and promotions that the casinos offer. Wonder where to grab them? Don’t worry! we’re here to help you so you can just pick ones from this selected bonuses list.
The history of casino bonuses
Organizing and offering bonuses is not something casinos have invented in recent years. Nor is it a phenomenon specifically linked to online casinos that have only existed for a quarter of a century. Casino bonuses were encountered in the earliest gaming houses a hundred years ago, and for good reason.
Indeed, a casino depends on attracting as many visitors as possible. After all, every visitor within the casino walls is a potential player, and once someone plays, the casino earns. Therefore casinos do everything possible to please new and existing players.
The introduction of Comp Points
In the 20th century, casinos in Las Vegas invented the so-called ‘Comp Points‘. ‘Comp Points’ is short for ‘complimentary points’ and means something like ‘free points’ or ‘points complimentary to the establishment’ (the casino). As soon as you play at the casino, you earn points from it which you can then exchange for cash. With this savings system the casinos try to keep the players as much as possible.
Related Posts
Currently, the Comp Points system has become a real business and casinos spend a trillion dollars annually on bonuses for players. Potential gamblers are lured with free drinks, free meals at the casino restaurant and free admission to shows. If you win big at the roulette table, you may be offered a free hotel stay. The casino hopes you’ll come back the next day and possibly blow some of your winnings with them again.
Online casinos, just like normal brick-and-mortar casinos, are also grateful for visits from existing and new, registering players. Therefore, your registration as a new player at the casino is immediately rewarded with an initial welcome bonus. After that, you can count on all sorts of additional casino bonus offers and promotions at any online casino on a regular basis. And therefore it’s good that you inform yourself on this page about everything you need to know about best casino bonuses.
The different types of casino bonuses
Online casinos operate a number of promotional actions and schemes with which they regularly spoil their players. Typically, you can take advantage of the following benefits in the virtual gambling palaces:
Deposit bonus
A deposit bonus is a bonus that you get if you first deposit a minimum amount of money into your casino account. Usually, it’s a percentage of that amount, which the casino adds to your casino account as bonus money. Such a bonus is then described for example as follows:
Receive 100% in bonus over your first deposit, with a maximum of 100 dollars in bonus money
In this case, if you deposit 25 dollars, the casino will top that amount up with 100%, or 25 dollars. So you’ll eventually start playing with 50 dollars. If you deposit $100 immediately you will receive the maximum $100 bonus and start playing with $200 in your casino account.
Basically, a casino deposit bonus is any bonus you get after you deposit funds into your casino account. Often that bonus is a package of Free Spins, a number of free spins on an online slot machine at the casino. However, it can also be free tickets for a casino lottery or prize draw or free entry into a casino tournament. Deposit bonuses are thus often offered by casinos in combination with some of the other casino bonuses described below.
No deposit bonus
The no deposit bonus is the opposite of the deposit bonus. This gift from the casino requires you to deposit nothing, nope, nada into your online casino account in advance. This, of course, is the reason why these no deposit online casino bonuses are a favorite among players.
Casino bonuses without deposits usually consist of:
- Free Spins bonus
- Free money
Free Spins are a number of free spins that you can play on a video slot. Free money is an amount of money that the casino has added to your casino account as a bonus. With free money, you can decide on which game you will play with your bonus.
In almost all cases, online casinos give a no deposit bonus exclusively to new players, after registering with the casino. In order to claim the totally free casino bonus, you don’t have to do anything but complete their registration process. Part of this is confirming your email address by replying to a verification email that the casino sends you. Once you’ve done all that, within minutes, you’ll be able to start using your free bonus right away.
Free Spins bonus
Free Spins are free spins that the casino makes available on a video slot or a selection of video slots (online slots). As explained above you can be awarded Free Spins after a deposit, or as a bonus without a deposit. Besides deposit bonuses, Free Spins are the most common offers that online casinos use to spoil their players.
The free spins are usually played with a minimum bet per game round. However, there are also online casinos that release so-called “Super Spins” as a bonus. These Free Spins are played with a higher bet per spin.
Reload bonus
‘Reload’ means ‘to recharge’. So a ‘reload bonus’ is a bonus you receive when you ‘reload’ your casino account with funds. So it is a deposit bonus, possibly accompanied by some Free Spins.
Reload bonuses are often a standard promotion at casinos. You can for example use the same bonus every month, week, or on fixed days of the week.
Cash Back
“Cash Back” means “money back. Cash Back bonuses are therefore schemes whereby you are refunded a certain percentage of your lost wager by the casino. Such a ‘money back’ scheme may be described as follows:
Receive, after a deposit of at least 50 dollars, 20% of your daily loss back, with a maximum of 50 dollars in refunded credits
So if you lose the entire minimum deposit, the casino will give you 10 dollars back (20% of 50 dollars). If you deposit 250 dollars and lose it completely, you will receive the maximum Cash Back amount of 50 dollars.
Loyal player and VIP programs
Most online casinos thank players for their loyalty through a loyalty points program with rewards. Often you will be awarded so-called “player points” for each wager you place at the casino. These points can then be exchanged for all kinds of attractive offers and bonuses, such as advantageous reload bonuses and free spins.
Usually, the program consists of a number of levels. The more you play in the casino, the more player points you accumulate and the higher your level becomes. The higher your level, the better the offers you can take advantage of.
The highest levels with the best bonuses and perks are reserved for VIP players. They are sometimes even assigned a real “personal manager” who tries to make them feel as comfortable as possible. There are casinos that offer their most loyal players complete Porsche and Ferrari sports cars as their highest reward.
Casino tournaments / lotteries / prize draws
Many casinos regularly organize all kinds of casino tournaments, raffles, and prize draws in which their players can participate. Although these are not real casino bonuses in the strict sense, they can provide some nice extra bonus prizes. Sometimes you automatically take part in such promotions, but sometimes you have to register for participation. Prizes can range from packages of Free Spins to cash, and sometimes even to fully catered vacation trips.
The casino bonus terms
Every casino bonus has its own set of conditions and rules, as “Terms & Conditions”. Of course, these so-called bonus terms differ from casino to casino and also from specific bonus to specific bonus. Nevertheless, there are a number of provisions that most online casinos apply to their promotional offers. Broadly speaking these are the following:
The deployment condition
At most casinos, winnings you make from bonus money, free spins, or during casino tournaments are considered bonus money. This bonus money must then be ‘unlocked’ in order to convert it to ‘real’ money that you can cash out.
This is done by wagering the awarded bonus amount a certain number of times according to the so-called wagering requirements.
Suppose the wagering condition of a bonus is 35 x and you have received 100 dollar bonus. So then you have to play 35 x 100 dollars = 3500 dollars around (wager) before you can withdraw the bonus and profit.
Some bonuses have the condition that you have to wager the bonus and the deposited amount (added together). So if you deposit 100 dollars in the example to receive 100 dollars in bonus, you must wager 35 x 200 dollars = 7000 dollars. Obviously, this is an extremely unfavorable application of the wagering condition for the player.
With Free Spins bonuses, the winnings usually made from the free play rounds must meet the wagering condition. Often this also applies to winnings from casino tournaments. Only after you have wagered the desired number of times you can have the winnings paid out to you.
Finally, wagering requirements apply to bonuses that you can claim through a loyalty program. However, the wagering requirement is usually significantly lower than with regular casino bonuses. Furthermore, the higher your level in the program, the lower the wagering requirements associated with the bonuses often become.
In most casinos, the wagering condition of their bonuses is between 35 and 40x.
Maximum win payout
A common bonus condition is a limit on the payout of winnings from a bonus. In particular, Free Spins and Free Money with no deposit, known as no deposit bonuses, are often subject to this provision.
For example, if you win 1200 dollars on a video slot with free spins or at the Live Casino blackjack table via free money … Still, you will only be paid out the maximum win amount set by the casino, for example, 50 or 100 dollars. The rest of your ‘winnings’ you should then ‘play away’, or it will be taken by the casino upon payout.
Maximum and minimum bet limit
Another condition that is almost always attached to cash bonuses is the limit to the bet per game round. In most casinos, bonus money may not be used to wager more than five dollars per a round of play. If you do, your bonus, and any winnings from it, will be forfeited.
Casino tournaments may have a minimum bet per game round. So if you want to compete for extra tournament prizes, make sure you bet according to this condition.
Time Limits
Bonuses are often “limited shelf life,” that is, they often have “time limits. For example, you may be required to use or activate the bonus within a certain period of time. Or you may have to meet the wagering requirement within a number of days. In order not to lose valuable winnings, you should be well aware of these types of bonus rules.
And the latter applies to all of the above conditions: study them, understand them and respect them. Only then will you be able to fully enjoy and benefit from any online casino bonus. So invest in reading through bonus terms before participating in any offer.
Where it all starts: free welcome bonus casino
In any online casino, taking advantage of their advantageous offers starts with the famous welcome bonus. It is the first gift you receive from the casino as a thank-you for signing up to their virtual gaming house.
How the welcome bonus is structured, what components it consists of, and what bonus terms are attached to it varies from casino to casino. Usually, it’s a 100% deposit bonus accompanied by a package of Free Spins. However, in some casinos, you get as a new player a completely free casino bonus.
At other casinos, you will also receive bonuses on your 2nd and 3rd deposit or be able to participate in lucrative Cash Back schemes. Whichever casino you choose you can always expect a warm welcome and potentially fat bonus winnings as a result.
Claim as many casino bonuses as possible
Last but not least, sign up at as many online casinos as possible in order to receive as many casino welcome bonuses as possible. Registration at a casino is always without obligation and completely free of charge.
