Unlike land-based casinos, there are no geographic restrictions preventing you from moving your money from one online casino to the next. So in order to attract customers, the casinos make various cash and non-cash offers, known as casino bonuses. For example a casino may offer a 100% bonus on your first deposit. This means that they will double your money when you first sign up and play. Sound too good to be true? A lot of the time it is.
The online casino industry is a fiercely competitive marketplace. Each operator does its level best to attract new players from around the world. One of the most popular ways a casino does this is by extending special casino bonuses and promotions to potential players.
Join us as we explore casino bonus offers in this comprehensive guide. Learn more about which bonus will suit your gameplay more and find out how to make the most of each promotion you claim.
WHAT IS AN ONLINE CASINO BONUS?
Casino bonus is a special promotional offer provided by the online casino to give players an added incentive to play their games. These offers may come in many different forms, but they all have the same intent – to issue free credits for the enjoyment of gambling entertainment.
From the casino end, bonuses have a three-fold purpose:
- To invite and welcome new players: These bonuses are usually referred to as Welcome Offers
- Retain and encourage existing players: Here, the operators may use free spins, reload bonuses, and cashback
- Promote customers playing specific games: Some bonuses may promote live casino games, while others will specifically target the promotion of a new slot game or something similar
Those who frequent the online casino realms often become bonus hungry, as they are well aware of the advantages that promotions can bring to their gameplay. This is especially true if your gaming budget is on the lean end.
The Pros and Cons of Using a Casino Bonus
Pros:
- They are ideal for boosting your bankroll if you are limited to a small gaming budget
- They are the perfect tool for high rollers to boost their already steeped deposits
- They provide you with added game time so that you can explore the title library of a casino more thoroughly
- The casino assumes some of the risk when it comes to losses. If you lose your bonus funds you suffer no real monetary loss.
Cons:
- Bonuses do come with wagering requirements which will delay your ability to cash in right away
- Some bonuses have cash-out limits which do not justify the amount of time you put into the gameplay.
HOW TO CLAIM YOUR ONLINE CASINO BONUS
Claiming a casino bonus offer is usually a super easy process that can be completed in a few easy steps:
- Pick your casino of choice and click on the ‘’sign-up’’ link.
- Register your account by providing some pertinent personal information.
- Be sure to opt in on their sign-up offer. Be aware that some offers may require that you enter a promo code to validate the promotion.
- Once the process is complete, you will need to go to the cashier’s page and sanction your first qualifying deposit.
Once the funds reflect in your account, you can set about playing all your favorite casino games. If you signed up and missed the opt-in option, head to the casino’s promotions page and click on the welcome offer to claim the deal.
THE BEST CASINO BONUS OFFERS AND PROMOTIONS AVAILABLE
If you are a novice when it comes to online casinos and their promotions, then this is the perfect section of the guide for you. In this section, we will walk you through the most popular types of bonuses you are likely to encounter in the market and prepare you for what they offer.
The Welcome Bonuses
You will encounter two categories of bonuses when playing on an online casino: welcome bonuses and regular promotions. In the first part of this guide, we will talk about the different kinds of welcome bonuses that exist. Just remember one thing: you are not obliged to take a welcome bonus. Only activate it if you want to play with it, as it comes with conditions.
As the name suggests, welcome bonuses are only available to new players. This is the most common type of bonus among all existing in online casinos. Also known as signup bonus, this is the best bonus that online casino sites use to attract new players to their platforms. He is also the most generous of all.
The best online casino welcome bonuses come in several varieties and vary between gaming platforms. This could be a match deposit offer where you can deposit with real money. Others are more profitable, such as no deposit casino offers with free spins, where you do not need to deposit, but you get free game rounds. Some casinos combine two or more offers to get ahead of the competition. All this is for the benefit of the players.
However, please note that you cannot withdraw welcome bonuses immediately after registration. There are various wagering requirements that must be paid off first. This means that you must wager the bonus several times before you can apply for a withdrawal. You should read casino reviews in more detail in order to understand which sites and which bonuses can be available to you.
Welcome deposit bonuses
The first and most common bonus that is offered by online casinos are deposit bonuses. You deposit a certain amount of money, and the casino matches your deposit to a certain percentage. Let’s say you are facing a casino with a 100% up to 500€ welcome bonus. It means that you can get up to 500€ bonus money. As the percentage here is 100%, if you deposit 500€, you will get 500€ of additional bonus money added to your balance.
It’s a great kind of bonus, especially for players who does not want or can’t deposit a big amount of money on an online casino. It allows them to discover the casino with a boosted balance, and to place bigger bets than they usually would with a small balance.
Madness Bonus casino partners offer a lot of welcome deposit bonuses. Don’t hesitate to discover them by visiting our Online casino bonuses page.
Free Spins At Registration
Another kind of welcome bonus is free spins that are offered to players. Some casinos offer these free spins at registration, without having to deposit. Others are offering them on top of a deposit bonus, as an additional gift. Before accepting free spins, always check the casino’s bonus terms and conditions. Free spins and deposit bonuses usually have different wagering requirements.
Free Money At Registration
After free spins comes another kind of bonus which is free money offered at registration. Yes, you read this right. Of course, as nothing never comes really free this bonus comes with conditions. The main one being that most of the time you can’t withdraw more than 100€ from the winnings you make with this offered money.
The Regular Promotions
Welcome bonuses are great, but once you have taken advantage of most of them, what’s left? Lucky for you, casinos thought of everything and offer really good regular promotions as part of their loyalty programs. This is what these promotions are for: keeping players engaged. From one casino to another, these promotions can be very different. Let’s learn more about these.
Deposit Bonuses And Free Spins
Deposit bonuses are not only for new players, but also for players that are already actively playing on a casino. As they are offered on a weekly basis, their amount is less important that the welcome ones.
Most casinos also offer free spins on a regular basis. To claim these free spins, you usually have to make a small deposit (20€ or 30€ in general).
Read our online casino reviews to learn more about our partner casinos’ regular promotions.
If you are a fan of online slots, then free spins bonuses should be your goal. This is another common sub-type of welcome bonuses, especially if they come in the form of no deposit free spins at casinos that sites are trying to lure new players into. The free spins bonus is a separate welcome offer at some online casinos.
Among the features of free spins bonuses is that they are available when a new slot machine is released. Depending on the casino, players can get up to 200 free spins to try out a particular slot. This is a great way to test the game mechanics of a new slot machine.
Contests and Challenges
As a way to motivate and engage their players even more, some casinos host contests and challenges. During these special events, hosted either by the casino or a game provider, players are competing against each other. In general, players are competing to achieve the best multiplier on a selection of slot machines.
Cashback and Rakeback
Last but not least comes two very interesting perks some casinos offer to their players: cashback and rakeback. Let’s see what these two consist in.
Cashback and rakeback are essentially the same. The casinos that have this feature enabled give you back a percentage of the house edge. The more you play and progress through the loyalty levels, the higher this percentage can get.
Most casinos are giving players their cashback on a weekly or monthly basis. More and more casinos are offering “instant cashback / instant rakeback”. This means that you can collect it at any time during your session, by going to your cashback balance.
This is a popular bonus option if you are part of a VIP rewards club or loyalty program. Some casinos will guarantee you a certain percentage of your losses back over the course of a promotion/week/month.
A deal may look like this: Get 10% Cashback up to €100 on your losses for January when depositing at least €20 per week. If you make the qualifying deposits, you can recover 10% of all losses back, but up to a capped amount of €100.
So, if you deposit €1,500 over the course of the month and lose it all, the casino will pay you €100 in bonus funds. Although 10% of the loss is €150, the cap on the offer is limited to €100.
In most cases, you will receive the cashback as bonus credits. You can then use these to play games and cash out the winnings after satisfying the wagering requirements.
No Deposit Bonuses
No deposit bonuses are practically free and are one of the best bonuses offered by online casinos. Many sites offer them so that players can easily and risk-free bet on games. The only condition for a no deposit casino bonus is registration and account verification.
Since the conditions of the no deposit bonus are minimal, its value is often small. It is lower than the welcome bonus but has more benefits or benefits and is the main bonus that online casino sites offer to their players. We recommend looking for gaming sites offering this incentive and signing up. However, be sure to check for additional terms and conditions. Although they do not come with additional requirements, not all online sites adhere to them.
Players who do not fully understand how the online game works can benefit from this incentive. This bonus allows them to gain experience and test different skills and strategies without real money funding. Experienced gamblers will find such casino bonuses useful for their activities. Due to its saturation, many sites often offer it to both new and regular customers.
Advantages and Disadvantages
No deposit offers have both advantages and disadvantages. In fact, this is free money, but in order to benefit from this amount, you need to be lucky.
The advantages of no-deposits include the following:
- You do not need to deposit real money right away to evaluate the gameplay and choose the games you like the most
- There is a chance to win real money without spending your own funds
- You can try games that you would otherwise be restricted from accessing
- You can get free spins and try your luck in slots
The disadvantages of such bonuses include:
- High wagering requirements and too high wager
- Hard limit on the amount of winnings
- Withdrawal restrictions
- There is a chance that the gift cannot be cashed
- May not apply to all games
Good bonuses are offered, perhaps, in most online casinos. And although the conditions of bonuses are often quite strict, nevertheless, bonus programs expand the possibilities of players. And by taking advantage of these promotions, you can get a good benefit. And even if you are not lucky, then you will only lose the bonus money, and your funds will remain untouched. And whether to play further, what bets to make, and how much to risk at your own expense – this is the business of each player.
What Can You Get a No Deposit Bonus For?
No deposit bonuses can be obtained for the following actions:
- Registration. To receive such a bonus, it is often enough to simply register on the site of an online casino, after which it will be automatically credited. Most often, the wager rule applies to signup bonuses.
- Participation in promotions. Often, gaming clubs hold all kinds of promotions, offering no deposit bonuses as a reward. To receive them, you must fulfill certain conditions: play a certain number of times on a specific slot machine, spend a set amount on bets within a month, etc.
- Application installation. Often, casinos offer users to install their software, offering a certain no deposit bonus as a reward.
- Bonuses during the game. Such bonuses can be accrued according to the conditions of a certain game. Most often this happens when playing slots.
Bonuses for registration can be received only once, but for all other methods, multiple bonuses are available.
The Main Types Of No Deposit Casino Bonuses
There are several different types of no deposit bonuses, here are the most common among them:
- Money. Bonuses can be given out in the form of a small amount of money that can be spent for betting and informational purposes.
- No deposit free spins. Free spins that the user receives without the need to wager them. In most cases, such free spins can only be obtained on specific gaming slots.
- Combined. Some gaming clubs combine several bonuses into one. For example, they give $50 + 50 free spins upon registration.
- Free spins/freeplay. These are, in fact, the same no deposit free spins, but which can only be used for a certain period of time.
- Cashback. A percentage of the money spent on bets is returned to the user. This is done in order to cheer up the players who have lost in the casino.
Such a variety of no deposit bonuses allows you to make the game much more diverse and interesting.
What Сan Affect The Quality Of The Offer
The quality of an online casino bonus policy is determined not only by the type of bonus, its amount, or the convenience of finding up-to-date information about promotions. Among other things, it is important to pay attention to the difficulty of obtaining encouragement. In general, the activation process for most rewards usually consists of the following steps:
- Passing the full procedure of registration and verification on the portal.
- Go to the Promo section and study the conditions of the promotion. Sometimes you need to additionally activate the program manually.
- Performing the action required to receive a gift. This can be a balance replenishment, activity in slots, or the purchase of a lottery ticket.
- Wagering the bonus amount. Information about the wager, terms of its scrolling and cash limits for spins is always indicated in the conditions of the promo campaign.
After completing these steps, the user can withdraw the earned funds in any convenient way. In addition, it is worth paying attention to other details. For example, a promotion may be limited in time. Also, some bonuses can only be used once. Having dealt with all the presented aspects, we can safely draw conclusions about how good rewards the casino is ready to offer its customers.
If you step into the world of online casinos, you’ll be inundated with bonus offers everywhere you look. While there is a never-ending supply, you shouldn’t just accept every offer that looks good. You’ll have to investigate a few things first:
- Casino Legitimacy. The casino should be a reputable operator, or else you’ll run the risk of being ripped off. Use our guides on online casinos or Bitcoin casinos to help you carefully select a reliable operator to sign-up with.
- The Fine Print. Be sure to read the bonus policy and terms and conditions of the website before claiming any promotions. While offers may look good at face value, they may provide high wagering requirements and difficult playthrough terms. Read on to learn more about what to look out for in the terms and conditions section of the guide.
- Rest Easy with PokCas. Fortunately, our experts at PokCas have done much of the work for you by vetting some awesome deals for you to take advantage of in the list that follows. Rest assured that all these operators are legit and that their offerings are above board.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS – WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN CLAIMING CASINO BONUS OFFERS
When claiming your casino bonus, you should know there are always terms and conditions involved. We know that the fine print can be very annoying, but you must know what to expect when claiming a deal. Here are some of the things to look out for in the bonus policy of any promotional offer.
1. MINIMUM DEPOSIT
All deposit bonuses will require that you place a minimum deposit to qualify for the offer. This is usually anywhere between €5 and €20, depending on which site you are on. If a deposit match deal is split into more than one deposit, be sure to make the qualifying payment for each.
2. PLAYER RESTRICTIONS
Pay attention to player restrictions. For instance, some offers will have an age restriction (either 18 years or 21 years). Others will be restricted to new players only. In most cases, the casino will only issue the promo once per person/household/email address/payment method/IP address.
3. PAYMENT METHOD RESTRICTIONS
In some cases, the casino will revoke certain payment methods, like Skrill and Neteller, from bonus deals. Make sure that you use another safe payment method that complies with the rules of the deal to make your qualifying deposit.
4. WAGERING REQUIREMENTS
Most bonus cash and free spins must be wagered several times before they are converted to withdrawable cash. Wagering bonus funds differs slightly from wagering free spins.
When wagering bonus funds, you will need to wager your bonus amount a set number of times before you can withdraw. So, if your bonus amount is €100 and the wagering requirement is 30x, you will need to wager an amount of €3,000 (30x€100) with the bonus funds before you can cash out. Be sure to check whether the wagering requirement applies only to the bonus funds, or if it includes deposit + bonus, as this will make a big difference to the total you’ll need to play through.
When playing through free spins, you need to wager the wins you muster several times. For instance, if a deal offers you 10 free spins with 20x wagering and you win €50 from the spins, you will need to wager a further €1,000 (20x€50) with the funds before you can withdraw any cash.
5. WAGER WEIGHTING
Usually, a casino will want you to play out the bonus on games with higher stakes. For this reason, they will change the wager weighting on certain games to suit the bonus. For instance, if you wager on slots, you will usually redeem €1 for €1 (100%) of your wagering requirement. However, if you use the bonus on blackjack, you may only redeem €0.20 for every €1 (20%) you spend.
You’ll, therefore, have to wager 5 times more before you can withdraw your funds. So, if you must wager €3,000 on slots, you’ll need to wager €15,000 with blackjack.
If you want to play table games with a bonus, be sure to look out for exclusive live dealer bonus deals, as the wager weighting suits this game type better.
6. MAX. CASH OUT
Some bonuses (particularly no deposit promotions) may include cash-out limits. This might mean that the bonus is not worth your time and effort, so be sure to check on this.
7. BETTING RESTRICTIONS
Most casino bonus offers will come with betting restrictions. In many cases, you may not be able to spend more than €5 on any one game round. This condition is applicable to prevent bonus abuse. Just one bet of more than the stipulated amount could disqualify you from a cash-out.
8. TIMEFRAME
All offers are subject to a time limit. This can range between 24 hours for free spins and up to 30 days for a big deposit match deal. You will need to complete your wagering requirements within this set timeframe.
TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR BONUS
Look for a High Payout bonus
Matching a high bonus with decent playthrough requirements is the trick to getting the best bonus. This way you can well and truly test a casino platform and try out all sorts of games.
Choose the correct games
To ensure that you make it to the end of your wagering requirements without losing your funds first you will want to make sure that you play slots with a low to medium variance rather than those with high variance maths models. Low variance games will keep you flush for longer. Once you have made it through the wagering process you can switch over to more volatile titles and go for the big wins.
Read the Ts and Cs
You will need to know the terms of the bonus policy to be a successful bonus player. Any wrong moves could see you forfeit your promotion. Be sure to understand what is expected of you.
Plan and Strategise
You should always treat bonus funds like real money because they have the potential to give you real rewards. Plan and strategize like you would with your own money and you will stand a better chance of success.
Maximize the bonus
Always opt for the maximum bonus if you can afford it. While the wagering requirements will be pretty high – your ability to place higher bets is increased significantly.
Bonus Wagering Tips
Before using bonuses, you need to carefully study the relevant section of the casino game rules. Often there are restrictions on wagering money in certain games.
Usually, for wagering bonuses, it is recommended to choose drum gaming machines with a high return percentage and low volatility. For example, to get a positive mathematical expectation for stocks with a x40 wager, the RTP of a suitable slot will be at least 98%.
Register on the casino site and use all the ways to increase your chances of winning. Study the list of bonuses, choose the best one and try to win the jackpot.
Summing Up
We truly hope that your understanding of casino bonus offers and promotions is a little clearer after reading our expert guide. Be sure to use the principles we have shown you the next time you are looking for the best bonus deal.
We always recommend using good bonuses when you play. Free credits are free credits, and nobody should overlook the chance to make money from nothing. If you are looking to mitigate your risk more, then be sure to claim a top offer from our selection of top-rated casinos provided on this page.
