A Guide to Online Casino Bonus Offers
Everybody loves an offer and where online casinos are concerned, there’s plenty to go around. The only question is, which one should you choose? Our guide will explore the various types of online casino bonus offers from sign up to advanced, how to claim them, and any special terms and conditions that may be attached.
Different Types of Casino Bonuses
Online casinos wish to attract as many players as possible to their site and for this reason, there are many weird and wonderful online casino bonus offers available. However, when you drill down, they all consist of the same few elements or a combination of two or more of those elements.
Whilst a match deposit casino bonus tends to be the most popular, other players’ favorites are no deposit bonus, free spins bonus, free play bonus, and cashback bonus. We’ve broken down the best online casino bonus offers into player categories: beginner, intermediate and advanced.
Beginner Bonuses
Welcome bonuses or sign-up bonuses are the first type of casino bonus a player encounters when they register with a new online site. Often these are in the form of a percentage match deposit bonus e.g., 100% match up to £100 (deposit £50, receive £50 bonus funds).
The welcome bonus can provide a great opportunity to kickstart your journey. As a new player, you may not be too familiar with the terms attached to a deposit bonus, or indeed other promotions and may wish to lean towards a no deposit bonus, free play bonus or free spins bonus, or a combination such as the free spins no deposit bonus.
- Welcome Bonus – Hugely popular casino bonus for 1st Suitable for low and high rollers. Often subject to the wagering requirements, new players need to check playthrough is less than 50x.
- No Deposit Bonus – Not so common. Can only be claimed once. Subject to wagering conditions.
- Free Play Bonus – Suitable for all beginners. Allows players to practice games, especially slots for free whilst having the opportunity to win.
- Free Spins – May come separately or as part of the welcome offer. Often only valid for certain slots and for a specific period of time. Often subject to the wagering requirements.
Intermediate Bonuses
For those of you that have already taken advantage of a generous casino bonus on sign-up and are now looking for something else, then we have four more bonuses for you to take a look at. Of course, you may have signed up with a free no deposit bonus casino UK and in that case, you could have a look at a deposit match bonus. So, as well as the basic bonuses above, for the more regular players we have the following:
- Deposit Reload Bonus – Very similar to welcome bonuses. Often given at a lower percentage and to existing players only. The offer is typically made to players who have previously deposited. Subject to wagering requirements.
- Freerolls – Freeroll tournaments are offered to existing players. Usually, a fixed win pot regardless of how many players enter. Often offered as a perk to VIP players.
- Comp Points – Used to reward and motivate regular players. Earned by wagering on casino games including table and live casino. Points are converted into cash.
- Daily Deals – Special daily deals offered to existing players. Often a different online casino bonus each day of the week. May be subject to the wagering requirement.
Advanced Bonuses
The following bonuses are not recommended for low-rollers or beginner players as they require a certain commitment. The more experienced player may find that the casino bonus offers mentioned above are no longer quenching their thirst and they will be looking more for exclusive promotions. Fortunately, many UK online casinos offer special high-roller bonuses, VIP clubs, referral bonuses and raffles.
- High Roller Bonuses – Plenty of player experience needed. Often exclusive to VIP players once they’ve reached a specified level in the casino’s loyalty club. Available for large depositors only.
- VIP Clubs – Also known as Loyalty Clubs/Programs. Receive special treatment: dedicated account manager, exclusive online casino bonus offers, better comp points, higher table limits.
- Referral Bonus – For every referral receives a special bonus e.g., bonus funds. Usually limited to a certain amount. May be subject to wagering requirements.
- Raffles – Only available at a few online casinos. An occasional event and may includes cash prizes, holidays, cars. May be exclusive to VIP members only. May be dependent on a certain amount of deposits being made.
Terms & Conditions
Before claiming a casino bonus it’s recommended that you understand the key terms connected with casino promotions. Here’s an overview of the most common terms and conditions:
- Wagering Requirements – the number of times you need to play through your bonus prior to withdrawals e.g., £50 bonus with 30x wagering requirements = £1500 total wagering needed
- Wagering Contributions – if the bonus is valid across all games, not all games may contribute to the playthrough requirements, e.g., slots contribute 100% (bet £5 take off £5 from total wagering)/table games contribute 60% (bet £5 take off £3 from total wagering)
- Minimum Deposit – to claim the bonus you will need to deposit a certain minimum amount
- Validity – Most bonuses have a certain time limit placed on them in which you must complete the wagering requirements/playthrough target
- Maximum Bet – the maximum bet allowed during a playthrough
- Eligibility – if the casino bonus is available for new or regular players
How to Claim a Casino Bonus Offer
Claiming an online casino bonus is usually quite straightforward with similar processes occurring at all online casinos. The common steps are as follows:
- Choose your casino bonus. Make sure it has fair terms and fits within your budget limitations
- Register at your chosen trustworthy online casino. Provide your personal and financial details
- Confirm your bonus – this may be an ‘opt-in’ box or may be automatically credited to your account or you may need to enter a bonus code
- Deposit the required minimum deposit in order to claim the bonus (check terms)
- If you have free spins included with the welcome bonus, these will be credited to the game
- Any problems contact customer support immediately
The most important point to remember is to check the bonus terms and conditions before you opt-in.
FAQs
The best online casino bonuses are those which suit your gameplay, so if you love slots, go for a great free spins bonus, if you want a free play bonus, go for the free bonus no deposit casino UK.
Check the online casino site is trustworthy, their details are displayed in the footer of the landing page and check through the terms and conditions of the bonus carefully.
No. You can usually tick a box to opt in or out. You may feel you want to reject it as you can’t meet the wagering terms or you fancy a different promotion once registered
Bonus codes are short sets of letters and numbers which some casinos use to identify which bonus you’d like to sign up for.