Different Casino Bonuses Available
Modern online casinos offer various different types of bonuses to new and existing customers. New customers can almost certainly expect to receive a welcome bonus when signing up to a new brand. These are a great way to get a feel for a new game or casino without having to wager your own funds. There are many other bonuses on offer from no deposit to VIP bonuses, and everything in between. Let’s take a closer look at the best casino bonuses available online today.
Sign Up Bonus or Welcome Bonus
To remain competitive and grab the attention of new players, casino operators offer generous sign up bonuses to new customers who register an account.
The most common type of signup bonus is the matched deposit offer, which sees casinos offer a percentage of a player’s first deposit as bonus funds. For example, casinos may offer 50%-100% of the deposit amount. This means that if you’re offered a 100 percent matched deposit bonus, you’ll receive $100 in bonus funds for a first deposit of $100.
Of course, with such generous offers, there’ll always be wagering requirements to fulfil before any bonus winnings are available for withdrawal. Sometimes, higher bonuses come with more stringent wagering requirements.
Some top online casinos offer free spins too. These are usually in addition to a monetary offer, such as the matched deposit, so you might find an offer such as ‘100% matched deposit up to $200 plus 100 free spins’.
Bonus Codes
Bonus codes are often given by casinos to both new and existing players.
New players can expect to input the bonus code during the sing-up or during their first deposit at a new brand. Existing customers can usually expect to input the bonus code when they login at casinos which offer this type of bonus.
These bonus codes can be found on affiliate sites or often in promotional emails. We have picked out the most common type of bonuses on offer at the top brands in our list.
No Deposit Bonus
Whether you choose to play online slots or blackjack, this extremely popular bonus remains the same by allowing you get to claim some bonus funds without making a deposit.
A typical no deposit casino bonus is an offer of free spins on a video slot of the operator’s choosing, but some casinos do offer bonus funds too. These are great for players who fancy a free shot at winning big at the table games.
No deposit bonuses often come with larger wagering requirements ensuring that the player must wager a significant amount of money before being able to claim any winnings from the no deposit bonus. This can put any potential winnings from the original no deposit bonus out of reach for a lot of players.
It is also common to see maximum cash out limit on these bonuses. This means that the casino will limit the amount of money that can be won from a particular bonus, protecting the casino from making a large loss.
As with all bonuses, it is important to check each brands terms and conditions. A common T&C associated with many of the no deposit bonuses is limits around applicable payment methods. You will find that many brands only accept a small number of payments methods to be eligible with these bonuses.
Reload Bonus
The majority of bonuses are designed to attract new players, but that doesn’t mean existing customers are left out. In an effort to keep players coming back, some of the top online casinos offer reload bonuses. These are often to celebrate the latest promotions and upcoming events. The reload bonus simply rewards returning players for topping up their casino balance. You’ll find this bonus comes in several forms, depending on where you choose to play.
The most common form of reload bonus is a matched deposit, where you’ll receive a percentage of your deposit as bonus funds.
Free spins are another common form reload bonuses on offer at top brands. Once you make a deposit the casino will credit your account with free spins. The number of free spins on offer will vary from casino to casino but the deposit amount and specific terms of the bonus should be outlined in the promotion. Free spins are mainly offered for slot games. They are a great way of getting a feel for a new game while also giving you the potential to get some winnings without wagering any of your own money.
Rebate or Cashback Bonuses
A less common bonus on offer that we have come across is rebate or cashback bonuses. You’re not always going to get lucky when playing your favourite casino games. As games of chance, you’re never exempt from a losing streak. Rebate bonuses are a great way of recouping some of that lost cash.
Rebate bonuses are typically calculated as a percentage of your net loss during a specific time period. If you played live dealer roulette, for example, and lost $50, a good rebate would refund you 10% of your losses. Rebates aren’t just offered on losses, though.
Some casinos offer rebate bonuses based on your spend over a certain amount of time. For instance, if you rack up $50 in casino wagers over a week, you could be in for a boost on these winnings thanks to a rebate bonus.
Most players can expect to be eligible for rebate bonuses. These are one of the few bonuses that are not tailored specifically for new players. In some cases you might find that they are reserved for regular or VIP customers.
It is common for casinos to have no wagering requirements for rebate bonuses. If a brand does impose a wagering requirement for these bonuses you can expect it to be relatively small. The range of wagering requirements we have seen across our top picks is anywhere from 0x to 5x. However, it is important to check the T&C’s of each brand to ensure you are not caught off guard when utilizing one of these bonuses.
There is often a limit on the amount that a brand will rebate. For example a 10% rebate bonus with a limit of $100 means that the maximum a player can receive from that bonus is $100. Additionally, they will often come with a time limit so be sure to claim this bonus where applicable before the time limit is reached.
Although not very common, some brands will have game restrictions associated with rebates. They might exclude the losses incurred from particular types of games from being factored in to your rebate bonus.
Rebate bonuses are a great way of regaining some potential loses. As with all bonuses it is vital you check the terms and conditions to ensure you are fully informed.
No Wagering Bonuses
Want to grab a bankroll boost without the wagering requirements? You’re in luck, we’ve got a great line up of the best online casinos offering no wagering casino bonuses.
With so many online casinos offering large cash bonuses to attract players, operators have resorted to new, innovative ways to stand out from the crowd. An increasingly popular bonus offer amongst players is the no wagering bonus. Let’s take a closer look and find out why online casino players are on the hunt for wager-free bonus deals.
As its name suggests, a no wagering bonus is simply a bonus without wagering requirements. These bonuses usually come in the form of free spins but are sometimes offered as cash bonuses and cashback deals too. As you’d expect, these offers don’t hit the heights of the triple-figure bonus offers that come coupled with wagering requirements, but they provide a great opportunity to win using bonus funds, especially for less frequent players.
While there are some casinos that do offer no deposit, no wagering bonuses, you’ll usually be rewarded with a no wager casino bonus after making a deposit. An example of a typical no wagering bonus offer is “one free spin for every $1 deposited”. Of course, this bonus is always offered with a limit in place, set by the online casino.
VIP bonuses
Once reserved only for players that wagered thousands each month, VIP bonuses are now relatively obtainable for most frequent online casino players.
It’s imperative for a casino to step up to the plate and reward its most loyal players for spending cash on casino games. If you’re a frequent player, you’ll want to find an online casino with a rewarding VIP scheme.
The very first online casinos only offered access to the biggest high-rollers, but now many online casinos have relaxed the entry requirements so more players can get a taste of the VIP treatment. The perks range from exclusive VIP promotions, event tickets, birthday treats as well as VIP points that can be redeemed to play your favourite online casino games.
Wagering Requirements Explained
To attract new players and keep existing ones coming back, most online casinos offer a range of bonuses and promotions, from matched deposits to reload bonuses.
Most of these bonuses come with wagering requirements. These are in place to ensure you can’t withdraw any bonus winnings immediately. Instead, you must wager your winnings a certain number of times. This figure is always determined by the casino. The biggest bonuses often come with heavy wagering requirements, which are designed to keep you playing until either you wager a large sum of money, or eventually lose your bonus funds.
Here’s an example to explain how wagering requirements work:
- Let’s say you’ve claimed a 100 per cent matched deposit bonus with a 30x wagering requirement
- You’ve made your first deposit of $100, so you’ll receive a $100 bonus from the casino
- In this instance, you’ll be required to wager that $100 bonus 30 times. This means placing $3,000 worth of wagers
Wagering requirements aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Online casinos exist to make money, after all. Casino operators offer generous welcome bonuses to give new players a bankroll boost to get familiar with casino games and have some fun without breaking the bank, but handing out huge bonuses with no strings attached would lose them a whole lot of money.
No wagering bonuses are the player-friendly alternative that provides you with a chance to instantly boost your bankroll and withdraw any winnings immediately. The casino carries all the risk on this one which makes for a refreshing reversal of roles.
How we Review Casino Bonuses
When shortlisting the best online brands offering the best casino bonuses we look at a number of different criteria. Some reviews might just pick out the largest bonus amounts on offer without taking into consideration the wagering requirements or accepted payment methods associated with the bonus. Below we have detailed the main criteria we look at when reviewing casino bonuses.
- Bonus type – With so many different bonuses on offer these days, we like to find a brand that offers a variety of these bonuses. This way any brand that makes it into our top list will cater for different playing styles.
- Bonus terms – This is often the criteria that many people do not consider. At Compare.bet, on the other hand, we take a detailed look at the terms and conditions associated with each bonus so that you have a clear understanding of what is required in order claim such bonuses. While the terms for each brand varies, we try to highlight the more common terms we come across. However, in order to be fully informed we would recommend once you have chosen your casino that you check their specific policies around bonus terms.
- Wagering requirements – These can result in bonuses being out reach for some players. For this reason we always take into consideration the wagering requirements for each brand. We have tried our best to explain through this article the typical wagering requirements we have come across as well as giving a clear explanation of how they work and what to look out for.
- Bonus amount – This one is somewhat self explanatory. The larger the bonus amount the larger the potential winnings might be. We try to find casinos that offer large bonus amounts with the smallest wagering requirements.
- Bonus match percentage – Like with bonus amounts, we look for brands who offer high bonus match percentages. This ensure you will receive the best bonus match deposits on offer. As always we look at the restrictions imposed on these bonuses by each brand in an attempt to give you as much information as possible so you can make the best choice for you.
- Game eligibility – There is no point in claiming a bonus only to find out it can only be used on a small selection of game types. For this reason we try and find brands that offer bonuses across most, if not all of their available games.
- Payment method eligibility – A common restriction you will see across many brands in relation to claiming bonuses is payment method eligibility. As part of our reviews we try and find casinos that offer bonuses that are eligible when using as many of the leading payment methods as possible.
- Time limits – If a time limit is imposed on a bonus and you as the customer do not meet the bonus requirements within this limit then you will not be able to claim any bonus winnings. This is why we factor in time limit restrictions to our reviews. We try and find brands that offer attractive bonuses with no, or long time limit requirements.
How to Claim a Casino Bonus
- Select your online casino. Why not try out on of the top picks from our list.
- Sing Up/ Register for an account.
- Review the bonus terms and conditions
- Navigate to bonus section on the online casino
- If required make a qualifying deposit. This may need to be of a certain amount however, each brand will detail this in their T&C’s.
- Claim your bonus
Ready to Play?
Now you know your rebate bonuses from your reload offers, you’re one step closer to becoming a successful online casino player. Check out the sign up offers on our list of top rated casinos and pick out the bonus that ticks all your boxes. Don’t forget to read the terms and conditions. Simply compare, sign up and claim your bonus offer today.
