Casino Welcome Bonuses: Best Slots Casino Bonuses
Examine the best bonus offers from our highest-rated internet casinos. Our team has searched for the best bonuses currently on offer, and you can find all of our carefully selected recommendations below. Below, we will also detail the different kinds of casino bonuses, how they work, and things to look out for. For more information on the best casino offers and opportunities to earn free money, check out free money casinos and explore what’s available in the world of online gaming.
Types of Casino Bonus Offers
Today there are many types of different bonuses, and what you get or look for will depend on many different factors including the jurisdiction where you live, the banking method you play with, the licensing body you're playing with, and of course, the internet casino you play with. Here, let's discuss the most common types of bonuses that you'll be able to find at online casinos today.
Free Spins
Free spin bonuses are much more common today than they were a few years ago, and one reason for this is the popularity of video slots. Free spins are very simple and, again like a no deposit bonus, given for doing something particular. This could be depositing money, joining an account, or wagering a set amount of cash.
Usually, you get a selection of a few games to play your free spins on; slots by #Quickspin, #NetEnt, and #Pragmatic Play are most commonly associated with free spin promotions, like most of their top slots, like Guns n Roses.
Guns n Roses Free Spins
Depending on whether a deposit was required to access the free spins,
there can be a limit on winnings.
No Deposit Bonus
Unfortunately, no deposit bonuses aren't as common as they once were, but they do still appear at some online casinos. They're a bit more difficult to obtain nowadays! As the name suggests, a no deposit bonus is one where you don't need to deposit in order to receive the bonus. For example, some online casinos will offer a no deposit bonus to new players as an incentive to join their ranks.
There will be some casinos offering no deposit bonuses just to sign up, and others will give them after the account is verified by the player or other such actions.
No deposit bonuses are great, and you can win real cash with them, but they usually have quite stringent terms and conditions, like unrealistic wagering requirements and set withdrawal limits. Online casinos are businesses, after all; they can't give away free money to just anyone who signs up!
Matched Deposit Bonus
Matched deposit bonuses are the most common bonus that you will be able to find at online casinos and are offered on virtually any site as their "welcome incentive for new players." A matched deposit bonus means that your own deposit will be copied by a percentage; matched deposit bonuses usually come in the form of a 100% match, but some online casinos have matched deposit bonuses with a rate of 200%, 300%, or even 400%. Let's take a look at what this means in practical terms:
If a casino offers a 100% matched deposit bonus up to €100, then this is an assurance that they will match the money you deposit, but up to a maximum of €100. So, if you deposited €40, the casino would deposit €40 into your account, giving you a total account balance of €80. If you deposited €60, the casino would deposit €60 into your account, giving you a total account balance of €120.
Reload Bonus
Reload bonuses are essentially the same thing as matched deposit bonuses, the only distinction being that these tend to be offered to casino existing customers, rather than first-time players. Reload bonuses tend to be in the form of a "50% matched deposit bonus," so if you deposit, for example, €20, the casino will add a further €10 to your account, giving you a total account value of €30. A lot of online casinos prefer to connect reload bonuses to weekend promotions, and therefore, they are typically given on weekends or on Monday to Friday evenings, as preplanned.
Bonus Codes
Bonus codes were much more popular when players accessed online casinos through downloadable desktop clients, but nowadays, bonus code offers for UK players are quite rare (though they are still quite common in US-centric online casinos). However, bonus code promotions do still exist, so we’ll cover them here.
Welcome Bonus Bonus Codes
On some, in your "cashier" area of your account you will see a blank field which you can fill in with a bonus code. Depending on what promotion you use this code under, filling this in may award your account a number of free spins, an amount of a bonus, or even trigger a matched deposit bonus. These do not appear as often in web casinos, though some of the larger sportsbooks will use them from time to time in their sportsbook divisions, so there is still some chance of seeing them.
Device-Specific Bonus
Device-specific promotions are among those that have gained popularity in the last couple of years and were designed for mobile device users. More frequently, such offers can be used only by those players who play from a mobile application or a series of mobile-optimized games. Such bonuses may be provided to all players using mobile devices or specifically with Android or iOS mobile phones.
High Roller Bonus
As the name suggests, high roller bonuses are for players who will be betting large amounts of money. High roller bonuses are typically for players who will probably be visiting the casino often. High roller bonuses are not typically significantly different from the bonuses we have discussed up to this point, but of course, they are much bigger in value.
They may also come with slightly better terms and conditions, as after all, the casino wants players to make constant deposits. High roller bonuses can extend beyond free spins and matched deposit bonuses; we’ve even seen some sites offer prizes like devices (phones and tablets) or even paid vacations for high-stakes players!
Loyalty and VIP Programs
With all the online casinos that exist today, many websites choose to have some form of loyalty scheme or VIP program. This is designed to get you gambling in the long term, and typically you'll be compensated when you accumulate certain points. Every casino is different when it comes to loyalty/VIP schemes; some will have pre-set schemes which give you rewards like free spins and reload bonuses after you've deposited/wagered a set amount, others simply state that when they class you as a VIP, one of their customer service team will contact you.
Cashback is a fairly popular one in which VIP players are rewarded, allowing you to recover a percentage of your total losses, either in cash (which can be withdrawn) or as bonus money.
If you do play regularly at an online casino, it's worth taking some time searching out a site with a sound loyalty scheme.
Casino Bonus Terms and Conditions
All online casinos attach terms and conditions to their bonuses, and we’ll take a look at some of the most common terms to be aware of when playing with bonus funds.
Wagering Requirements
Wagering conditions are placed on most online casino promotions nowadays, especially those presented to new customers. Wagering conditions are introduced by online casinos to limit their risk and protect themselves against "bonus abuse." In short, wagering conditions mean you need to "play" out a bonus some times before money may be withdrawn as cash.
Let's say that you have a 100% bonus of €100 with 10X wagering requirements. If you deposited €10, you would have a balance of €20: €10 real cash money and €10 in your bonus balance. For you to be able to withdraw the bonus balance of €10 (and any winnings that are attached to it), you first have to wager the bonus (€10) 10 times; therefore, in this scenario, you would have to wager €100.
You can find out more about how to search for the best wagering terms in our #best paying online casinos blog.
Game Exclusions and Restrictions
It's common practice for casinos to exclude or restrict the use of some games using bonus money. Usually, these are table games at casinos, where casino's margin is so insignificant that it would be out of their interest for them to allow bonus money to be used on these games. Most sites also exclude using some video slots with bonus money.
Good examples include the old classics Dead or Alive, The Wishmaster, and nearly all progressive jackpot games.
We should note, however, that essentially all games that involve some type of "collectible" mechanism won't be available with bonus money. Playing a claimed bonus, you will generally be able to view a full list of the prohibited games, although luckily, most online casinos now use software that will not permit you to place a bet on prohibited games.
Game Weighting
If you earn a bonus you can play with on casino table games, what you will most often find is that various table games have differing impacts on wagering requirements. For instance, games with the 50/50 chance to win (such as Baccarat and Blackjack) will in most cases contribute only 10% to the wagering conditions, so the 10X wagering bonus would have to be wagered 100X when playing the above-mentioned games.
Video slots normally count 100% towards the wagering requirements, but as always, do make sure you check the actual terms and conditions of the bonus so that you know how much your favorite game contributes towards the wagering requirements.
Maximum Bets
It is almost universal agreement that casino bonuses have maximum bet caps. This is to prevent players from joining and making a significant bet, anticipating to win and hence lose considerable amounts of money for the casino. While the precise "maximum bet" varies between casinos, most bonuses allow a maximum bet of around €5. Never stake more than the amount your bonus is worth, as this may lead to the bonus funds being nullified.
Payment Method Exclusions
Due to anti-fraud efforts, it's not a rare practice to exclude players who use Neteller and Skrill from new player welcome bonus packages. The reason for this goes back a long time ago, and these kinds of payment systems are harder for online casinos to verify, so most of them simply choose to exclude them altogether.
Conclusion
In summary, casino bonuses are a great way to boost your casino experience, with numerous rewards such as free spins, no deposit offers, and matched deposit offers. A familiarity with the various types of bonuses as well as their conditions is paramount in order to derive maximum benefit from them. An understanding of wagering requirements, exclusions, and limitations is also important since they can affect your capability to withdraw winnings.
Moreover, upon choosing a casino, game diversity, payment system, and authorization are also parameters to take into account. Carefully choose reputed and regulated casinos to ensure that you have a secure and fair experience. Be it an old or new user, by paying attention to the above factors, you will best be able to make use of the best online bonuses.