Online Casinos have boomed over the last two years, with a big thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems strange that the industry would be thankful for a virus that has killed thousands of people around the world, but due to the lockdowns put in place, it actually benefited parts of the gambling industry. That’s because many traditional casinos and other betting establishments were forced to shut as public places became restricted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Due to that, people began looking for new ways to get their fix. And Online Casinos were one of the answers. Because not only did they allow people to carry on with their activities by being able to play games such as Blackjack and Poker online, they also offered an opportunity for people to socialize. That was all thanks to living casino games which took place with a real dealer, just like you’d have at a traditional casino, and quite often you could chat with the dealer and other players at the table. It wasn’t quite the same, but it was enough to fill the gap until lockdowns lifted.
Due to these new opportunities, we were almost plagued with offers from Online Casinos to try and draw in new customers. There were so many types of different bonuses and offers around, it was almost difficult to identify which were good ones, which were bad, and sometimes, people struggled to understand what some of them even meant. So, we’ve put together this handy little guide of the types of bonuses you can find, and quite often, how they work to educate you the next time you spot one.
Matched Deposits
One of the most common gambling bonuses you’ll see pop up in adverts is a sportsbook deposit bonus, but Online Casinos also offer this too. The way it works is that whichever company you use, will match your deposit up to a certain amount. So say you put in $100, they’ll match it and give you another $100 to play with. However, if you’re thinking of joining just to withdraw that money right away and bag yourself a few quick pennies, you’d be wrong.
A matched deposit usually comes with certain conditions. There are the typical limits they put in place, so they’ll only match you up to a certain amount. Then there are the turnover requirements, which essentially mean you have to place bets with that money in order to withdraw it. Now, these requirements can vary, some make you wager the whole amount before you can withdraw any winnings, others will force you to wager it a certain amount of times.
Fortunately, most legitimate Online Casinos will allow you to use bonus funds first before your own deposited money. So you can take a chance to see if you can win anything and then withdraw your original deposit amount with any additional profits. And if you don’t win anything, you can always still withdraw your original deposit anyway, so you get a chance to place bets without any real risk.
Free Bets and Games
Now, these can come in many forms. You could be offered free bets, whether that be on Blackjack or Roulette, or free entry into a Poker tournament that will offer cash prizes. But alternatively, you may be offered free games, these are usually minigames offered on Online Casinos such as spins on slot machines, free scratchards that can offer prizes, or other mini-games like cash versions of Deal or No Deal or Top Trumps.
With free bets, they are just that, free. If you win with them, you get to keep your winnings, if you lose, well, it hasn’t cost you anything. But there are sometimes some minor catches, the first being that any winnings are usually minus the initial stake the free bet or game was for. So if you were given a $10 free bet on Roulette and you put it all on a specific number which would give you odds of 36-1, you’d win $360, but you wouldn’t get that $10 stake back. But you probably won’t care if you pull off that feat.
The good thing is, if you’re a loyal customer, the Online Casino will not stop with one free bet to draw you in. Instead, they tend to keep offering you free bets now and again to encourage you to stay. Sometimes they can be triggered by not betting for a while, so they try to tempt you back, and on other occasions, they just give it to you to celebrate special events.
No Deposit Bonus
These are the best kind of bonuses you’ll find, and they kind of combine both of the above. Like a matched deposit bonus, they have similar restrictions such as wager requirements. But it’s not just a case of free credit in your account, it can also be things such as free spins on slot games. And because you don’t have to put anything in, there is no risk. Just sign-up, then play with whatever freebies you get.
One common restriction is though, that if you get free spins for example, then you will only get them on the lowest payout. Or in terms of placing bets on Roulette, you will have to bet on something with minimum odds, which has a lower chance of coming in. That’s not to say you won’t win though.
There is normally an added bonus here too, where you may get additional bonuses when you do deposit. So they draw you in with the freebies, and then when you get a taste for the games, they say, “actually if you deposit a few funds, we’ll give you more freebies”. Still, it’s a good way of doubling up on the bonuses. And like we say, is very low risk as initially, you don’t have to put anything in at all.
Final Words
And there you have it, just a few of the more common bonuses you’ll tend to find and their restrictions. There are plenty more out there, but they’re usually a variation of those we’ve mentioned above. But the best thing is, there is nothing restricting you from taking advantage of bonuses from all the different sites to take advantage of them. Just remember, if you don’t have the money to lose, don’t go blowing large amounts. And when the fun stops, stop!