Although there are different types of online casino bonuses such as No Deposit Bonuses, Welcome Bonuses, High-Roller Bonuses and Reload Bonuses, what they have in common is that they all come with a set of detailed Terms and Conditions, that dictate how they can be claimed, how many times they must be played through and the maximum amount of bonus winnings that can be cashed out. For this reason, it is always advisable to thoroughly read through the Terms and Conditions of each and every online casino bonus offer before you claim it.
What are Online Casino Bonuses?
These are bonuses offered by online casinos to new and existing players as a way to boost or bolster their playing funds. While No Deposit Bonuses don't require you to make a deposit before you can claim and play with them, Welcome, High-Roller and Reload Bonuses offers do require that you to make an initial deposit or deposits once you have signed up for a real money online casino account.
Typically, percentage-based casino online bonuses allow you to 'match' your initial deposit(s) by a specified percent up to a maximum defined amount. For example, a 100% Welcome Bonus up to $250 free means you can double your playing funds up to $500. A High Roller bonus, which is also typically aimed at new or first-time depositors, is similar to a regular Welcome Bonus, only for much bigger amounts. Deposit $2,000 to receive $1,000 free is an example of a High Roller Bonus offer. A Reload Bonus is the same as a welcome bonus except that it's available to existing players instead of just first-time depositors.
Even though their percentages, maximum amounts and target markets differ, each of these online casino bonuses has Terms and Conditions which you'll find listed somewhere on the online casino that is offering them. It is very important that you read through and comprehend these Terms and Conditions in order to avoid any disagreements or misunderstandings regarding your bonus winnings and payouts.
Casino Bonus Terms and Conditions
The most important thing to understand about online casino bonus funds is that you have to play them through a per-determined number of times before you can cash them out, and even then you will likely be restricted in how much you can cash out. Considering that bonuses are essentially free money gifted to you by online casinos as a 'reward' for signing up, depositing and playing, it is unsurprising that each has a multitude of T&C;, such as:
- You can only claim one bonus offer at a time from any given online casino
- You can be the only person that can claims a bonus from your PC or IP address
- You may be restricted from claiming a bonus based on the country you live in
- You must deposit the minimum specified amount or above to claim a bonus
- The online casino can alter its bonus Terms and Conditions without any notice
- You must meet the minimum wagering amount which varies from 5 to 40 times
- If a bonus offer expires, your bonus winnings and/or balance will be forfeited
- Different games contribute different percentages to the wagering requirements
By carefully reading the Terms and Conditions of every casino online bonus offer you come across, you'll be able to discern the best ones as per your requirements. For instance, if you think a bonus has too-high wagering requirements, we would advise that you simply seek out one with a lower a play-through limit. Or if you are an unhappy with the maximum amount you may cash out from a bonus offer, choose one with a higher cash out limit.
What are Wagering Requirements?
This is the minimum number of times an online casino requires you to wager or play-through your bonus amount before it will allow you to cash out any winnings you may have generated. For instance, if a particular online casino bonus Terms and Conditions specifies a wagering requirement of 30 times, and you claimed $250 in free casino bonus cash, you will be required to play-through that amount to the value of $7,500.
It is important to note that wagering requirements differ from casino game to game. For instance, at some online casinos you'll be permitted to meet 100% of your wagering requiring if you play video slots, but only 75% if you play classic slots, 10% if you play table games and live games, and 5% if you play video poker. This means to meet your bonus play-through requirements, you may have to play a range of different games.
Known as Game Eligibility, this is when certain online casino games are better suited to bonus offers than others. For instance, video slots are your best option if you want meet your wagering requirements as quickly and painlessly as possible, while video poker is your worst option because only 5% of your bonus wagering requirement can be met playing video slots, which means you'll be forced to switch to another game.
Knowledge is King
You need to understand that when it comes to their bonus offers, online casinos are very strict and will uphold any and all violations to their respective Terms and Conditions. For this reason, the onus is on you to be as knowledgeable as possible on online casino bonuses in general, and each individual bonus in particular. This way you'll never find yourself at odds with your chosen online casinos with regards to their bonus offers.
When it comes these bonuses, knowledge truly is king. You'll always find bonus Terms and Conditions in their entirety published on an online casino, so you can never accuse them of hiding information from you. You do, however, have to seek out this information, but your won't be disappointed if you do. If, however, you are still unclear on bonus T&Cs;, you can always contact your casino's 24/7 customer support for clarification.