What are casino bonuses?
Online casino bonus offers are freebies added to players' gambling accounts. The idea behind them is to boost players' bankrolls, giving them more funds to play games (and potentially win) with.
Such offers can be given at different times throughout your gambling adventure, but the first (and often most lucrative) is normally a welcome bonus for new players signing up. After this, some online casinos offer daily, weekly and monthly promotions.
Bonuses come in many different shapes and sizes, which we will explain more in the next section. As a start, these are two main categories to know the difference of:
- Deposit bonuses: Bonuses that can be claimed only while/after funding your casino account with a specified amount or more.
- No deposit bonuses: Bonuses that can be claimed for free, without any real money deposit requirements first.
Types of online casino bonus offers
When you check the promotions section of the best online casinos, you will likely find different types of bonuses to claim. Some bonuses are exclusive to new players only, while others are for all players. They might be called different names depending on which casino you are playing at, but some of the most typical ones include the following.
Welcome bonuses
A casino welcome bonus, also called a sign-up bonus or registration bonus, can only be claimed by newly registered players. As the name suggests, online casinos offer this bonus to welcome new players on their platforms and help them kickstart their gambling experience.
To entice players to sign up, welcome bonuses are often quite lucrative. They can for example give a combination of free spins and additional funds (match bonus), or an incentive such as cashback on losses from your first deposit. Some casinos also offer a few different welcome bonuses that players can choose from.
A welcome bonus can be seen more as a general category, as the actual freebie given can differ a lot. Some casinos offer this first bonus completely for free as a no deposit bonus simply from registering an account. While it is possible to find such no deposit welcome bonuses, it is more common that the bonus is linked to a player's first deposit(s).
Free spins
This is a typical online casino bonus that lets you play free rounds on an online slot without wagering your own money. While this might sound like free play in demo mode, there is an important difference. Even though you won't be wagering your own money, you are wagering real funds given by the casino, and therefore stand the chance to win real money.
For instance, if you claim a bonus with 50 free spins or 100 free spins, you can play 50 or 100 spins on the applicable slots without paying for them. Each free spin will have a set value as specified by the online casino offering it and can result in correlating wins. And if you do end up winning anything from the spins, those winnings will be added to your balance.
Just note that even though the winnings will be yours and real, they normally come with a wagering requirement (explained further down). This means that you won't be able to cash out the winnings as real money right away.
Match bonuses
A match bonus is another typical casino bonus that can be given to both new and seasoned players. With such a bonus, you won't get spins but rather additional funds added to your account. These bonus funds are typically given as a percentage of the amount you deposit, "matching" your amount.
A typical example of this is a 100% match bonus, which means that the casino will match your full deposit amount and you will end up having double. It is important to note though that there is usually a cap on the maximum bonus amount available.
For instance, an online casino can offer a 100% match bonus of up to €500. This means that a deposit of €200 will give €200 in bonus funds and €400 to play for in total. If you deposit €500 or more, you will only get a maximum of €500 in return.
A 100% match is most common for welcome bonuses, but you might also see bonuses that offer a 50% match or less, or alternatively a higher match such as 200%. The important numbers to consider are the match percentage and the maximum cap, so that you can calculate how much your deposit will result in.
Cashback bonuses
You can think of a cashback bonus as a compensation-kind-of bonus. It is offered as a percentage of the losses players have accrued over a set duration. In other words, you will get some of your losses back. Some casinos give the money back as non-withdrawable bonus funds that can only be used to play more, while others add them as real money that can be withdrawn.
The cashback deal might be for a specific deposit only, for example in the case of a welcome bonus on your first deposit. Some casinos also offer weekly or monthly cashback deals as an incentive for players to keep playing.
Like match bonuses, there will be a set cashback percentage and a cap on the possible bonus amount. For example, you may find a weekly cashback bonus of 10% up to €50. This means that if you lose €500 or more in a week, you can get €50 in cashback for another shot at winning. A €50 loss would result in a €5 cashback, and so on.
VIP offers
Many online casino promotions are available for all players to claim (as long as the specified terms are met). But some casinos also offer exclusive bonuses to specific players, often in the form of VIP deals for the most active players. This means that if you are a high roller that meets a certain threshold on your spendings, you might be offered such exclusive deals.
VIP offers can be a lot of different things. Some casinos offer additional bonuses that can be claimed once a month or at random times. Others offer the same bonuses for VIPs as for "regular" players, but with better terms for the VIPs. As an example, VIP players might get a higher cap on a deposit bonus.
In addition to classic bonus types as described above, VIPs might sometimes also get unique gifts such as all-expenses paid trips, tournament buy-ins, watches etc. How you can get such bonuses will depend on which casino you play at, but generally, you need to deposit and play for large amounts of money.
If you are keen on learning more about casino bonuses, explore our guide to casino bonuses to learn how they work and what to expect.
Important bonus terms and conditions to consider
No matter which bonus you choose, there will always be some terms and conditions attached. These can be seen as the instructions that outline how to claim the bonus and potential winnings.
Such terms should always be clearly stated and it is important to read them carefully so you know what you are accepting. But the wording used might be a bit confusing, especially as a new player. Here are some of the most common bonus terms and conditions you might come across.
Minimum deposit
For deposit bonuses, there is normally a requirement of the minimum amount you will need to deposit in order to claim the bonus. This can be seen as the starting "price" of the bonus. If the minimum deposit requirement is €20 and you only deposit €10, the deposit won't be eligible.
Bonus code
Some casinos require players to input specific bonus codes in order to claim a bonus. This can be seen as a coupon code that is used to activate the bonus. Normally this code needs to be added when you sign up or make your deposit, but sometimes you are required to send it to customer support.
Wagering requirements
This represents the number of times you must wager a bonus to keep the winnings made from it. The wagering requirement can be for the deposit amount, bonus amount and/or win amount. As an example "Wagering requirement: 65x bonus" means that the bonus amount given has to be wagered 65 times before any winnings can be withdrawn.
Other terms
In addition to main terms described above, some other typical rules you might see outlined include the following:
- Game restrictions: Some bonuses are restricted to a few games only, for example with free spins that are given on a specific slot. If you play any other games, the bonus won't be active.
- Country restrictions: Not every bonus is available to every player. Some bonuses may be limited to only players in a particular region.
- Max bet: This is the maximum amount you can wager at once when using bonus funds.
- Max win: Many online casinos have a specified maximum amount you can win when playing with bonus funds.
- Validity period: This represents the duration a bonus is valid for. Once the duration is over, the bonus expires (and any winnings from it are normally lost).
What makes the best casino bonuses?
While two bonuses might seem similar at first glance, they can be completely different depending on the terms attached. This means that while some bonuses can be considered a good choice to claim, others might not. If you want to claim top casino bonuses, there are some important factors to consider.
First of all, do not be drawn in (and blinded) by the bonus amount only. While big bonus amounts can seem tempting at first, they may not be worth it. As an example, a 100% match up to €5,000 is no use if you are planning to deposit only €50. You should therefore consider your budget and find a bonus that fits your planned deposit.
Secondly, you should always take your time to read through the terms and conditions applicable to the bonus. This will give you a better picture of what to expect in terms of wagering requirements, validity period etc. Based on this, you can figure out if it is a good deal or not.
An online casino can offer a massive bonus of up to €5,000 but require that you wager the deposit + bonus amount 99 times to keep the winnings. Fulfilling such a wagering requirement will require a lot of spendings. Then it is better to go for a smaller bonus of 100% up to €200 "only", that comes with a wagering requirement of 20 times your bonus.
How to find a good casino with bonus
At BonusFocus.com, we feature top online casinos that offer the best bonuses and promotions. We have a casino and bonus rating system that considers factors like the bonus's size, applicable terms and conditions, and fairness of the casino offering the bonuses. This helps us spot the best online casino promotions so that you can enjoy a great gambling experience with our help.
On this page and in our other guides, you can find the best and newest bonuses categorized into deposit bonuses and no deposit bonuses. In other words, we cover it all. If you are keen on choosing the best online casino bonus offers, make sure you make use of our top lists and filters to find the best bonus casino for you.
We know that all players have different preferences when it comes to bonuses and casinos, which is why we offer a selection of recommendations. Based on our expertise and strict rating system, the casinos are all carefully vetted and we make sure to read all the fine print. No matter which option you go for, you can rest assured that we have done our due diligence.
FAQs
.png?timestamp=1710320410000&imageDataId=792742&null){kind=avatar}
Anita is a full-time content writer from Norway, living in sunny Spain. She holds a Journalism BA honours degree from the University of Roehampton and has been working with online content for more than a decade. For the last few years, she has specialised in online gambling, creating content for casino-related websites. From this work, she has acquired an expert understanding of online casinos and betting sites. Her aim is that she can share her knowledge with casino players looking for information that is objective, honest and easy to understand.
