Learn About Casino Bonuses

Understanding the different types of bonuses is important, It's the most important way to make the most of your casino experience. We've looked at dozens of casinos, examined the bonuses they offer, and came up with a comprehensive guide to casino bonuses.

Start by Understanding Restrictions With Casino Bonuses

Before you deposit, it's smart to look at the bonuses and see what's available. You don't have to accept them, but many are worthwhile. Start by looking at the conditions and restrictions.

Pay close attention to playthrough and wagering requirements. What these mean is that you must meet these requirements before you'll be able to withdraw your winnings and/or claim another bonus. If it says 25 times your free cash and initial deposit, you need to deposit 25 times that initial amount. Say you deposited $20 and got $20 free. That's $40. Multiply the $40 by the playthrough requirement of 25x and you get $1,000. You must bet and/or deposit that $1,000 before you can withdraw your winnings.

Cashable Bonus – You'll run into a cashable bonus and a non-cashable sticky bonus package or single-time offer. Cashable is better. Once you meet the playthrough and/or wagering requirements on the bonus cash, you can start to withdraw your free cash.
Non-Cashable Sticky Bonus – With a non-cashable sticky bonus, you have to meet the playthrough and wagering requirements. You can never withdraw money the casino gave to you with a non-cashable bonus. After winning money, the playthrough and wagering requirements and sticky bonus amount are deducted. Anything left over is what you can claim as your own.
Max Cashout – You may run into max cashout bonuses. With these, there's going to be the playthrough and wagering requirements. You'll then get your bonus cash with restrictions on how much you can withdraw.

Bonuses for New Players

An exclusive welcome bonus is a bonus given to brand new players. You sign up at a casino and get gifts to thank you for joining. A casino's welcome bonus may be a one-time use or a package bonus. With a package bonus, you usually get deposit bonuses and possibly some free spins spread out over your first three, four, five, etc. deposits.

For example, you might find the package welcome bonus offering you a 100 percent match on your first deposit plus 20 free spins on a specific slot game. Your second and third deposits lower the deposit match to 50 percent and you get 20 free spins each time. Your fourth and fifth deposits each come with another 20 free spins and a deposit match of 150 percent. In the end, you get 100 free spins and deposit bonuses totaling 500 percent.

Bonuses for Returning Players

Returning players find a variety of bonuses for them. They may get an email offering them bonuses to try new games. These may come as a code for a no-deposit bonus or a specific number of free spins. There will be restrictions that must be followed in terms of cashing out winnings. Some may have rules that prohibit you from ever being able to withdraw any money you win on that new game.

Reload bonuses are also offered to returning players. These offers give you a deposit bonus when you reload your casino balance. You usually have to meet the minimum deposit amount and playthrough restrictions.

Bonuses for How You Play

How you play a casino's games is often important. Adults who download free casino software may be offered different bonus offers than mobile casino players. Players on mobile devices often receive an incentive no deposit bonuses for mobile players to get them to install the casino's app. Once they've tried the games, they may get a small matching deposit.

Do you head to a casino to play slot games and ignore the rest? Bonuses for slots will appeal to you. These bonuses might match a deposit or give you free spins, but you have to use them on video slots only. You cannot use the bonus towards video poker or table games. There are table games and video poker bonuses specific to those options.

Bonuses for Banking Methods

Just as important as how you play is how you make deposits. Casinos reward players who use specific banking methods.

Cryptocurrencies bonuses are set up for players who make a deposit using a cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin. In fact, most of these are going to be Bitcoin bonuses because Bitcoin is the most popular form of Cryptocurrency. You may find casinos that also offer cryptocurrencies bonuses for players using currencies like Monero, LiteCoin, Etherum, Dogecoin, and DigitalNote.

Some casinos only offer promotions when you make credit card deposits. This can make it harder to get free casino cash while using an alternative deposit method. You may find a casino that caters to you. Casinos may provide special offers like bonus cash when you use a prepaid gift card or Neteller and Skrill bonuses.

Bonuses for Special Days and Holidays

One of the most common bonuses players encounter is the anniversary bonus. You'll get an email with a bonus rewarding you for being a member for another year. It's a celebration of your anniversary with the online casino. You might also find the casino offering a promotion on their special anniversary. For example, on a 10th year in business, many casinos will give players freebies in celebration of the milestone.

Birthday bonuses also reward players. On your birthday, you'll get a bonus as a birthday present. It may be a deposit reward or free spins. You'll be sent the coupon code in your email that you can use on or around your birthday. These bonuses usually have an expiration date, so don't forget to use it before time runs out.

Holiday bonuses are always popular and make it easy to get free casino cash or free spins throughout the year. These seasonal casino bonus offers tend to hit a few weeks before a major holiday.

No Deposit Bonuses

No deposit bonuses give you a small amount of free casino money to try the casino's games. You don't have to make a deposit to claim this bonus. You do have to meet the playthrough and wagering requirements though.

Free Spins Bonuses

Free play bonus or a free spins bonus gives you free spins for specific slot games or any of the casino's video slots. Look to see which it is. Some free spins bonuses are only good for certain games, so you need to like that game. Others may give you a choice of a few slot games, but others will allow you to play any of the video slots available within the casino.

VIP and Loyalty Programs

The final bonus offer you'll find in casinos are for high rollers or VIP players. The amount you bet over a span of time often dictates how large these bonus offers are. Most casinos have different levels. New players start at the base level in the loyalty programs. The more they play and bet, the higher they climb. Top-level VIP players get the biggest reload bonuses and surprise bonuses.

Now that you have a better understanding into the rules and types of casino promotions, visit our recommended casinos and start looking at the offers. You're certain to find a casino promotion that's perfect for your needs.

Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Bonuses

Bitcoin is gaining ground as one of the best banking methods at online and mobile casinos. It's secure. You don't give the casino any bank account or credit/debit card information. Best of all, Bitcoin casinos often have special Bitcoin and cryptocurrency bonuses that are much larger than most welcome or reload bonuses.

If you've considered using Bitcoin to cash out winnings or make deposits, you need a Bitcoin wallet. Talk to your favorite casino if you need a recommendation.

Limited-Time Bonus Offers

Limited-time bonus offers dish up great rewards, but you can't postpone using them. They're only around for a few days, maybe one or two weeks, or at most a month or two. These are the bonuses that celebrate the arrival of a holiday, introduce a new casino game, or pay tribute to a casino's anniversary. They include free spins on a new slot, a month of Christmas gifts, or a gift on your birthday.

Daily, Weekly and Monthly Offers

A number of casinos have bonuses for every day of the week. Some focus on special weekly bonuses. Others, like SlotoCash, have a month-long calendar of bonus codes that is filled with a mix of daily, weekly, and monthly casino bonuses. Look for daily, weekly, and monthly offers on Facebook and other social media channels, the casino's promotion's page or blog/forums, or in emails the casino sends you.

Slots Bonuses

If slots are your preferred game, slots bonuses deliver exactly what you need. Deposit funds you plan to use to play slots for real money. Claim a slots bonuses and an extra percentage is added to your balance by the casino. You can only use that money towards slots, but you have extra cash for more time playing slots. Check the terms carefully. Some slots bonuses are only meant for a specific game.

Card and Table Games Bonuses

Some players prefer Baccarat, Blackjack, and Roulette. For those players, card and table games bonuses are ideal. Deposit funds using the payment method of your choice and enjoy a little extra that's added by the casino. You gain more money for your favorite card and table games.

Things You Must Pay Attention to When Scanning the Bonus Code Terms

Most people skip over the fine print. That's a mistake when you're claiming a casino bonus code. Make sure you scan and understand the bonus code terms. If you have questions, ask them before you claim the promotional offer.

One area where people often miss out is that some bonus codes are not allowed to be claimed by players from certain countries. If the casino states players from “x” are not allowed to claim the no deposit bonus without first having made a deposit, you cannot claim it. If the casino allows you to anyway, you could find your account is closed down.

Don't stack no deposit bonuses. Most casinos make it clear in the fine print that if you claim a no deposit or cashback bonus, you must follow up by making a deposit before you claim another one. You may be allowed to use a deposit bonus, but you need to check that carefully. If not, you could find that new deposit is frozen until you've met the terms of the prior bonus.

Make sure you understand that some games only count towards a percentage of your wagering requirements. Specialty games (Keno and scratch cards) and slots usually count 100%. Card games, table games, and video poker many only count for a fraction of the wagering requirement. In some casinos, Craps won't count at all. You'll end up having to play those games more to make the requirement.