Online casinos are a very popular form of online entertainment at the moment. Especially since the restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic which saw physical casinos closed due to lockdown restrictions put in place around the globe. Whilst they may not have the same atmosphere or generate the same buzz due to a lack of physical social interaction, there has been a massive increase in the number of new customers these businesses have received.
Being a new customer can be daunting though, with so many different online casinos available to join. Which one do you go with? Who is the best? There are so many questions to be answered. One feature that does draw a lot of people in though is bonuses. There are a wide variety of different kinds, and each one can have their own benefits and restrictions. So to help you out, we’re going to go through a couple of the most popular types of bonuses you can expect to see.
Free Bets
You may have actually experienced this in a physical casino, as when you first sign up to join, you’re normally given a welcome pack that will contain a free bet to place on a game of Blackjack or Roulette. But Free Bets can also be found at websites like Betonline as a welcome bonus.
These basically allow you the opportunity to place a bet, without any risk. If you win, it’s free money, if you lose, then it hasn’t cost you anything. It’s a situation where you feel like you can’t lose. But the reality is not all that great in complete honesty, because whatever the value of the free bet, the house usually keeps. So you only win the extra on top of that.
Not a lot of places disclose this upfront either, so you can quite often end up not winning as much as you thought you might have. Still, if it doesn’t cost you anything anyway, it’s nothing lost. And over time, you may find that some Online Casinos will offer you these types of free bets on a regular basis. Especially if you haven’t been on their website for some time.
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Free Spins
Another similar bonus to the one above is you may be offered free spins on a certain game. Many will even offer up to 100 free spins, possibly connected to how much you deposit with them. Although there are some online casinos that will give you free spins without the need to place a deposit with them.
Now, like the free bet, you’re not guaranteed to win. But you are more likely to win something off the free spins because you have 100 chances. As opposed to the single-chance you may get with a free bet. In this sense, it seems a much better option.
But where they tend to catch you out here is that they make you play on the minimum stake for your free spins. This means your winnings will be the bare minimum offered. If you were playing normally, you can increase your stake in order to return more money if your slots come in. Here though, you will be more likely to pick up a few pennies rather than hitting any jackpots. But still, it’s a free taster at the end of the day and gives you an idea of how games work, with a chance of winning something.
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Matched D eposit
The third most popular bonus is a matched deposit. This is where the online casino will match your deposit up to a certain value with bonus funds. These funds will usually be used up first, and may have a wagering requirement with them. This means that you will potentially have to gamble the bonus amount say 40 times its value before being allowed to withdraw any winnings.
Some places will be more lenient, and may not even have any wagering requirements. Others will adopt stupid ones requesting you wager 2000 times the amount they’ve funded your account. And whilst it’s not impossible to do, it is highly unlikely. Once you run out of your bonus, if you don’t manage to win anything, you’ll then start using your actual funds, at which point, you’re then free to withdraw any winnings immediately.
Conclusion
These are clearly just a few of the more popular bonuses available, and how they would usually work. Whilst many only appear as a welcome bonus for new customers, some online casinos will offer similar offers to loyal existing customers too. So when looking at which one to choose if you’re thinking of wagering some money online, look at reviews for those with the best rated customer experience, because whilst a one-off bonus is nice when you join, you’d be better sticking with those who reward existing customers just as much.