All you need to know about Casino Welcome Bonuses
CasinoTopRank Staff / September 2, 2018
There are a lot of different kinds of casino bonus but what you need to know is that bonuses are free money or extra money that online casinos give you to play on their slots/sites. Some are there to tempt you to join or deposit money with them, some are given to get you to continue playing and some are offered to get you to come back and play but are they really free?
And how do you know which one is the right one for you?
We will answer these questions a bit further down in this article but first let’s go through the three main types of bonuses top ranked casinos offer and hopefully you will discover which bonus is best for you and suits your style of play.
Types of casino bonus
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A Deposit Bonus
The best way casinos can attract you to play with them is to offer a Deposit Bonus also commonly called a welcome bonus ( to make you deposit your own money and become a real money player ) or sign up bonus
The normal type of deposit bonus or ‘’classic’’ bonus is a 100% match say up to €300 which means if you deposit €50 they will give you €50 of their money to play with. So you have €100 in total when you first begin but there is a big difference between your own money and their virtual money (bonus money) which comes with a few restrictions.
But to continue with this type of bonus, the maximum you get on this 100% match type is €300. So if you deposit €300 you will get the full amount advertised of €300 in bonus money from the casino. So you will have €600 to play with, double your own money! Just to be clear, if you deposit €350 you will still only get €300 in bonus money because €300 was the maximum amount offered in this particular bonus type (100% up to €300).
There are variations, if the percentage changes (150% or 200%) you deposit less to get the amount offered. If the amount changes (up to €500 or even €2000) that means you can deposit more and take advantage of their generosity.
But if it looks too good to be true it usually is. Read the Terms of the Bonus before you decide which one to take. There are restrictions on which games you can play with the bonus money, when you can cash out any winnings and even the maximum amount you can stake per spin but a good Deposit bonus will lengthen the time you can enjoy playing then just using your own money
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A No Deposit Bonus
This is the free type of bonus that lets you play at a casino with their money only. It could be cash or it could be in free spins, either way both are ok for testing an online casino. You do not have to deposit your own money to get this and is commonly called a sign up bonus.
It allows you to try out the casino before you decide to deposit your own money but you do have to register, give your name and address and any winnings from this offer will not be allowed to be cashed out just like that! There are strings attached and it would be best to read the terms and conditions of this offer BEFORE you play with their money. If the terms are not visible or are too confusing then don’t waste your time, there are a lot of other online casinos offering bonuses so just move onto those that make it clear what you have to do if you take one of their bonuses. All top ranked casinos will make it clear
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A Free Spins Match Bonus
This is a new kind of welcome bonus and it’s usually associated with no wagering casinos. It uses the well-known match bonus formula but instead of cash it gives free spins. So for example, get 100% up to 50 free spins which means if you deposit €10 you get 10 free spins on a particular slot game. If you see this type of offer it usually means the casino has moved away from the norm and doesn’t want to impose heavy terms and conditions that usually follow with a bonus amount ( e.g. 100% up to €100) . Although the free spins are still worth real money they have no wagering attached so they keep the offer lower (e.g. up to 50 free super spins worth €1 euro each) and by avoiding harsh and difficult wagering terms to meet to get the usual bonus paid out it’s a far better customer experience and minus all the traps and hassles you can face when trying to clear a standard bonus amount. If you are not fussed about having a big bonus to clear go for one of these, they are a lot cleaner and no obstacles and traps put in your way. A good example is www.playOJO.com who work with this type of offer and we know many players love this approach.