How Do Casino Bonuses Work?

A casino bonus is an offer that online casinos give to players to lure them into registering and depositing money for the first time, or play more games at the casino.
Bonuses vary greatly, and some are a lot more rewarding than others. Common examples include free spins, which you can use on online slots, and bonus money that you can use on most casino games. To claim bonuses, you need first to deposit money into your account. However, casinos don’t give free money out of their good heart. There are always requirements and limits that you should check before claiming a welcome offer.

If you want to know exactly what you should look for before claiming a bonus, keep reading this article. Here, we give you a general look into how casino bonuses work, limitations and requirements you should pay attention to, and the types of bonuses you can claim.

Wagering Requirements

Wagering requirements are the number of times you have to play through your deposit and bonus before you can withdraw your winnings.
For example, let’s say you are given £30 casino bonus with a 10x wagering requirement. It means that you will need to spend ten times your bonus amount (£300) on casino games before you can withdraw your bonus funds and winnings.

What can be considered as a reasonable wagering requirement? In the example above, 10x would be an extremely favourable wagering requirement. However, what we have identified as the industry standard is between 30x-40x wagering. If you are required to wager 40x, that is not going to be very convenient, so try to find casinos that offer low wagering requirements.

Types of Bonus

Casinos can deliver bonus money in a few different ways: 

Bonus money, or bonus cash, is free credit you can use to play casino games. Even though you don’t pay for the bonus money, you can still win real money when using it. 

Welcome bonus, also known as sign up bonus. This is usually offered to new players by almost every casino. You can even find and compare the best online casino welcome offers on our casino guide.

No deposit bonus, don’t require players to deposit any money to retrieve the bonus funds.

Free spins are usually available for online slots. These can be offered on specific slots or on any slot games available on the casino page.

Cashback bonuses refund a percentage of player’s losses in real cash.

Claiming Casino Bonus

To claim a casino bonus, you’ll need to look out for a variety of things, but firstly you will need to set up an account. The bonus offer will have some requirements that you’ll have to meet. Once you’ve met these requirements, you’ll qualify for the bonus, which will be credited onto your account.

The steps you need to take depend on the casino you’re at and the bonus you’re claiming. For instance, welcome bonuses require you to set up a new account and make a minimum deposit of at least £10.

Terms and Conditions

Before claiming any casino offer, you must look through the full T&Cs. Bonuses nearly always come with some limitations or restrictions. For example, most casinos require you to play through your bonus money a minimum number of times, also known as the wagering requirement, before you can cash out.

Remember to look out for the aspects outlined in this article, and if you want to play at any casino, make sure you check reviews and licences to make sure the casino is safe and reputable, before depositing any of your money.