From the moment you step through the digital doors of an online casino, welcome bonuses greet you with open arms, giving you a chance to boost your bankroll and explore the casino’s offerings.
As you delve deeper, in-game rewards keep the excitement rolling, showering you with free spins, bonus money, and loyalty points you can exchange for additional benefits.
But as exciting as this sounds, these promotions have special conditions attached. This article will explain why online casinos offer bonuses, how they work, and what to consider when accepting such special offers.
Welcome Bonuses for Newcomers
Imagine spinning the reels of a progressive jackpot slot, not with your own money, but with a stack of chips gifted by the house. That’s how almost all online casinos let you start your online gambling adventure.
Newly registered players usually receive a welcome promotion in the form of a match deposit bonus, free spins, or even a no-deposit bonus. Here is how they work:
- Match Deposit: The most popular type, where the casino matches a percentage of your first deposit(s), such as 100% up to $/€/£200.
- Free Spins: Some casinos add free spins to the welcome pack, letting you try a particular game without risking your money.
- No Deposit Bonus: Although rare, some online casinos offer free spins or cash with no deposit required. This lets you try out the platform without making a minimum deposit.
Why do gambling operators offer such generous welcome bonuses? The answer is simple: to attract new players and encourage them to try out the games.
The online gambling world is one of the most competitive industries worldwide, and hundreds of gambling firms fight for the same pool of players, so offering something “special” is key for online casinos to jump off the page and get noticed.
Claim the Prize, But Know the Rules
Welcome bonuses seem like a no-brainer, but before you click and accept, make sure you understand the strings attached.
At online casinos, offers such as welcome bonuses are always attached to what they call wagering requirements. These are conditions you must meet before you can withdraw your bonus winnings, and they can make a big difference to the promotion. Let’s dive in a little more.
Simply put, wagering requirements are the number of times you need to wager your bonus amount before it converts into real, withdrawable cash. For example, if a bonus has a 30x wagering requirement and you receive $/€/£100, you’d need to place bets totalling $/€/£3,000 ($/€/£100 x 30) to unlock your winnings.
While this might seem unfair initially, wagering requirements are there for a good reason. Imagine online casinos wouldn’t have these conditions, and instead, players could immediately cash out their bonus amounts. The operator would literally go bankrupt since they’d be effectively giving away free money.
However, there are still some things to watch out for:
- High wagering requirements: Some bonuses have sky-high requirements (50x or more), making it difficult to convert them into real money. Most Jumpman Gaming Casinos, for example, require players to wager their welcome bonus 65x, among the industry’s highest figures. They are, however, also one of the few online casinos where you can win up to 500 free spins.
- Game restrictions: Not all games contribute equally towards wagering requirements. While it might vary, a rule of thumb is that online slots typically contribute 100%, whereas table games can contribute as little as 10%.
- Time limits: Some bonuses even have time limits to meet the wagering requirements. These can be as little as 24 hours and up to 30 days.
As general advice, you should always read the terms and conditions carefully before claiming any bonus, whether a welcome offer or an in-game promotion. If you’re playing from the United Kingdom, online casinos must prominently display the significant terms, making it easier to understand the strings attached.
Decline Offers at Online Casinos
Many players don’t know that you can decline a welcome bonus when registering with an online casino. This makes sense when you are an experienced gambler who doesn’t want to try out a new website but instead directly go for the big win with your own money.
Ironically, declining an offer isn’t as straightforward as accepting it since most bonuses will get attached to your account automatically. In most cases, you must contact the casino’s customer support after creating your account and tell them to remove the welcome bonus from your account. You must do this before making your first deposit, as the bonus gets activated otherwise.
Be prepared that the customer service agent will try to convince you to take the bonus since it binds you closer to the platform. Stay firm and clarify that you have no interest in accepting the promotion, and you’re good to go.
