A Cheat-Sheet Casino Bonus Guide for Beginners

By  //  November 13, 2023

As a first-time casino gamer, you are probably astounded by the plethora of bonuses you can claim at online casinos. From luxurious welcome bonus rewards to cashback promotions, the online casino world is filled with great incentives.

But let’s be honest, some offers sound a little too confusing. So, to help you understand exactly what you’re getting from the online promotions you accept, we created this to-the-point guide. Let’s make you a casino bonus pro!

How To Get an Online Casino Bonus

First things first, let’s answer how and why you are getting a bonus in the first place. Online bonuses are typically freebies that you can claim once or several times (depending on the T&Cs). The majority of online casinos award you for completing particular tasks on their website. The following are the most common reasons you can receive a bonus:

  1. Opening an account as a first-timer at an internet casino.
  2. Adding cash into your online casino account.
  3. Betting real money on casino games.

Before you can use your bonus, online casinos make sure you meet these requirements. It’s an incentive to keep players coming back to the casino. It also creates a welcoming atmosphere. 

If you are wondering where to find a fresh rotation of promotions or play the demo Gates of Olympus, among other of your favorite slots, make sure to check the Gates-of-Olympus.app platform. And keep one thing in mind – always trust only reputable websites and legitimate casinos. The hard-working professionals behind these services sift out the best bonus offers while you are enjoying your time!

The Best Online Casino Bonuses Explained

Sometimes, you’ll find that a casino offers several promotions for newly registered members. You then need to choose one promotion from their list. To help you better understand these offers and how they work, we have listed the different types of casino bonuses below, alongside their explanations:

No Deposit Bonus

No deposit bonuses are the top casino bonuses for many gamblers. They’re what it says on the tin – no deposit required! All you need to do is sign up at the specified casino, and voilà! The offer is all yours to claim. You will typically receive free spins attached to these offers and on specific online casino games.

No deposit bonuses are great because you can explore a casino and its games without sharing your bank details with the casino. Nevertheless, you should carefully review the Terms and Conditions of each offer you accept because there may be wagering requirements that you must be aware of.

Deposit Bonus

In order to receive a deposit bonus, you must fund your online casino account. It usually comes with a minimum deposit that you must meet. If you fail to pay the minimum deposit, you can still play at the casino, but you won’t be eligible for a bonus. 

Sadly, if something goes wrong with your registration and you miss some important information, say the amount of the minimum deposit, you won’t get a second chance to reclaim it. That’s why we will remind you again – always read your T&Cs!

Free Spins Bonuses

You can use free spin bonuses on slots, so if you have a favourite that you want to keep playing, this is a gold mine for you. Players might find free spins awards for other game genres. For example, Wheel of Fortune, which is technically a live casino game, also involves spinning. 

Additionally, you might get all the specified free spins in one whole bundle or distributed over the course of a few days. Free spins are a terrific method to sample new slots and find one you want to play for a longer period of time.

Deposit Match Bonus

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The most popular type of deposit bonus is the deposit match offer. For example, a casino might offer:

100% Deposit Match up to €200 + 100 Free Spins

This means the casino will match whatever you deposit the first time by 100%. Therefore, it will give you the same money in bonus credits up to €200. If you decide to deposit an amount over that sum, the casino won’t be able to deliver. 

You also get free spins on top, which is excellent. Surprisingly, this is the most common type of casino bonus you’ll find! That’s because it asks you to comply with all three actions we listed above: you need to sign up to claim it, you need to pay a minimum first deposit, and you’ll have to bet real cash on the games.

What Should Players Pay Attention to?

This all sounds pretty incredible, but is there something players should be mindful of? Well, yes. Keep in mind casinos are businesses. Therefore, giving away stuff for free really isn’t lucrative for them. That’s why most casino bonus offers come with specific terms. Here are the most important caveats to consider:

Wagering Requirements (WR)

Your free spins winnings and bonus credit winnings might be subject to wagering requirements. Until you complete these, you will receive withdrawal requests voids. WRs typically mean you need to wager your deposit several times before you can withdraw any cash you won made with the bonus bets. This might be 25 times your initial deposit, or it might reach 40. So if you made a deposit of €10, you’ll need to bet 10 x 25 = €250 before you can withdraw your wins.

Wagering Weight

Furthermore, wagering contributions vary. So you might bet €1 on a game, but only €0.50 counts towards the wagering contribution. That is because some games have a bigger wagering weight than others. If you get free spins, then you will likely need to wager on slots. If you get a deposit match, you might need to wager on table games. It’s all written in your T&Cs in small print, but it’s there!

Bonuses Expire

Bonuses aren’t forever. If you claim a free spins bonus and win a nice bit of money, you need to get working on those wagering requirements straight away. Otherwise, you might not have enough time to complete them, and you might lose your wins. 

Most offers expire after 30 days but you should double-check just in case. And yes, even spins expire if you don’t use them up! So, if you register at a casino and completely forget to use your bonus, it might not be there when you’re back.

Summary

Bonuses can be a fun way to join a casino and get a nice incentive for free. There are many bonuses to choose from, and depending on your preferred gameplay, you might like one over the other. The best way to find out is to give them all a try! We hope this guide has been helpful, and we wish you the best of luck!