Bonuses
You may have noticed the enormous casino bonuses offers all over the web. They all have different names and different terms. Can it really be that casinos are giving away money for free? It depends on how you look at it. The casinos give away money so that you will have a go at their casino. Everywhere are all these impressive bonuses stated as percentages, Dollars or Euros, but what do they really mean? And can you profit from it? You can read about the different casino terms below. But first an example: A casino offers you $400 if you deposit $600, which brings your funds to a total of $1000. $1000 is to be considered a decent amount to play with, but when can you withdraw your money? In this example you can withdraw when you have played or betted/risked $15000, which amounts to 15 times the total initial bankroll. Please remember that all bonuses always include similar playthrough requirements. These requirements must be met before you may withdraw your funds. This is one of the most important factors to becoming a successful casino player online.
Playthrough/Wager requirements
The idea is that the player has to bet/risk the bonus money a certain amount of times to be able to withdraw the funds. A big question is if this requirement is only for the bonus funds or if it applies to the whole bankroll – it makes a big difference.
Bankroll playthrough
This requirement refers to your bonus including your deposit. You total bankroll must be betted/risked a number of certain times before you may withdraw your funds (perhaps 20 times). If you deposit $200 and the casino gives you another $200, your total bankroll will be $400. Before you may withdraw your funds you have to bet/risk $8000 ($400×20).
Bonus playthrough
Here, the requirement only applies to the bonus the casino added to your bankroll. Using the same numbers as in the example above, the casino would have added $200 to your bankroll. To be able to withdraw you have to bet/risk $4000 ($200×20).
What games are included?
It is important to check what games are excluded in the requirements. Some games may not be accepted in the requirements. If you prefer to play Black Jack and haven’t checked – it might be the case that Black jack is not accepted and therefore you can play for $6000, with you playthrough still being at zero. Be careful, because this means you can’t withdraw your money.
No Deposit Bonus (N.D.B)
Many casinos give away money completely free, without an initial deposit. Naturally, they want you to start to like playing and continue playing with your own money. The idea is to offer an easy introduction for people to play with real money and to get a feel for the casino and its different games. When you sign up you will receive a small amount ($10 – $35) of money on to your casino account. There will always be some requirements with a “no deposit bonus”. You will most probably have to playthrough the bonus a number of times before you can withdraw your funds. There might be a maximum amount that you are allowed to withdraw when using N.D.B. Another often occurring restriction is the fact that for you to be able to withdraw your funds, you might have to make a deposit when redeeming a N.D.B. offer.
Matching Deposit Bonus (M.D.B.)
No matter the name, whether it is sign up bonus or welcome bonus, the principle is always the same. When you deposit money in to your casino account the casino gives you money to increase your bankroll. This is a bonus you receive when you deposit money into the casino account. What is relevant is what percentage you receive and what requirements or limitations you have to adhere to when you play. 100% bonus means that if you deposit $200, the casino will give you another $200 (total bankroll: $400). If you were to receive a 200% bonus the same would have amounted in a total bankroll of $600. These bonuses usually vary from 20% to 250%. The casinos normally restrict the maximum amount to be paid out by stating validity only up to a certain amount, e.g. 100% matching bonus up to $500. Please note that these bonuses also come with sometimes extensive playthrough requirements, so read the terms and conditions carefully.
Loyalty Bonus
All bonus after the first welcome/sign up bonus falls under this category. Rewards can be rewarded for regular visits or when a certain status in the casino has been achieved. It often is the high rollers that receive these kinds of bonus offers. The amounts and types of bonuses vary from one online casino to another, and sometimes these bonuses don’t have any playthrough requirements. To be able to withdraw these bonuses the player usually has to perform some kind of reciprocate. One specific type of loyalty bonus is the monthly bonus that many casinos offer. Instead of, or in combination with, offering high welcome bonuses, all players receive a matching bonus on their first deposit every month.
Sticky Bonus
This bonus is meant to ensure that when you win, you will still leave money in the account. Sticky means that the bonus amount you received never leaves the account and it stays – even when you withdraw your winnings. This might be good for a player for three reasons. You will have more money to play for, you increase the chance of winning a jackpot and you have higher withdrawing percentage when you win big. Many online casinos are very generous with their sticky bonuses, and sometimes offer more than $400.
Tips
Before you decide to play with real money, make sure you are aware of the risks and know a fair lot about wagering, game limitations and all the different requirements. Many of the online casinos offer better odds and payouts than the land-based casinos, but please keep in my mind that you, as a customer, must feel comfortable with the requirements included in a bonus. If you don’t feel at ease with the requirements at one casino, try the next one, or deposit money without claiming any bonus.
