New players usually make the mistake of believing that online casino bonus offers are wads of free cash that can be taken home; but nothing can be farther than the truth.
In fact, online casino bonus offers are a casino’s way to attract new players, build a huge base of loyal players, and to keep players wagering at the casino. Online casinos, therefore, arrange things in such a way that players will not be able to withdraw their casino bonus offers till they meet certain wagering requirements.
This means that players must play through their casino bonus offer a certain number of times before being permitted to withdraw their winnings or casino bonus offer.
New players, therefore, should never register at an online casino or accept any gambling bonus offers till they have thoroughly understood the different types of casino bonus offers. The following is a brief list of different types of casino bonus offers.
Match Bonuses
Casinos commonly offer match bonuses on players’ initial deposits. For instance, if a casino offers a match bonus of 100 percent up to $100 and a player makes an initial deposit of $20, he/she will receive a bonus of $20, which will make a total of $40 in his/her online casino account.
Casinos can offer match bonuses not only on initial deposits, but also on subsequent deposits and on special occasions.
No Deposit Bonuses
Since online casino players tend to abuse no deposit bonuses, only a few casinos offer them. No deposit casino bonus offers are a casino’s way to attract new players because, unlike a match bonus, players do not need to make an initial deposit in order to claim a no deposit bonus.
The casino offers the no deposit bonus simply in exchange for registering a real money account at the site.
Banking Bonuses
Online casino bonus offers also include banking bonuses to encourage players to use a particular payment option. This is because online casinos usually find it difficult to process transactions made via credit cards.
They, therefore, encourage their customers to use alternative payment options such as PayPal or eWalletXpress or Neteller and actually offer banking bonuses to players who do so.
Refer-a-friend Bonuses
Refer-a-friend bonuses, one of the most attractive varieties of gambling bonus offers by casinos, actually reward players for encouraging their friends to register at the casino and make an initial deposit.
These bonuses are usually in the range of $10 – $100, depending on the casino. Some casinos offer a certain percentage of the friend’s initial deposit as a refer-a-friend bonus.
Free Time Bonuses
This variety of gambling bonus offers, being relatively new, can be found only in a few Microgaming online casinos. Players will be given a starting balance and a time limit within which they have to win as much as they can.
If players’ balance at the end of the time limit exceeds the starting balance, they can keep the excess. However, they need to make an initial deposit and satisfy the wagering requirements before being allowed to withdraw the excess amount.