Whether you’re creating a new account with a new online bookmaker or casino, it’s likely that you’ll be offered some kind of incentive for doing so. With bookmakers, these incentives are usually free bets, price boosts, double winnings or some other offer with value. With online casinos, new customers are generally offered some sort of bonus or free spins.
If you’re new to playing at online casinos, there are a few things to look out for regarding these bonuses and this article will explain what those are which should help you decide whether or not to accept the bonus upon registration.
Before Registering
There are hundreds of online casinos to choose from and so it’s a good idea not to just sign up to the first one you come across. It’s important to do your research first to ensure that the casino you’re planning to play at is trustworthy and reputable. There are many casino reviews online and online forums with comments from real players can help you determine whether or not a casino is worth creating an account with. Websites such as casino-bonus.me.uk list many of the casino bonuses available which will save you time searching for them manually.
The Welcome Offer
Once you are sure that a casino is trustworthy, one of the deciding factors in choosing between them is the welcome bonus offered to new customers. Welcome offers vary in type and size and have different terms which are applicable to the bonus. Just because a bonus is bigger than one which is offered at a different casino, it doesn’t mean that it is better or has more value.
Wagering Requirements
The main thing to look out for with casino bonuses are the wagering requirements. This is the number of times you are required to wager the bonus, or deposit + bonus before the bonus funds are converted to cash and available to withdraw.
For example, if a casino was offering a 100% deposit bonus up to £100 with a wagering requirement of x35 on the bonus, this means that you must wager £3,500 (35 x £100) before you can withdraw any of the bonus funds.
Sometimes wagering requirements are applied to the deposit as well as the bonus.
For example, if the offer was a 100% bonus up to £100 with a wagering requirement of x35 on the bonus + deposit, this means that you would have to wager £7,000 before the bonus funds are cleared ((£100 x 35)+(£100 x 35)).
Free spin offers can also come with wagering requirements. These are usually applicable to any winnings generated from using the free spins.
Winnings Caps
Another thing to look out for is winnings caps. This is the maximum amount you can win from using a bonus or free spins.
For example, if you hit a win of £1,000 when playing with a bonus but the winnings cap was £100, once you had met the wagering requirements, only £100 of the bonus would be converted to cash.
Types of wagers
When wagering your bonus, there are different types of wagering which may be applied. For example, when you start wagering, funds may be taken from your cash balance first, from your bonus balance or from a mixture of both (blended wagering).
This is important to determine before accepting the bonus as there is a greater risk of losing your cash deposit if wagering is taken from the cash balance first.
Claiming A Casino Bonus
Once you have decided on a casino bonus, it’s time to claim it. Casinos make give you the option of accepting the bonus or declining it so make sure that you claim it if you want to. This is usually done during the registration process but always read the terms of the bonus prior to registering to make sure you receive it without any issues.