Online Casino Bonus – Ultimate Guide
When it comes to playing online for real money, the bigger online casino bonus does not necessarily means better casino. You will find that some of the best online casinos offer the smallest bonuses. This is because they also offer the best rollover requirements. When you play at online casino in Canada, or anywhere else, you check out the bonus terms and conditions. This is where you will find all requirements and what is expected of you as a player to receive the free bonus funds they are offering.
Types of Bonuses at Online Casinos
The world of online gambling can be incredibly lucrative for both the casino and the gambler. This is what makes it so appealing to the online gambler. However, it can become a confusing and daunting task for a beginner to understand all the types of bonuses and promotions that they can take advantage of. Itâs important to understand so you can compete with a larger bankroll than you already have.
So, letâs go over the different types of online casino bonuses and promotions that you may run into in your gambling adventures.
Welcome Bonus
A beginner to the online gambling world or a player new to a website will almost always find this type of promotion online. Theyâre designed to help a new customer feel welcomed with a little bit of extra cash in your pocket.
They can come in the form of free spins, cash, drawings, and more. Itâs almost always a good idea to take advantage of these to their fullest extent because itâs a one-time deal for new clients.
One of the most common types of welcome bonuses is the deposit or âmatchâ bonus.
Deposit (Match) Bonus
The deposit, or match bonus, typically comes in the form of a welcome bonus for new customers to an online gambling website.
These offers are free money in your virtual pocket, delivered instantly by the online casino. The online casino will typically match a percentage of the first deposit up to a certain dollar amount.
So, for example, casino may offer a deposit bonus of 100% up to $500. This means that if you deposit $100, theyâll match it and your bankroll will now be a total of $200.
However, itâs important to remember that these bonuses often come as a welcome bonus and are only given for a new customer. If youâre looking to get the most bang for your buck, it can be extremely helpful to deposit the maximum amount the casino will match to.
Not all online casinos offer a match of 100%, it maybe 50% or 75%.
You should also know that these bonuses arenât ever able to be withdrawn. If they could, online casinos would be bled dry from those receiving their bonus and then instantly withdrawing it. However, your winnings made from the match bonuses can be withdrawn.
If youâre an avid gambler, this can mean a lot of extra winnings in your pocket if you use the extra bankroll well.
Those are most juicy 100% deposit-match bonuses you may be interested in:
No Deposit Bonus
No deposit bonuses are great for those who donât have a large bankroll, to begin with. If youâve received a match bonus of 100% up to $1000, it may be beneficial to wait until you have $1000 to invest to receive the most from your match bonus.
The online casino Canada no deposit bonus can help you get there. These bonuses are typically quite small, $20 or less most of the time. But, they help get you started. You also canât cash them out, but you can play with the money given and collect winnings.
Most frequent type of this bonus is free signup bonus with no deposit required â you just proceed with registration and voila! â you got free spins to play.
Online casino with free bonus without deposit:
- 888 Casino gives you C$88 for free on sign-up to play some slots and table games, no deposit needed of course.
- 777 Casino offers to join and get 77 free spins to play their most popular games with no deposit needed.
Free Spins and Bets
Free spins refer to a free slot spin. You might find this attached to a welcome bonus when you first sign up or see it as a standalone online casino bonus. Either way, theyâre fun and can rake you in some serious dough if youâre lucky.
Usually, these spins are only for a specific slot machine game, but they may be able to choose the one you like in some cases. They also may have wagering requirements and must be redeemed within a specific time frame. The offer will tell you when before you accept it.
Here are online casinos that have free signup bonus with no deposit required:
- LeoVegas gives 22 free spins on Book of Dead after registration.
- Royal Panda awards you with 10 free spins as a new player on signup, they can only be redeemed on Starburst or Starburst Touch.
- Fun Casino offers you to register for 11 fee spins on: Book of Aztec, Lightning Hot or Admiral Nelson.
Free bets are a bonus that allows you to place a bet, in part or in full, up to the total value of the free bet youâve received from the casino. These can be great to help keep your competitive when your bankroll is becoming low.
Payment Method/Banking Bonus
The payment method bonus, or banking bonus, offered by some online casinos can help you earn an additional percentage on top of a match bonus or other bonus.
For example, a casino may offer an increase of 20% on your match bonus if you use a specific payment method to fund your account. Youâll need to go through the extra steps of setting up that payment method, but the bonus can provide a generous boost to an already large match bonus.
Cashback
A cashback bonus from a casino is a promotion that will help keep you on a constant rebound if youâve just recently gone a losing streak.
The online casino will often give you points for every dollar youâve wagered on a game. After youâve collected a certain amount of points, you can exchange those for cashback. This will help you recoup some losses youâve had and keep you playing competitively for a longer.
Itâs free money that youâve already lost and it helps you stay in the game for longer. Itâs typically a win-win scenario all around.
Refer-a-friend Casino Bonus
The refer-a-friend promotion is exactly what it sounds like â a bonus for referring someone else to the online casino. They want a constant stream of new customers to keep their base of players large. And, you can get rewarded for helping them do that.
These are fairly common promotions youâll see with most online casinos. The way it works is that the casino will give you money for giving them clients. This may come in the form of a flat dollar amount but it could also be a percentage of the referred friendâs first deposit. Itâll depend on the casino and what their promotion states.
If you want some extra money in your virtual bankroll, this is an easy way to get there. Plus, gambling can be much like drinking â itâs more fun if youâre doing it with a friend!
VIP/Loyalty Programs
VIP, or loyalty, programs are typically the second biggest generator of cash for you in regards to bonuses and promotions. The top spot is typically taken by the welcome bonuses offered. However, these programs shouldnât be ignored.
These programs can be extremely different depending on the online casino, but theyâre usually always a great program with many offerings for those who qualify. Check out VIP programs of the best online casinos for Canada:
Some of these programs can be as simple as offering points on every dollar you wager, and some can be as luxurious as providing you with one on one service, free payouts, and more.
The most luxurious VIP programs will have multiple tiers for their program. Typically, points you earn can be used for cash back, but they can also be saved to âlevel upâ your VIP tier.
The more points youâve collected, the higher the tier. The higher the tier, the better benefits youâll be provided. If youâre an avid gambler, it can be worth it to stack your points to stack your benefits.
Here is a list of some of the perks you may receive from a VIP program:
- Birthday gifts/bonuses
- Free spins and payouts
- Higher table stakes
- Earn points faster
- Better cashback rates (fewer points are needed to get more cashback)
- Higher deposit limits
- And more!
Itâs worth to take an in-depth look into what the online casino youâre using offers. These perks are known to wildly vary between casinos so one may have more incentive to save points on than another.
Bonus Terms & Conditions
If you thought that all these bonuses and promotions come without a cost, quit reading now because youâre about to have a bad time. All of these bonuses and promotions will have terms and conditions that must be met for you to take advantage of them.
For example, a common condition is that once a bonus code has been redeemed, players must meet the playthrough requirements before being able to redeem the code again. For example, if you receive a $200 match bonus, you might need to play a total of $5,000 before being offered that bonus again.
You should also note that the terms and conditions applied can be found in two places â the bonus itself and the general terms and conditions for that online casino. Itâs important to fully understand both of these to know what applies to you. Be wary, some online casinos will attempt to bury their terms and conditions and make them difficult to find. Donât fret, theyâre out there.
Canadians should also take special note of the terms and conditions of online casinos. Canada prohibits online gaming from an establishment that isnât owned or licensed by a provincial government, so be careful where youâre putting your money at if youâre a Canadian.
Itâs not illegal to play the website, but it is illegal for the website to operate if theyâre not operated or licensed by a provincial government. Itâs best to put your money in safer hands.
Canadians will also need to note which withdrawal and deposit options they can use as not all online casinos will allow a Canadian bank account to be used. However, some will.
Alternative options include using e-wallets such as PayPal, or Bitcoin or wire transfers. Itâs a pain in the butt to go through the extra steps, but most websites offer many options for online payments and some will even give you extra percentages on your bonuses and promotions for using their preferred banking/payment methods.
What are Wagering Requirements?
The wagering requirement is the number of times a player must play the online casino bonus money before being allowed to make a cash withdrawal. This prevents a bleed effect from the casino and such requirements are found in every online casino.
The wagering requirement itself will vary from casino to casino, so itâs important to be up to date on the terms and conditions of each one. If you donât meet the requirement, youâll never be able to withdraw your bonus money.
You can easily calculate the wagering requirements of a bonus using simple math skills. For example, letâs say you deposited $100 with a 75% match with a wagering requirement of 3x. To find the wagering requirement, use this formula: $75 (the casino bonus) x 3 (wagering requirement) = $150.
This means that youâll have to wager a total of $150 to be able to withdraw your money.
Some online casinos may also require you to include your deposit into the wagering requirement as well. So, in the example above, you would multiply $100+$75 by 3 to get a total of $525 required to be wagered to make a withdrawal.
Wagering requirements arenât difficult to understand and casinos are legally obligated to make these requirements more visible than in the past so players can fully understand all requirements that may prevent them from making a withdrawal.
Always remember to do your due diligence in finding and understanding all wagering requirements. If youâre having trouble finding them, make sure you search the terms and conditions page or speak to someone with the casinoâs customer support. Itâs imperative that you know what youâre getting, especially when your money is involved.