There’s no doubt that the allure of playing at today’s magnificent online casinos is the tremendous casino game lineup. Of course, the premier slot lineup takes all the headlines and justifiably so.
However, another important feature is the tremendous slate of bonuses available for new and established members. While many bonuses come off as free, but are they really?
This article highlights the important things to consider with casino member bonuses.
What Are Casino Member Bonuses?
Thanks to massive bumps in technology, today’s casino bonuses are more abundant and generous than others. When playing online, these are the most common casino bonuses you will find:
- Welcome bonuses: This is the standard for brand new members. As soon as the account clears, once the member makes the minimum first deposit, a certain amount of bonus funds comes into their accounts.
- Instant credits: As a growing alternative to welcome bonuses, many online casinos now give brand new members a certain amount of credits, usually up to $100.
- Free spins: By far, the free spins casino bonuses are the most abundant at most only casinos. Depending on the bonus, it might work with a certain portfolio of slots or even all.
- Cashback bonuses: To keep members inspired to keep playing, the top sites give a generous amount back to their members. Usually, between 5% to 10%, cashback bonuses are partial refunds of previous losses.
- Reload bonuses: Similar to the deposit bonuses, reload bonuses are a way to reward current members with a generous percentage of their daily or weekly deposits.
Also adding to the mix of the casino bonuses are social casinos. The hallmark of social casino bonuses is that you don’t have to pay any money to play their games.
Are Casino Bonuses Really Free?
For social casinos, yes. New members get an awesome no-deposit bonus loaded with several gold and sweepstakes coins while keeping their wallets closed. Also, the daily login bonus and social media contests are all free when playing at sweepstakes casinos. For those who want to advance through the social VIP Club or unlock exclusive games, social casinos give members the option to purchase gold coins.
Terms and Conditions for Casino Bonuses
While on the surface, many of the real money casino bonuses might come off as free, but when you go under the hood, you see there is more than meets the eye. These are the main considerations:
- Wagering requirements: All casino bonuses have a playthrough requirement. The average requirement is between 5x and 15x. This represents how many times you have to gamble the bonus money before you can cash it out. As you can see, if the requirements approach or exceed 30x, the bonus itself really isn’t worth it.
- Maximum Cash Out: Assuming you’ve met the requirements, most bonuses have a maximum cash out. In many cases, it is not as big as you think it is, even though the wagering requirements were excessive.
- Qualifying Games: Unfortunately, most casino bonuses only work with certain types or categories of games. Most casino bonuses almost never work with progressive jackpot games.
Another thing to consider is the expiration date for these casino bonuses. In other words, you lose them if you don’t use them. Rollover requirements are other things to consider when considering casino bonuses.
Final Thoughts
Unless you are playing at a social casino, there are hidden costs to using the casino bonuses. The trade-off is the type of bonus and the playthrough requirements associated with them. For this reason, free spins are the most popular.
