Advertising and marketing are a necessary evil of most businesses, but in the online casino world this can take on a whole life of its own.Since the inception of the industry, operators have been trying to entice players to register, deposit and play at their site.But how do they distinguish themselves from their competitors?
Land-based casinos have it much easier: although they have to work to drive you into the doors of their facility, they can do so with all kinds of different offers.You have probably seen many of them: from free dinners and concert tickets to overnight stays in the hotel, having a physical location does have its advantages.
In recent years, the introduction of social media has further expanded the marketing options for online casinos (along with pretty much every other business on the planet).However, the operators still don’t have many options when it comes to offers, so the most popular continue to be the casino bonus.
You have no doubt been bombarded by these offers: usually some crazy “too good to be true” offer of free money just for playing at one of these casinos.But did you know how many different types of bonuses there are, and that each one usually suits a differentkind of player?At Legit Casinos Online, we want you to get the most out of your deposits and play, so we have compiled a comprehensive list of the bonuses you are likely to encounter, and how to pick the one that is right for you.
Before we cover all the different types of bonuses you can find at an online casino, it is important to make sure you understand how these bonuses work.When you redeem for one of these offers, you are likely going to receive “bonus dollars” that look and feel like the rest of your balance, but in fact, need to be converted into cash before you can withdraw them.This is a safety measure put in place by the casino to ensure they are not taken advantage of by scammers.
How the casino protects itself is by implementing a “play through” or a wagering requirement on the bonus dollars.This is usually described in the Terms and Conditions of a promotion and can vary by casino and by bonus type.It is generally represented mathematically by the amount you need to wager,i.e., 30x the deposit and bonus.Let’s use that number in the following example:
Again, when you first lay eyes on a casino website, you may be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of offers staring you in the face.Let’s try to categorize what you will be looking at:
Right out of the gate, you should be looking for a casino that offers a No-Deposit Bonus.This can take several forms, such as Free Spins on a particular slot machine or perhaps an entry into a draw to win a prize.Often times, a casino will offer you a free chip to be used in any of their games.
Seems too good to be true, right?Well, hold on a second: there are usually a lot of terms and conditions attached to these types of bonuses.First off, many of these bonuses are attached to specific games; sometimes a site wants to promote those games, or perhaps they are focused on a particular type of clientele.Also, there is a chance that the wagering requirement is much higher for these bonuses – this is also not surprising as you are not making a deposit to qualify.Finally, there is usually a limit to how much money you can withdraw that is earned from these no-deposit bonuses.
Overall, despite all the restrictions, it is still worth your time to go through the registration process to receive these bonuses.It’s a great way to give the casino a try from real money, and you will likely get emails with offers specific to you after you play with the house’s chips.Considering the only thing you have to give up is your email address, it’s definitely worth it.
99% of all online casinos have a Welcome Bonus of some sort to entice you to make your first deposit.However, this is where the casinos usually get the most creative, so you will find all sorts of different variations of the Welcome Offer.Here are some examples:
This is when a casino gives you a match offer for your first deposit at the casino.It is usually a much higher percentage than other deposits you make at the casino (over 100% in many cases) but it is limited to your first deposit and usually, has a maximum amount that you can claim in bonus.
Some sites like to break up their initial deposit bonus over several deposits, giving you a chance to cash in several times for smaller amounts.This appeals to players who aren’t willing or able to make a massive first deposit to capitalize on the one-time bonus.Again, there are usually restrictions on these bonuses, so it is important that you read the fine print.Many sites only give you a certain number of days to make all the qualifying deposits while others require you to have a zero balance to qualify.
Sometimes, at the tail end of a Welcome Bonus, a casino will simply give you a free chip as a thank you for making andplaying your first (or several first) deposits.These chips tend to come with the same requirements as the no-deposit initial bonus, but they are still worth adding to your war chest as you try to come away a winner.
Match Bonuses are very common in the land-based industry, and many online casinos use the same tactic during their promotions.The Match Bonus is straightforward: you are offered a one-time chip to add to your bet when you are playing a game (usually a Table Game like Blackjack).There is a minimum you have to wager to receive the chip, and then the chip is in play only for that hand.Lose the hand, and the chip goes away, but if you win, the winnings from that chip (but not the chip wagered) are in your balance to be done with what you wish.Here’s an example of what we mean:
Once you are past the initial deposit stage, the majority of bonuses you will be offered are called Reload Bonuses.Now, they may take on all different kinds of names (Wacky Wednesday, Super Saturday, etc.) but rest assured that they are pointing to a deposit bonus.Reload Bonuses are typically set at a lower percentage than you will find in your Welcome Offer, however along with that come much less restrictive wagering requirements, making it more attractive even with thesmaller amount of bonus dollars being received.
Similar to the Multiple Deposit Welcome Package, some online casinos will reward the folks who make multiple deposits within a time period.In many cases, this is an add-on to the reload bonus you are already receiving.The time periods are set at between a week and a month and can offer you instant prizes like free spins or perhaps a draw to win a larger, more tangible prize.
Leaderboard Bonuses don’t necessarily reward deposit behavior, but instead, reward players who are playing a particular game.You will see these types of promotions sitting right next to all the deposit promotions; they have names like “King of the Hill” or something along those lines.These bonuses are given to players who earn the highest levels of the leaderboard for the particular game, with positions being determined by a set of rules prepared by the casino.The most common form of Leaderboard Bonus is one where players have to earn points playing a game for a week, then the top few positions on the leaderboard are given a special bonus for placing in the qualifying positions.
When you are someone who either plays a lot of for high stakes, you can very quickly rise to VIP status inside an online casino.When you are in a VIP program, you will benefit from many rewards that the site offers to keep you motivated to retain your VIP status.One of these perks is a higher deposit bonus that those who have not achieved VIP levels of play.These enhanced bonuses, typically a few percentage points higher than the standard bonuses, give you even more bonus dollars to play with, shifting the odds ever so slightly to your side as you try to turn them into real cash.
These bonuses are rarer due to the complexity of managing them, some casinos will offer you a bonus that isn’t digital.For example, we have seen a Happy Hour promotion where the top five point-earners within the time period receive a free pizza dinner.Now, the winners would receive a gift card code for those pizzas, but hey at least there is something tangible at the end of the day – free food!
These bonuses are not typically promoted on the websites of the online casinos; they are more commonly promoted via communication with individual players.You may find an email with a “Special Offer just for you” being dangled; this is the work of a CRM team who analyzes your play and prepares an offer meant to peak your interest based on the games you enjoy.Having instant access to your gameplay history means a casino can get these offers to you very quickly, ensuring that they strike while the iron is hot.So don’t just delete the emails you receive from a casino marketing department; you never know what offers lay inside.
The answer to this question really depends on many factors.Are you signing up for a casino for the first time?Are you planning to play for large sums of money?Do you want a bonus for a specific type of game?The questions are endless.
What really matters when it comes to casino bonuses is that you always go hunting for them before you do anything inside the casino lobby.Operators are alwayscompeting for your business, so the offers are changing on a regular basis.To ensure you get the very most out of your deposits and play, you should always be checking the promotions page of the lobby or the website for offers that work the best for you.
We all know that casinos have a house edge built in; why else would they be in business.While they can’t offer you a free buffet dinner online, then the very least they can do is offer you some extra chips to try to give you a better chance of being a winner!
