Choosing your online casino bonuses isn’t all that difficult if you know the process and what you should be looking for. But it can be tough to navigate if you’re new to the scene, with huge dollar signs flashing in your face trying to entice you. What’s a good deal and what’s going to be impossible to pay out?
Which casinos have the best bonuses and how can you track them? We know all the ins and outs after staying and playing around the web and digging deep into all the terms and conditions. That’s why we’re covering all the bases in this article to give you the know-how to spot a good deal. Read on for all the insider info.
A Licensed Casino
Before you even think about picking an online casino bonus, you will want to examine the casino itself and whether it’s legitimate, established, and licensed. Online casinos can be licensed in various jurisdictions throughout the world, it doesn’t necessarily have to be established in your own country or state. It simply needs to serve players from your country or state.
Plenty of online casinos are registered in places like Malta and Curacao, where it is easier to establish a casino brand. There are still checks and balances in place from the licensing body. Do make sure to check that the casino is really registered where it says it is – this should be fairly straightforward.
Do you want to Spend Money?
This might seem like a pretty funny question to ask when we’re talking about real money online casinos. Don’t you have to put money down to bet? While this is a condition of play for many online casino bonuses it is not all of them. Some casinos offer no deposit bonuses, where you don’t have to deposit any money to get the bonus. That means that you will have to think about managing your budget for gambling.
Usually, the bonus will be free spins on a given slot machine or a certain amount of real money to play with. You will still need to verify your account before cashing out. According to NoDepositHero, the reason exclusive no deposit bonuses are so high in demand is that they tend to be bigger and offer more value than standard bonuses.
New Player Bonuses
The best bonuses usually are for new players at a casino. Usually, a casino will have a number of new player bonuses to choose from, be it free spins, a match bonus, or multiple match bonuses. Do be aware that you only get to choose one new player bonus once! This means that if you’ve played at a casino before, or at one of the brands under the main casino name, you will be ineligible for these new player bonuses.
This does mean signing up to a number of casinos if you want to get the best new player bonuses. If a certain casino’s new player bonus isn’t all that attractive at the moment, sometimes it can pay to wait until they release a new promotion.
The Available Games
Most online casino bonuses are limited in the games you are allowed to play while using them. As mentioned before, with free slot machine spins it’s usually on a specific title only. For other bonuses, such as match bonuses where a casino matches the dollar amount that you deposit, you might have a range of games you can play.
This will include slot machine titles, or maybe all their slots, plus may include table games. You will usually not be able to use the bonus on games where skill is a component such as blackjack or poker. If skill-based games are available to play with the bonus, it is typically a small amount of the bonus, such as 5%.
The Play-Through Conditions
The play-through conditions (or wagering requirements, playthrough requirements) are typically attached to online casino bonuses. These are the conditions that you must meet before you are able to cash out your winnings earned on that given bonus.
For example, if you receive a $500 match bonus that has a 20x wagering requirement attached, you will need to bet $10,000 ($500 times 20) on the games available under the terms of the bonus. Larger wagering requirements usually mean that it is almost impossible to cash out on a bonus. Recently, some casinos have moved to offer bonuses with no wagering requirements. However, these bonuses are usually not as enticing as others.
Examining the RTP
The RTP of a game is the Return to Player percentage and is gauged out of 100. An RTP of 100% would mean that there would be zero house edge. A healthy RTP is 96% or higher. Beware of games that offer lower than 92% RTP as this means that the house will have an 8% edge overall.
You need to also be aware that casinos can change the RTP of their slot machines from time to time, so if you were playing at a new slot that had a 96% RTP, it might go down to 92% after the title has been released for three months and players have had a taste of the game.
You can find the RTP of various games by hunting around in the terms and conditions of the casino or by checking in with their online help function, usually accessible via 24/7 chat.
Spreadsheets to the rescue!
We know it’s not exactly the most exciting task, but the best way to evaluate casino bonuses is to create your own comparison spreadsheet so that you can track what’s available, the casino itself, each bonus, the terms, whether you have played there or not, and whether they offer deals to returning players. By running down your list, you’ll find the options that stand out. Make sure to date your list and then keep it up to date if you want to continue seeking out the best bonuses on offer.
