The online casino system has grown tremendously in the last decade or so that it has been in existence – to a point where it is almost surpassing the brick and mortar casino system of the fore. Indeed, though hard statistics are hard to come by, chances are that at this point in time, there are more regular casino players who play on online casinos than there are playing in the traditional brick and mortar casinos. Comparing in terms of playing volumes (amounts of money deposited and lto bet winnings earned), online casinos are also likely to win over brick and mortar casinos hands down.
The way the online casino bonuses work is such that for every amount of ‘playing money’ money one deposits into the online casino, the casino -or the ‘house’ as the casino is known in these circles – tops up with a certain amount. This way, a person who deposits $100 into the casino, for instance, might find the ‘house’ topping their $100 deposit with another $20, so that thanks to the online casino bonuses system, such a person gets to play as much as they would have played had they deposited $120 into the casino, for playing purposes.
Every online casino that offers a bonus typically does so under its own well thought out system, so that we end up with a situation where ‘all online casino deposits are not equal. ‘ Indeed, examining the various bonuses that online casinos offer, we might end up with a situation where armed with a scoring criteria, we can rank the various online casino bonuses from the ‘mediocre’ to the ‘ordinary’ and onto the best casino bonuses.
For the most part, the best casino bonuses tend to be stated in percentages (like where the ‘house’ offers to top up every amount deposited into the casino account with a fixed percentage of it, say 5 or 10 percent). Of course, there are some online casinos that state their bonuses in fixed dollar amounts (like where for every $100 deposited, they top up with $10), and these too, can turn out to be great in some cases.
Most online casinos that offer bonuses typically put a limit to the amounts onto which they pay the bonuses, so that – for instance, for every $100 deposited, the ‘house’ tops up with 10%, but only up to a maximum of $100. Now with regard to these limits, the best casino bonuses will tend to be those that apply to the greatest amounts of money, so that even if you deposit a huge amount of money, you can still be in a position to enjoy the bonus. The opposite of these, of course, are the severely limited online casino bonuses, which apply only for modest deposits, where every deposit above such and such an amount is not subject to the bonus.
A welcome bonus is generally offered by most, if not all, online casinos to new players who sign up and make their first deposit at the casino. The welcome bonus is the sum of all the possible match bonuses you can accumulate as a new player at the casino over a specific period of time, or within your first X deposits, or a mix of the two; so if a casino advertises a $3000 welcome bonus, it’s actually the maximum you can get with the 1st deposit bonus, second deposit bonus, monthly bonus etc, where if you deposit the maximum amount of each match bonus, you can reach the advertised welcome bonus. If you deposit less than needed for the maximum bonus in each stage, you won’t reach the amount advertised in the welcome bonus. So, in fact, the welcome bonus advertised is the MAXIMIUM amount you can claim in bonus money during your first period of playing at the casino.
A No deposit bonus is pretty self-explanatory. It’s a bonus you receive from an online casino which will enable you to play real money games without having to make a deposit. This is a great tool for online casinos to acquire new players as it lets them try out the casino without having to make a deposit. In some countries it helps solve the “trust” issue casino players have with online casinos. Many players who feel comfortable depositing and playing at one online casino will be wary when trying out another one they’ve never played at. Other players don’t want to make a deposit without trying out the software and games so a no deposit bonus can definitely help here. Some online casinos give no deposit bonuses as part of their standard offering and others steer well away from such bonuses as they claim that they tend to attract the wrong type of players, i. e. players who have no intention of playing for real money in the first place and that it just puts a strain on the support team with no actual outcome. I think that the truth is probably somewhere in the middle and that people claim no deposit bonuses for different reasons.
Sticky/Play only bonuses are bonuses which you cannot withdraw from your account. If you get lucky and win and request a withdrawal, the bonus amount you received will be deducted off your winnings. Let’s say you claimed a $50 sticky bonus and got lucky bringing your account balance to $500. Now you would like to withdraw your winnings and go celebrate with friends. The online casino will only allow you to withdraw $550 from your players account and $50, which is the sticky bonus amount, will be void. Play only bonuses are usually larger than match bonuses and the wagering requirements lower.
Payment method bonus: This is something that was initially common at Playtech powered casinos and has spread to many others as well over the years. Besides depositing at an online casino with your credit or debit card, there are many electronic options most of which offer instant fund transfers without the associated hassle and high fees. Many of these alternative payment methods, as they are widely called, offer their services to people without a credit check and you can transfer money from your bank account discreetly. Some are even pre-paid cards you can buy at a kiosk. Just for using these alternative payment methods you can receive an extra 10-15% bonus on every deposit you make in addition to any other bonus you claim. Be sure to check the cashier section before you sign up to an online casino you’ve never played at as this can definitely be to your advantage.