A Beginner’s Guide to Online Casino Bonuses and Promotions

Common Casino Bonuses and Promotions 

There are many different types of casino bonuses available, and sometimes you will also find the same bonus offered under different names. Here you can find an explanation of each of them. 

Welcome Bonus 

A welcome bonus is something offered by a casino to attract new players. They can actually come in many different forms and may offer you extra money, free spins for popular slots, chips to use at table games, and more. You can find detailed explanations of all these types of bonuses below. 

First Deposit Bonuses 

This is a bonus given when you make a first deposit at a casino. You may see something such as 100% up to $100 offered. This means that the casino will match your deposit up to the specified amount. With this example if you deposit $100 then the casino will give you an additional $100 to play with. You may also see offers such as 50% up to $100, 80% up to $500, and so on. 

Reload Bonuses  

These are exactly the same as deposit bonuses and they are offered on every deposit that you make at a casino after your first.  Normally they are not as large as first deposit bonuses, but they are an excellent way of keeping your bankroll topped up. 

Free Spins Bonuses 

These bonuses give you the chance to play slots without having to risk your own money. A casino may offer you a number of free spins when you make a deposit or as a reward for something else. Sometimes the spins may be tied to specific games and at other times, you may be free to use them on any game that you wish.  

No Deposit Bonuses 

This form of bonus is quite rare, but always worth taking advantage of. A casino may offer you money just for creating an account. In other words, it will give you funds to start playing with before you have made a deposit of your own. 

Cashback Bonuses 

This is a bonus where the casino offers you a refund of some of your losses. For instance, you may be offered 25% of your losses back from the previous week of play or 25% of your losses back if you fail to win in a given period.  

Loyalty Bonuses 

Many casinos, including here at mr.play Casino, offer players rewards for being loyal. Players collect points as they play and the more points a player accumulates, the higher their loyalty level. This can unlock a whole host of rewards such as extra free spins, birthday gifts, regular cash back, invitations to exclusive promotions or live events, personalised offers, deposit bonuses, and far more.  

Comp Points 

This is similar to the loyalty bonuses described above. The loyalty points, also known as complimentary or comp points, are collected as you play, for instance you may receive 1 point for every $10 bet. You can then convert these points back into cash to play with at the casino. The conversion rate will depend on your loyalty level.  

Tournaments 

These are promotions rather than bonuses, but they still offer the chance of rewards. Very often, there are slots leaderboard tournaments taking place. This means that you have to play the qualifying games during the promotional period and you will earn points based upon the amount you bet on them. At the end of the tournament, the players with the most points win cash or other prizes. Sometimes you may find tournaments where you are competing to land the biggest possible win adjusted for bet size, and these can also be hugely enjoyable.  

Bonus Terms and Conditions Explained 

Before you accept a bonus, it is essential that you first read the terms and conditions attached to it. If you don’t you may find yourself in a position where you can’t access your winnings as you have not fulfilled the required criteria. The terms and conditions may look a bit daunting and technical at first, but normally they are based on the same few basic principles.  

The first thing that you have to understand is watering requirements, also known as play through requirements. Wagering requirements are the casino’s way of ensuring that you can’t simply accept bonus money and then withdraw it. In other words, bonus money is not free money.  

A wagering requirement states that you have to make a certain number of bets before you can withdraw the bonus money or money you win from the bonus money. It is usually expressed as a multiple, such as 30x. For example, if you receive a bonus of $50 that comes with a wagering requirement of 30x, it means that you have to wager the bonus money thirty times before you can make a withdrawal. This means that you have to make a total of $1,500 worth of bets.  

This may sound like you have to bet a fortune for a relatively small amount of money. However, you can use winnings from the bonus money to fulfil wagering requirements. This means that if you go on to win $2,000 playing a game, you can use that money and not have to deposit any more in order to meet the requirements.  

There is another aspect of wagering requirements that you have to be aware of. Not all games will contribute equally to fulfilling the requirements. For example, slots will usually contribute 100%, which means that all of the money you bet on slots goes towards fulfilling the wagering requirements. However, games such as Blackjack may only contribute 10%, which means that from every $1 you bet on Blackjack, only $0.10 goes towards fulfilling the requirements. This is simply because Blackjack gives you a far better chance of winning than slots do, so the casino adjusts accordingly. When you look at a bonus’ terms and conditions, you will normally find a list of games and their contributions. For example, in the mr.play bonus policy it states: 

“Bets placed on all versions of the following games will not count towards your wagering requirements: All Video Poker games, All Roulette games, All Quick Play games, All Blackjack games, All Rush games, Hi Lo Fever, All Baccarat games, 3 Card Poker, Blood Suckers, European Roulette, Football Studio, Jackpot 6000, Keno, Big Bang, Blood Suckers, The Wish Master, Dead or Alive, Lucky Angler, Jack Hammer 2, Cloud Quest, Tower Quest, Pearls of India, Treasure Island, Mega Moolah. If the player placed bets on any of the games mentioned above before the wagering requirements for the bonus have been met, we reserve the right to withhold any amount in excess of a player’s original deposit from a player’s withdrawal.” 

There may also be a cap on how much you can win from bonus money and there may also be a timeframe in which you have to use the bonus and meet the wagering requirements. This is why it is important to check the terms and conditions carefully. 

The finally thing you have to be aware of is bonus abuse. There are various forms of it, some of which are obvious, such as creating multiple accounts in the hope of claiming multiple bonuses.  However, sometimes a player may not be aware that they are committing bonus abuse. For instance, a player may be tempted to place very large bets using the bonus money in the hope of hitting some big wins. As such, it is common to find maximum bets imposed on bonus money. For example, in the mr.play bonus policy it states, “If the player placed single bets equal to or greater than €4 or €0.50 per line, or 15 percent of the bonus amount before the wagering requirements for the bonus have been met, we reserve the right to withhold any amount in excess of the player’s original deposit from a player’s withdrawal.” 

To Conclude 

Casino bonuses are a great way to get a bit more from your time at the casino. They can give you more money to play with, help reduce your losses, give you the chance to try games for free and more. It is not true that bonuses are traps designed to steal your money, but they do come with terms and conditions that you need to be aware of. Next time you see a bonus offer be sure to take the time to consider it properly and you will likely discover that it offers great value for money.