Why getting a bonus requires reading the terms and conditions first

Online casinos try to entice new players in with different types of welcome bonuses - from free spins to attract the slots players, to deposit matches that add a nice sum onto whatever a player deposits. But with every single casino bonus out there, there come terms and conditions.

These terms and conditions that come attached to welcome bonuses can be confusing to new players and catch them out when they want to withdraw any winnings they’ve earned from the bonus they claimed.

We’re going to break down the terms of the welcome bonuses that online casinos offer and see exactly what they mean - so you can make sure you choose the right one for you.

The different types of casino welcome bonuses

Whilst there are plenty of different types of bonuses up for grabs, the types you’ll see offered at most online casinos include:

Match deposit bonuses

With these, the casino operator will match whatever you deposit by a certain percentage, up to a certain amount. Whilst many match deposit bonuses will have similar T&Cs, it's worth looking at things such as the minimum deposit amount as this can vary wildly.

Free spins

Often bundled in with another type of deposit bonus, casinos will sometimes offer hundreds of free spins for certain games. With these free spins, the games that you can use the free spins on may be limited and the casino may dish out the free spins over a few days to a week.

Free cash

This will straight up add a certain, usually small, amount of cash to your account. The wagering requirements for withdrawing your funds with this style of bonus will be higher than usual and you will probably find your game selection a bit limited. Finding free cash bonuses can be few and far between as they typically don't offer as much benefit to the operators in comparison to other promos. That's why if you come across one, you should snatch it up!

Other types of bonuses

Whilst nowhere near as common as the above welcome bonuses, you may also find no wagering bonuses and no deposit bonuses.

No wagering bonuses are exactly what they sound like - casino bonuses that come with no wagering requirements - and the no deposit bonuses only require you to sign up to the casino to claim a bonus.

These bonuses will usually not be as lucrative as the other kinds, as the casino has a high chance of losing money on them!

The Terms & Conditions

Wagering Requirements

An example would be if you deposited $100 and claimed a 100% deposit match bonus. You would get $100 on top of your initial deposit, making $200 in your casino account. If the wagering requirement is 35x the bonus amount, then you would have to wager $100 (The bonus amount) x 35, which is $3500.

One thing you need to double-check in the bonus is to see exactly how this wagering requirement is applied. Some casinos apply it to just the bonus amount, whilst others may apply it to the deposit amount. Some casinos may even apply it to the bonus and deposit amount, which would mean in our previous example you would have to wager $7000.

The wagering requirement for free spins works a tiny bit different, applying the requirement to the winnings of the free spins you get.

Game Weightings

When it comes to wagering requirements, the winnings from different casino games have different weightings towards meeting the requirement. Slots will usually have 100%, whilst table and live games will all have lower. This is because the house edge is slightly lower in these games.

So if a Blackjack game has 50% weighting, then every $1 you wager is worth $0.50 towards the wagering requirement.

Withdrawal Caps

Many online casinos will put a cap on the maximum amount you can win from your welcome bonus. Even if your winnings exceed the bonus amount, you’ll only be able to withdraw whatever the stated cap is. This is worth checking over as different bonus types will have different caps.

Minimum and Maximum Deposits

Another thing to make note of is the minimum deposit needed to claim the bonus. Many online casinos will actually make this higher than the minimum deposit amount for the casino itself, so always double-check to make sure you aren't caught out and end up having to deposit twice.

On the opposite end of this, there may be a maximum deposit amount that can be applied to the bonus, so if you were going to deposit more than that it may be wise to limit it to the maximum amount of the bonus, or find a different casino with more compliant max deposit terms.

Payment Method exclusions

Some online casinos will actually exclude certain payment types from a certain casino bonus promotion, with the most common payment types that get excluded including Bitcoin and crypto, Neteller, Skrill and Paysafecard.

Conclusion

Whilst casino bonuses may look incredibly lucrative on paper, they always come with some sort of caveat. It’s always best to thoroughly read through the terms and conditions so you don't get stung down the line!