Playing online casino games is definitely no longer a minority pastime; in fact millions of people worldwide play them every day. It’s not unusual for people of all ages – and both sexes – to be online enjoying games like roulette and poker that used to be confined to land-based casinos.
With the increased numbers of people playing, there are plenty of incentives for people to join particular casino sites. As there are so many different sites and so many different bonuses around, what should you be looking for in an online casino sign up bonus?
All the casino bonuses look very generous at first glance. In fact, whatever way you look at it, it is free money, but there are always terms and conditions attached to a casino bonus. These aren’t unreasonable, but you should be aware of them before you sign up to a casino just for the bonus, as then you are doing so fully informed about the limitations around using the casino credit.
Deposit or no deposit
Some casinos offer a bonus before you place a cash deposit onto your account; others only offer a bonus on the initial deposit. It’s pretty clear when you sign up for a site, but just make sure to take advantage of the no-deposit bonus first if you have that option.
Wagering requirement
Some bonuses cannot be withdrawn from a casino account – these are known as ‘stickies’, as they stay where they are. However, many casino bonuses can be withdrawn once a wagering requirement has been met. This means the number of times the bonus has to be played through before you can withdraw it from your casino account, and on average, a player must place an equivalent value to the bonus on games 20 or 30 times before they can withdraw the original sum. It’s probably fair to say that most bonuses don’t get withdrawn!
Gaming restrictions
Look carefully at which games a particular bonus can be used to play. Some casinos will only allow bonus money to be spent on the games that most favour the house – such as slots. Others are more flexible, so if you’re into table games, make sure that you can play the bonus money on these games before signing up to the site.
Time limits
When you read the terms and conditions, there’ll be a clause about the time limit within which the bonus has to be used. On a no deposit bonus, the time limits are usually pretty short, sometimes only an hour. The time limit on a welcome bonus where you’ve made a cash deposit is usually longer but can vary from seven days to thirty, so it’s worth checking the details.
As long as you’re fully informed about the bonus terms and conditions, you’ll be able to take advantage of casino bonuses when you sign up to a casino.