Online casino bonuses provide players with an opportunity to earn extra money by making a deposit or sometimes doing nothing at all. This is a prime strategy for attracting new customers, as it allows them to immediately increase their bankroll prior to hitting the table games or slot machines. It should be noted, however, that these bonuses often come with strings attached.
How Wagering Requirements Work
Also known as a “playthrough,” the wagering requirement is an amount of money that must be risked by the player before they’re eligible to withdraw their casino bonus. This means the bonus isn’t as free as it initially seemed, and the details about playthroughs are often buried among the site’s terms and conditions to avoid scaring away potential players. This can result in bitter player disputes when a new customer doesn’t bother to read the fine print and then tries to cash out their bonus money.
The wagering requirement is always expressed in a multiple (such as 15x or 30x). This number is applied to either the bonus amount or the sum of the bonus and the player’s deposit.
For an example, let’s look at a player who deposited $100 and received $100 in bonus money with a 20x playthrough requirement. 100 multiplied by 20 is 2000, so the player would need to risk $2,000 before they could withdraw the $100 in bonus money. If the requirement included the bonus plus the deposit, then the $200 total would demand that $4,000 be risked. If want to find casino bonuses that easy to earn, check out the website www.easycasinobonuses.com which lists casinos and their bonuses which are the easiest to earn.
Casinos may also place limitations on how much a certain type of game contributes to the wagering requirement. Slot machines, for example, almost always count 100% towards meeting the requirement, as their higher house edge gives the casino a good chance of recouping any money that they might be required to give away. Video poker, meanwhile, often doesn’t count at all because of its low house edge.
Even worse, bonus amounts often come with a time limit. If you do not withdraw the complimentary funds within a certain amount of time (a few months is customary), then the money is no longer available. This puts the player in a positon where they need to make a number of bets in a short period of time on games that give the casino a strong advantage.
Despite all of this, individuals known as “bonus whores” often take advantage of certain offers that are advantageous to the player and manage to make money without risking any of their own. This is rare, however.
Types of Casino Bonuses Available to Players in the United States
The following are the most common types of bonus money offered by online casinos:
Withdrawable Bonus – This type of bonus is eligible to be withdrawn by the player as soon as the necessary wagering requirements are fulfilled. Because the casino may be forced to give away money, they often make the playthrough as steep as possible. This typically ranges from 20x to as high as 50x, and both winning and losing wagers count towards meeting the quota.
No Deposit Bonus – The player receives this money as soon as they create an account, even if they don’t make a deposit. These bonuses are usually small, and the player still needs to satisfy the terms and conditions of the site before making a withdrawal. Most casinos also require the player to deposit some of their own cash before this free cash can be removed.
Play Only Bonus – This type of bonus cash cannot be withdrawn, but it can be used for gambling at the casino. Winnings are tracked separately, although requirements must still be satisfied before making a withdrawal.
Re-Deposit Bonus – This is a bonus offered to players who have already signed up at the casino and have made their first deposit. Re-deposit bonuses are reward to players who continue to play and make subsequent deposits. You should almost always claim a re-deposit bonus when you make a deposit. Check the casinos “current promotions” page for current re-deposit bonuses and/or also see the casino news at eCasinosUSA which lists on-going promotions for USA online casinos.
While online casino bonuses are a nice perk, they aren’t as free or guaranteed as the casual player might imagine. Before you join a casino based on the bonus money, be sure to read the terms and conditions to understand what you’re getting yourself into. And if you do elect to accept complimentary funds, be sure to follow the site’s rules to the letter. Trying to make a withdrawal before the playthrough is met can lead to a forfeiture of bonus money, as well as any winnings that were a result of bets with those funds.
