Gambling Bonus Guide
Online gambling isn't just immensely entertaining and incredibly convenient. Gambling on the internet also has the potential to be far more lucrative than playing at your local casino. That's because internet casinos not only offer better payouts than their offline counterparts, but they temp you through their virtual doors with generous bonuses, exciting promotions, and valuable rewards. Keep reading to discover all the ways you can cash in handily at gambling sites.
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Why Casinos Offer Bonuses
If you've ever looked for places to gamble online, chances are you've been overwhelmed by the possibilities. Between all the poker rooms, casinos, sportsbooks, horse racing sites, electronic bingo halls, and lottery games, there are hundreds of places to play. As difficult as it is for you to decide where to play, consider the perspective of gambling sites. How can they possibly stand out in such a crowded field? Even if they have better games, software, and customer service, will anyone ever know? A casino can place all the banner ads they want, but at the end of the day will players really bother to click on them without a real incentive? That's precisely where bonuses come into play.
Rather than waste their money on Super Bowl ads, online gambling sites are prepared to spend their advertising budgets directly on you with bonuses. You read that correctly. Internet casinos, poker rooms, and sportbooks will literally pay you to sign up and play. What's even better is the size of the bonuses can top hundreds or even thousands of dollars as gambling sites try to outdo each other with exceedingly larger offers. All you have to do is find them and claim them.
Sign Up Bonuses for New Players
Bonuses come in many sizes and at various stages of the game, but none is as common or valuable as the sign up bonus. As the name implies, sign up or welcome bonuses are designed to get new players to register and try out a site. They typically require you to make a deposit, although you may encounter less lucrative no deposit sign up bonuses, which we'll get to below.
The most common variety of sign up bonus is what's known as a match bonus. These offers will match the amount of your deposit with additional cash. For example, you might see a sign up offer promising a 100% bonus up to $900. That means if you deposit $900, you'll get an extra $900 to play with for free. Of course, you aren't obligated to deposit the maximum. You can just as easily get $20 in free cash with a $20 deposit. It is important to be aware of the cap. If you were to deposit $1000, you would only get an extra $900, which would be an overall 90% bonus. When browsing bonuses, a larger percentage isn't necessarily best if you plan on making a big deposit. It's a good idea to consider any caps, so you can claim the maximum amount of cash.
While it used to be true that welcome bonuses were only applicable on your first deposit, some sites now opt to spread the wealth. You might see a bonus offer advertising up to $800 in free cash, but on further inspection you'll see that it's split over 3 deposits. For example, you might earn a 150% bonus up to $400 on your first deposit, a 100% bonus up to $200 on your second deposit, and a 75% bonus up to $200 on your third deposit. Offers like these are great if you just want to dip your feet in the pool without making a huge cash commitment up front.
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Understanding Betting Requirements
If bonuses sound too good to be true, your skepticism is justified. While all the offers at reputable gambling sites are real, there is naturally some fine print. As you can probably guess, gambling sites won't let you withdraw your bonus cash immediately. Casinos generously dole out cash to get you through the door, but they want you to stay and play. If would simply be bad business to give players the power to take the money and run. Instead, you'll need to satisfy playthrough or betting requirements. That's the amount of money or number of bets you're required to place before you can withdrawal your bonus cash.
The actual playthrough requirements vary across sites but also depend on what games you play. For example, you might need to wager 30 times the amount of your bonus when playing slots, but that number could balloon to 100 if you play roulette. While betting 30 times your $100 bonus to the tune of $3000 might seem daunting, keep in mind that you aren't going to lose every time. As your bankroll grows and you're able to make larger wagers, the conditions become increasingly easy to satisfy.
Tracking Your Progress
All respectable gambling sites are transparent when it comes to granting bonuses. When you visit the cashier or special bonus area within your account, you should be able to see how far along you are in satisfying the bonus requirements. Many sites will let you meet the requirements in parts, converting your bonus into withdrawable funds a few dollars at a time. Keep in mind that some bonuses may come with expiry dates.
No Deposit Bonuses
As we touched upon earlier, not all bonuses require you to make a deposit. Many sites will give you free slot machine spins or a token amount of cash to play with just for signing up. Although these aren't as rewarding as new player sign up bonuses, they are a great way to test out a site without having to make even a modest commitment. Poker sites are also famous for their freeroll tournaments, which cost nothing to play and give the opportunity to win prizes, cash, or entries into bigger tourneys.
Reload Bonuses
While welcome bonuses are reserved for new players, gambling sites want to keep their current customers happy too. Everyone knows that loyalty can be fleeting. When you consider there are hundreds of other places to bring your bankroll, casinos obviously need to work hard to keep you satisfied. While you might be happy with the selection of games and software, will you stick around when a competitor promises you thousands for free? Fortunately, you'll find reload bonuses from time to time. These work just like new player deposit bonuses except they are available to existing players. You might receive a special targeted offer to reward you for your loyalty, yet many casinos tailor bonuses to players who haven't logged on in a while, hoping to bring them back into the fold.
Cashing in on Bonus Dollars
What's particularly great about bonuses is that you can use your money to win even more cash. Imagine the thrill of hitting the jackpot on some else's dime. Yet even if you only win a few dollars, bonuses have the power to improve your overall payouts. That means you can spend less and get more entertainment, which could lead to greater winning opportunities. No matter what game you prefer playing, it always pays to claim a bonus.
If you've spent any time at an online casino, you probably know that bonuses are just part of the story. Just about every poker room and casino offers some kind of rewards program that will help you earn cashback, free play, prizes, and other perks. It's an easy way to get even more out of your game.