Understanding Casino Sign-Up Bonuses

The online casino business is a booming and growing market, but how can a gambler turn this to their advantage. The answer is by searching around for the best casino bonus. Although it is often made to sound like free money in the advertising slogan, there are usually pages of small print attached to any offer which can catch out unsuspecting novices. What should you look out for? Here’s a quick list:

The deposit - how much do you have to transfer into your casino account before you get credited with the bonus amount? This is an important initial consideration because it is often a one-chance opportunity. So if you start with £20 and you need £50 to get the bonus, you can not just transfer another £30 to get to the required amount. More than likely you have missed out on the bonus altogether and may need to create another account in order to get it. It goes without saying that each site will have its own limit, so make sure you’re paying attention and don’t miss out through a simple mistake like this. As a guide you should be expecting AT LEAST a 100% of your deposit as a sign-on bonus - there are plenty of sites out there so if the one you’re considering doesn’t offer this return, move on to another. But also be wary of deals that seem too good, they may sting you with one of the tricks below.

The wagering requirement - this is the minimum amount you have to bet before you can withdraw from your account. Clearly this is designed to stop people signing up, getting the bonus and then withdrawing it with giving the casino a chance to win it back. Indeed, some casinos will hold on the sign-on bonus until you have met this requirement; this may be a better solution as it only gets credited to your account when you are able to withdraw it, which is when it really becomes yours. Others may credit it straight away and, although this may seem fairer, may lead to some reckless gambling without realising that you can’t get the money out if you need it.

The games - some casino games, such as blackjack, offer the house a very small advantage and as a result give the player a better chance of winning. For this reason, casinos may well prevent players from using their free bonuses on such games. This may not be an issue for you, maybe you want to try out some different games anyway, but if you are signing up to play a specific game on a specific site it is worth checking that your bonus is eligible, otherwise you might as well not have it.

The most important thing to do during this whole process is to keep an eye on the terms and conditions - don’t assume anything!