Casino Promotions Guide

A guide to understanding casino promotions and bonuses

If you’re looking for a new casino, you’ll likely notice the huge number of different casino bonus offers that you can claim. Often, these casino promotions promise tens of pounds, a sizable serving of free spins, and other goodies if you sign up and make a deposit.

But with so many different sign up, welcome bonus, and cashback promotions available, you’d be excused for not knowing where to start. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help you understand the different casino bonuses and promotions, how to decide which ones are right for you, and the key things to look out for.

Types of Casino Bonuses and Promotions

While some are more common than others, there is a long list of casino promotions that you can claim. Some are available to new players and others to those who have stuck around for a while. Here are the most common types of casino bonus offers you’re likely to find.

Welcome Bonus

As the name suggests, a casino welcome bonus is an offer that is designed for new players to encourage them to sign up and welcome them to their new casino. They can come in a range of different shapes and sizes and usually contain a deposit bonus, free spins, or both.

To qualify for a welcome bonus, you will need to be a new customer, create an account, make a deposit, and start playing. On some occasions, the deposit and playing requirements are removed, but this is less common.

You’ll need to meet the promotion’s wagering requirements before you can withdraw any winnings from a welcome bonus. It’s also important to be aware of any bonus expiry dates so that you can meet the requirements by the deadline.

Choosing the right welcome bonus requires you to compare the offers and see which matches your playing style. For example, if you plan to make small bets on table games, a lower maximum bonus but with smaller wagering requirements would be better. However, if you’re a high rolling slot player, you may wish to simply look for the biggest number of free spins you can get your hands on.

Deposit Bonus

A deposit bonus is a type of casino promotion that requires you to make a deposit to unlock it. Deposit bonuses are usually expressed as a percentage, with the most common being 100%.

A 100% deposit bonus means that the casino will match the amount you pay into your account with an equal amount of bonus funds to use on casino games. For example, if you deposited £10, you’d receive £10 of bonus funds. In the case of a 50% deposit bonus, your £10 deposit would unlock a £5 bonus, while a 200% bonus would grant you £20 to play with.

Be aware that deposit bonuses also have minimum and maximum limits. This means that you must deposit at least the minimum amount to qualify for the bonus and deposits larger than the maximum limit will mean you receive only the maximum bonus amount.

Here are some examples for different deposit sizes on a 100% deposit bonus with a minimum deposit of £20 and a maximum bonus of £100.

  • Deposit £10 - Receive no bonus
  • Deposit £50 - Receive £50 of bonus funds
  • Deposit £100 - Receive £100 of bonus funds
  • Deposit £200 - Receive £100 of bonus funds

Choosing the best deposit bonus for you will require you to find one that matches your bankroll. A lower maximum bonus may yield a larger deposit match percentage, which may be attractive to players intending to add smaller amounts to their accounts. However, high rollers are more likely to find the higher maximum bonus promotions more attractive.

As with most bonuses, you’ll need to meet wagering requirements before the bonus funds expire to be able to withdraw any winnings.

No Deposit Bonus

No deposit bonuses are promotions that can be unlocked without making a deposit. They are most common as sign up bonuses or as a small part of a welcome bonus and only require you to register to claim the promotional funds.

However, since you’re not required to make any payments, no deposit bonuses are usually much smaller than deposit bonuses. You may question whether it’s worth the effort for a bonus of £5 or £10, especially when you consider the wagering requirements. But if you’re someone who bets small amounts and has a small bankroll, you can make £10 of bonus funds stretch quite far.

Wagering requirements will still apply to no deposit bonuses, so choosing the best one usually involves comparing the size of the bonus to the wagering requirements.

Free Spins

Free spins are special promotions just for slot games. They are awarded on their own or as part of a welcome bonus or other type of promotion and are usually advertised as “X free spins”.

The number of free spins can vary greatly from single digits into the hundreds, depending on the type of promotion.

Some free spins offers still come with wagering requirements and the bonus terms will specify the value of these spins (usually less than £1 per spin). You will also find that most free spin offers specify which slot game you can use them on, so it’s important to pay attention to this when comparing bonuses since you’ll want to choose one that grants free spins for a game you will enjoy.

Cashback Bonuses

Cashback casino bonuses work differently from other types of promotions. They are designed to help your bankroll last longer by returning a percentage of your losses back as bonus funds.

They’re not instant, so don’t expect a series of bonus transactions for each losing bet you make. Instead, they’re calculated over a defined period of time, typically a week or a month. At the end of this period, the casino calculates your net loss and grants a proportion of this back as bonus funds.

For example, if you have a net loss of £100 after the end of a month and the casino is offering a 10% cashback bonus, you’ll receive £10 of bonus funds to keep playing with.

Selecting the perfect cashback bonus offer for you requires you to weigh up the size of the percentage, over how long the casino calculates the net losses, and wagering requirements of the bonus funds.

Reload Bonuses

Reload bonuses are a special type of deposit bonus that is only offered to existing players. They are used by casinos to encourage you to stick around after you’ve used your welcome bonus and are unlocked by making another deposit.

Some reload bonuses work in a nearly-identical way to a deposit offer that’s part of a welcome bonus, but others have other stipulations. For example, you might find a reload bonus linked to a specific payment method or only offered on certain days.

Reload bonuses also come with wagering requirements and expiry dates, so be sure to check these before claiming them.

Choosing the right reload bonus is a little different to other types of promotion as their nature means you’re already signed up by the time you become eligible. Therefore, if you plan to stick with one casino, you should look at what reload bonuses are available too, rather than just the welcome bonus when choosing the one that’s right for you.

VIP and Loyalty Programmes

VIP and loyalty programmes are on-going schemes offered by some casinos to reward players for sticking around. They are often tiered schemes and are usually unlocked when you place a minimum number of bets or wager a certain amount of money.

Loyalty programmes offer a wide variety of bonuses and other perks that can include a mix of free spins, reload bonuses, and cashback offers, as well as faster withdrawals, additional games, larger table limits, and even physical gifts and trips.

If you are a high roller, you may benefit more from a loyalty programme than a welcome bonus, so you may wish to compare what casinos have to offer before deciding which one to join.

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