Expert review by Gemma Heathcote.
If you don’t understand what it’s all about, don’t rush into using the casino offers, no matter how generous they may seem. First, you should learn more about what lies behind them.
Only very few bonuses (usually personal ones, which are awarded to the player personally) can be immediately withdrawn. Most bonuses must be played first.
This means that you must comply with the conditions outlined in the casino rules. Such conditions are usually called a wager.
They usually mention that you must bet on an amount many times higher than the size of the bonus.
For example, if the wager is x30, then in addition to a hundred dollars of the bonus, you must place three thousand on the bet.
Everything seems extremely simple, however, some rules mentioned in wagers are important to pay attention to. Their negligence often leads to the bonuses getting nullified (sometimes along with deposits).
First things first, never rely on information provided in promos.
You have to understand that banners are designed to entice you, not scare you away with the harsh reality.
A reputable casino won’t openly deceive you, but they also won’t mention all the terms and conditions on the main page of the site. Instead, they will talk about the most attractive aspects of the offer, and you will have to find out about the rest on your own by checking the detailed rules.
Don’t be lazy to do this every time you’re about to claim a bonus, even if you’ve already received it at the casino before. Rules of promotions may vary or simply change over time
While studying the bonus wager, pay close attention to the number the wager is multiplied by.
Some casinos require you to wager the bonus alone, while others indicate the amount of your deposit and the bonus (of course, this only applies to bonuses that are credited for deposits).
This is a very important aspect because you must know exactly how much money you have to bet in total in order to be eligible to withdraw the bonus from the casino.
Usually, this aspect is clearly protruded in the full version of the rules.
This is another extremely important condition. In most cases, the wagering conditions allow the customers to use the received bonuses only in certain games.
Most often, it’s got to do with slot machines. Often, casinos allow playing bonuses on slots only.
Sometimes, they’re accompanied by scratch cards and other low RTP models.
It’s very common for games of a particular category or some specific models to debit bonuses in full, while others only allow 50%, 30%, 20% or even 2% of the bet amount to be used. At the same time, there are sure to be gambling games in which you cannot bet at all if you want to cash out the bonus.
Obviously, such games include models with the smallest (or even absent) house edge, such as blackjack, video poker, craps, and others. The best casino sites have entire tables with detailed data on each game and its participation in bonus usage.
Many casinos also prohibit using bonuses when betting in the so-called game of chance in video slots and video poker.
Sometimes the casino administration vetoes simultaneous bets on red/black, even/odd, or high/low numbers on a roulette.
If there’s no information about this in the rules, check with the customer service staff if there are any restrictions on the bet range during bonus wagering. Some casinos try to protect themselves from random large pay-outs and don’t allow you to make large bets until certain conditions are met.
In addition, oftentimes, bonuses can’t be used in games with progressive jackpots.
Sometimes the user agreement contains a vague statement that the administration has the right to withdraw the bonus if signs of an advantageous game are present.
This statement means that it’s better to talk to the support representatives. It’s best to shed light on the situation in advance.
A very extensive series of articles about how different casinos treat players from different countries or even regions can be written.
If you’ve been playing at online casinos for some time, you probably already know that not all establishments give out bonuses to customers from all countries. Many gambling-type institutions operating on the worldwide network generally refuse to serve users from many states.
The situation is similar when it comes to bonuses. This can usually be explained by the high concentration of bonus hunters among players from certain countries.
If a casino is faced with large numbers of scammers from a specific country, the administration often decides to deny its citizens the right to receive bonuses.
Sometimes the measures are less drastic, and more stringent wagering conditions are set for clients from such countries (which at its core is even worse than a simple refusal).
This practice isn’t that common in online gambling, but it still takes place in many establishments. We’re talking about providing bonuses only to those users who play in the casino using the client program. In this case, a flash version may be available, but there are no bonuses in it.
Given the recent trends in the increasing popularity of browser-based casinos, we think that this approach to crediting bonuses will soon become a thing of the past.
Casino bonuses almost always have a set time limit. Sometimes they must be used within a day, more often a week is provided for this, while less often you have a month.
If the client doesn’t have time to use the bonus within the specified period, these credits will be annulled. You won’t be able to restore them. There’s no point in complaining. An exception can be made only for a very valuable VIP client.
You should double-check what time the countdown of the time allotted for fulfilling the requirements of the wager begins. The starting point can be the moment the bonus is credited, the first bet, or some other episode.
In the rules of the online casino bonus program, there’s often a clause stating that different promotions can’t be combined with each other. This is a universal rule that applies to no deposit bonuses, deposit bonuses, and many other offers. For example, if after registration you received free credits, you must first use those ones, and only then will you receive a bonus on your first deposit.
However, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, customers can participate in several events at the same time. Especially when it comes to promotions of different types: bonuses, free spins, cashback, comp points, and so on.
Finally, a brief instruction on choosing and using bonuses for readers of Casinoz. Follow this sequence of actions:
In case of doubt, contact support for clarification and keep a copy of the correspondence.