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Online Bonuses
This Online Bonuses lesson at the Online Gambling Guide explains the many rewards for players.
With online
casino bonuses, the
primary
impetus for attracting and keeping players are the online bonuses or
cash incentives.
And
there are a lot of
them including free poker rolls.
We also look at some of the most common and lucrative forms of online bonuses available.
Let’s
begin with the first, and perhaps the most fundamental of all player
incentives and that is the bonuses that are offered when we sign up at
an online casino.
The Sign up
Online players are
offered a wonderfully tempting bankroll boost right from the start that
will come in the form of sign up bonuses.
Sign up bonuses, also
called initial deposit bonuses, are cash rewards that are paid out as
an incentive to get online players to open an account and start
playing.
Because these bonuses are designed to tempt new online
gamblers to come aboard, which is often a difficult task, they tend to
be among the most lucrative form of bonuses that are available.
It’s
not uncommon that casino sites will offer hundreds of dollars in ‘free’
money based only on a fraction of the initial deposit.
Although
the specific value and type of each sign up bonus will vary from casino
to casino, they generally come in one of two different forms: fixed and
percentage-based bonuses.
The bonuses in their simplest form
come as fixed deposit bonus that will be of an amount that is
pre-determined by the online casino and offered to all new online
players that open an account with them. The one basic requirement
involved is that a player deposit an amount of money that is at least
equal to the value of the comp.
For example, if the casino offers you a $50 deposit bonus, then the player must deposit at least $50 to qualify for it.
This is also known as a match bonus.
There
are also ‘no deposit’ bonuses that some, though not all online casinos
will offer from time to time. With these bonuses, the money is
essentially FREE and you don’t have to deposit anything.
With percentage-based bonuses, you will receive an amount based on the initial deposit that you have made.
They
vary from casino to casino like all of the other online bonuses, but
generally range from 40% to 100% or more depending upon the casino site
and the promotion they are running at the time of registration.
These are more often than not the most lucrative.
This
is especially true for players that establish a large bankroll right
from the beginning. Let’s suppose for a moment that you have decided to
register at a casino who is offering a 100% deposit bonus. Your initial
deposit is the amount of $200. The casino will then match your deposit
with another $200 that gives you a total of $400 to play. Not bad at
all considering you’ve literally doubled the strength of your bankroll.
You have to work the numbers however to see where the better
deals are at online casinos. Online bonuses are not all created equal
and what appears to be a super deal on the surface may not be your best
bet at all.
Watch those percentage-based bonuses because though
many of them look good, it depends on what your initial deposit is that
will dictate if you ultimately got the better deal.
If you are
gambler that plays with a small bankroll, for example $50. and you
deposit at a casino that gives away a $50 match bonus, then you have
essentially doubled your bankroll and you will have $100 to play.
However, if you go to a casino that offers anything less than a 100% match, then the return will be smaller than $100.
Finally,
you will want to make sure that you are aware that all sites placing
certain restrictions on how these bonuses are played and withdrawn. For
some casinos, the comps can be withdrawn as winnings when the player
has played a value of 10 times the comp value.
For others the minimum play-through requirements will be as much as 35 times before you are able to claim it as a withdrawal.
To examine it further, depending on the games being played, the play-through requirement may vary.
For example, if you are a slots player, then the standard 10-time play-through is correct.
However,
if you are a video poker player, it may raise to 15 times. Always be
sure to read the terms and conditions for play-through requirements.
They will vary greatly from casino to casino.
Online Bonuses: Loyalty Programs
It
doesn’t matter the size of your deposit bonus for there can and will
come a time when the well will run dry and it will become necessary for
you to re-fund your account in order to continue play. History shows
that the wonderful sign up bonus that you got on your initial
registration was only available to new players.
Those who returned received very little if anything at all in terms of casino comps.
Thankfully, those days are long gone; however, as the increasing competition among internet casinos became fierce.
It
came to pass that more and more casino sites started offering
additional incentives in order to keep existing online players happy,
well fed with comps and returning to the casino to play.
The loyalty programs come in a variety of formats.
You
will find that these additional online bonuses will come in 2 basic
flavors: additional deposit incentives, and rewards points based on
your past play.
The loyalty program may also offer different
levels based on your play as well. For example, if you earn X number of
points in a month, then you are at the silver level, hit XX number of
points and you are at the gold level, etc.
Rewards for Additional Deposits
Now
let’s talk about additional deposit bonuses. These online bonuses are
cash rewards given to returning online players typically at the
beginning of each month and they are based on the amount of deposits
made in that month.
Some examples of these types of bonuses will include the match bonus and the percentage bonus.
Match Bonus
This is one of the most common player incentives available.
Match
bonus programs will reward you with cash comps that are equivalent to
the amount of the first new deposit that you make each month.
For
example, suppose you deposited $50. in January and exhausted your
bankroll by the end of the month. Then on February 3rd, you deposit
another $50. as your first deposit for the month.
The casino will
then reward you a match bonus of the same amount, dollar for
dollar, essentially doubling your bankroll to $100.
Percentage Bonus
As
mentioned previously, internet casinos will sometimes offer new players
online bonuses based on a percentage of their initial deposit. Some
casinos are now offering this kind of a bonus to returning online
players.
This also is awarded based on the first new deposit of the month, just as if you were a new player at the casino.
Make
sure once again, that you pay attention to the play-through
requirements that will save a lot of confusion down the road.
Understand that not all casinos will offer this so it may not apply to
returning players, depending upon where you are playing.
In this
case, percentage bonuses may be valued at only 20% or even less, so
make sure you read the available promotions on the site so that you
know exactly what to expect.
Rewards for Play
These online bonuses are unlike deposit-based bonuses.
Some
casinos comp you based on previous play as opposed to the current
deposit. Two major loyalty programs fall under this heading and include
cash back programs and player’s clubs.
Cash Back Programs
Instead
of handing over online bonuses based on a single deposit, a few
enterprising online casinos have developed programs that give cash back
that refund a portion of total losses for the previous month.
There’s one casino that has a unique twist to such a plan.
They
give their players a monthly bonus that is equal to 10% of their net
losses for the previous month, and winners receive a 1% bonus that is
based on their winning balance.
Players Club
This
program is very similar to that found in a traditional land-based
casino. The players club at an online casino will award points to the
patrons in return for play. Thus, for every dollar wagered through
casino play, a certain number of points will be awarded.
These points will accumulate over time and when there are enough points earned, they can be converted to casino cash.
The
point system varies from casino to casino. Even between those that use
the same software, but players will typically receive points for every
$10. wagered.
These can be redeemed starting at 1,000 points.
Additionally, there are some sites that will provide players with
incentives to hold on to the points longer before cashing them in.
There
is one casino for instance, that rewards players $25 for 2,500 points.
If the player holds the points until they get to 5,000, then
instead of getting $50, they will get $52.50--that is $2.50 more than
they would have gotten had they cashed in 2,500 points twice.
Specialty Rewards
There
are a variety of specialty bonuses that are often overlooked by online
players in addition to the sign up bonuses and loyalty programs. Though
the latter bonuses make up the majority of online bonuses available,
the specialty bonuses can be quite lucrative. Watch for them.
Referral Programs
These
programs are used by online casinos to draw in new players. They offer
a referral fee to online players who refer their friends to the online
casino and play on the site. The rewards are typically minimal and are
usually about $20. Some casino will offer a percentage of the new
player’s initial deposit of about 5%.
This could be well worth the effort if you have a lot of friends or family who like gambling and want to play online.
Deposit Options
Some
sites will award players additional bonuses for deposits they have made
to the casino using specific methods. One casino for example will give
you an additional 20% on top of your deposit when you make your deposit
using IGM-Pay to fund your account.
Variable Bonuses
Occasionally,
you will find online casino sites that will offer you extra bonus
opportunities that mark some special event that is happening such as
launching a new game or even the celebration of a holiday. The online
bonuses may come in any number of different forms such as an additional
20% bonus on all of your deposits for a week or they will randomly
award free cash to a lucky player that is playing during a certain time
frame.
This is where the casino sites promotions page comes in
handy, because they will post these promotions ahead of time. Scan
through their newsletter archive to search for bonuses that are still
in effect.
The number of online bonuses and incentives that are available are as diverse as the number of casinos that are now online.
Some
are available as a one-time bonus while others are renewable
periodically throughout the life of your online players account.
To
be sure, not every bonus will turn a mediocre bankroll into a gold
mine, regardless of how large or small the bonus is but any bonus is
better than none and is still valuable ammunition in your ongoing
battle with the house.
Online
Bonuses is followed by 10 Rules for Online Gambling
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