Understanding the different kinds of online casino bonuses that are available will help prevent you from going through haggling experiences with casinos which can often lead to frustration and unnecessary stress. Here we will discuss the different types of bonuses and how they work. Always ensure that you read the casino bonus offers very carefully before playing; especially the Terms and Conditions.

Terms & Conditions usually outline playthrough and wager requirements. All bonuses have wager requirements attached to them.

What is a playthrough or wager requirement? This is the number of times players must wager their deposit or a combination of their deposit and the casino's bonus before they are allowed to cash out the bonus. Some bonuses may have a 10x playthrough requirement; while some have a 20x playthrough; and others may even have up to a 50x playthrough.

Still don't understand? Ok, let's break it down a bit more. Let's say the casino's rules require you to playthrough your deposit 20x. You deposit $20 and receive a 100% Match Bonus. Your casino balance is now $40. Before you can withdraw any winnings that include the bonus, you must wager $20 x 20x = $400. That means you will need to make $400 worth of bets.

Here's another example: Let's say the casino's rules require you to playthrough your deposit PLUS the bonus 20x. You deposit $20 and receive a 100% Match. Your starting balance is now $40. Before you can withdraw your winnings that include the $20 bonus, you must wager $40 x 20x = $800. So, in this case you must wager a total of $800. In both cases, you do not necessarily need to make a profit of the stated amounts. You only need to make total bets of these amounts and then the bonus is yours.

When dealing with bonus wagering requirements, you should also take note of which games are or are not included in the playthrough. In some cases, casinos restrict the playthrough requirements to certain games while others such as Craps and Baccarat do not have an associated playthrough. This means that even if you wager $5,000 on Craps, for example, you will still not be eligible to withdraw the bonus. In other cases, casinos may put a higher playthrough on some games where the bonus is easier to abuse, such as Blackjack.

No Deposit Bonuses

To qualify for a No Deposit Bonus, you simply need to register a Play for Real account at any casino that offers the bonus and you will usually receive the money right away. Sometimes, however, you may need to claim the bonus either using a submission form or via email. As with most things in life, there is a catch. When you participate in No Deposit Bonus Promotions, before you can withdraw your winnings, you may be required to make a token deposit OR there may be a cap on the amount of money you can withdraw OR you may need to win up to a certain amount of money within a certain number of bets.

No Deposit Bonuses are the easiest types of bonuses you can get from a casino but, as always, you should read the fine print so you know what you're getting into.

Match Deposit Bonuses

In order to qualify for this bonus, you must make a deposit to your registered Play for Real casino account. You will receive a percentage of your total deposit. Match Deposit Bonuses may say Receive 100% Up To $1,000. This means that you could receive as much as $1,000 in bonuses, depending on the amount that you deposit. As attractive as this may sound, you still need to read the Terms and Conditions carefully, because, more often than not, restrictions apply. One restriction may be that you may not necessarily receive the bonus in one lump sum and may need to make additional qualifying deposits before you can withdraw any winnings that include the bonus.

Match Deposit Bonuses are usually used to attract first-time players to the casino but they may also be used as a loyalty promotion for existing players.

Free Money

This is one type of bonus that is a favourite of online casino players because it is one of the few bonuses that rewards you with a bonus despite the amount you deposit. Sounds great so far, right? Here's how it works: A casino offers a free $80 bonus if you make a qualifying minimum deposit of $20. This will give you $100 to play with. So, how much do you think the casino will offer you if you make a deposit of $200? If you said $800 in Free bonus money, you're absolutely WRONG! The bonus amount is standard, so whether you deposit $20 or $200, you still get the same bonus amount.

Now that you understand the Free Money bonus a bit better, you may be inclined to dismiss it because it is seemingly low but, before you do, think about this. If you make the required minimum deposit of $20, you will get more for your money, because you will be getting 400%. This is a much greater reward than the popular 100% Match Bonuses that are offered to New Players.

Go to Platinum Play Casino for Free Money offers that are available for you to cash in.

Sticky Bonuses

The Sticky Bonus is no longer as common as it once was, because players did not like the fact that they could not withdraw the bonus along with their winnings. The Sticky Bonus is basically free money that players are allowed to wager with on any game but cannot be withdrawn. You may withdraw winnings that are over and above your initial deposit amount but the bonus will be removed from your account and will not be included in the withdrawal. In the case of the Sticky Bonus, the offer is usually very generous and you may find that you have as much as $2,000 that you can play with. Some players think that this increases their chances of hitting Jackpots when they play Progressive Slot games because they can now play maximum coins. However, on the other hand, because you have more money to bet with, you may play for longer periods of time. The casino usually wins in the long run, so you may end up losing the bonus and your deposit the longer you play.

Exclusive Bonuses

These Online Casino Bonus offers are rewards that are offered for a number of reasons. These bonuses may be offered to VIP players or High Rollers in the form of higher match bonuses on their deposits. They may be offered as loyalty rewards for those players who have played with a casino for a certain period of time. Or you may see them at certain websites where the casino has made an exclusive deal with the website owner to offer his members. They generally fall in one of the categories of bonuses mentioned above, so always read the Ts & Cs so you know how much you will receive if you fulfil the casino's wagering requirement.

Go to this fantastic bonus site for exclusive bonus offers like Free Spins and Free Play offers.

Go back to the All You Need To Know main page.