Ever wondered what casino bonuses are all about? We have created a handy guide to all the different kinds of bonuses available to players in Canada, from the best ones to look out for to the terms and conditions.
Online casinos have big flashy bonuses for two main reasons – the first is to attract players in an incredibly competitive market. The second is simply because they can. Unlike land-based casinos, online gambling sites have very low overheads, so they can afford to be generous to their players. Once you have finished reading you will know all about the different types of bonuses available, and then you can check out the best casino bonus Canada, which you can find here. Let’s go!
No deposit bonus
Often referred to the holy grail of casino bonuses, a no deposit offer requires no financial commitment. That’s right; these bonuses are given to new players simply for signing up at a casino site, before depositing a single cent. Sometimes a no deposit bonus comes as a small amount of casino cash, or it can come as free spins – more on those in a moment.
The biggest advantage of this type of bonus is that they are completely risk-free. You have not spent anything to get them, and you cannot lose any of your own money by using them. No deposit bonuses are quite rare, but they do exist. The only downside is that there are usually quite strict limits on how much you can actually win. This is understandable, as the operator needs to make sure they are not giving away too much money for free.
Free spins
Casinos often give away free turns on selected slot games, known as free spins. These can be part of a welcome package for new players, or for existing customers when they reload their account with some cash. These days it is increasingly usual that players get to keep all their winnings from free spins, but many still have wagering requirements attached. We have a bit more detail on what wagering requirements mean a little further down the page.
There are some common limitations on free spins, as on all casino bonus offers. The first is that the casino chooses what games they can be redeemed on, often restricted to a single game. This can be a slot that the casino is promoting, a popular title, or a game with a seasonal theme. Another restriction is that the value of each spin is set. Players should not expect high-value free spins, and they are usually in the region of ten cents or less.
Deposit match bonus
These are the ones with the big, eye-catching monetary value. A deposit match is exactly what it sounds like; deposit money in your casino account and they will match it 100% or sometimes more. To get the full value of this bonus, you need to make the maximum deposit. That’s the first catch, as not everyone wants to make a huge deposit, especially at a new site. Even so, players can double their money or better, even with a smaller outlay.
The second catch is the aforementioned wagering requirements, also called playthrough. This is what prevents bonus cash from functioning like your own deposited money. Wagering of 30x means that the value of the bonus must be played thirty times before any of the winnings can be claimed and withdrawn. So, a bonus of $100 must be wagered to the value of $100×30 = $3,000.
That’s a basic introduction to the most frequent types of bonus found at Canadian online casinos. As you can see, the biggest advantage is that they give more time to play the games for the same money. It’s unlikely that you will have any massive wins from a bonus, but they are usually worth taking.