Online Casino Welcome Bonus Guide
How Online Casino Deposit Welcome Bonus Works?
This is how it all works. When the new customer signs up for the online casino, they are offered a Welcome Bonus casino for their first deposit, or several deposits. To get the promotion, they need to provide all the real data about themselves. Then, they need to add a payment method they will use to deposit money. They should choose the method out of those available on the site; it is impossible to deposit using any random payment method of their preference. This is why it is important to check out available banking methods before one registers an account at all.
By the way, it makes sense to read the rules of the promotion, and also read Terms and Conditions of the site carefully, before salivating over the promotions advertised. Some international websites have limitations caused by local legislation, and can limit their casino sign up bonus offer (and other offers) only to players from certain jurisdictions. Such cases are not at all rare, so take time to explore what rules are applied on the platform.
After the customer chooses the banking method, they have to double-check what minimum deposit is eligible for the bonus, and what maximum amount qualifies for the match bonus. Then, they decide what deposit they can afford. When deciding upon this, the customer should also keep in mind the wagering requirements, because they will have to wager the bonus several times (usually no less than 30 times) before the withdrawal function will be unlocked for them. So, when the customer assesses what size of deposit they can afford, they should also take into account potential need to deposit a bit more, to meet the wagering requirements and be able to withdraw the winnings, if any.
When a customer merely makes a deposit of own money and bets with this money, their deposits should be wagered at least once before withdrawing the winnings. When a bonus is attached to the deposit, the withdrawal requirements are way higher. This is done to keep the player betting more, and also, to make the player leave more money on the site (let’s be honest here). There are a bunch of rules that are connected to meeting the wagering requirements, and you should read through them very carefully; if you fail to comply with all the rules, the bonus can be forfeited, and all your winnings can be voided.
These rules are usually as follows:
- not all games contribute to meeting the wagering requirements; some do not contribute at all
- sometimes, only a certain list of games is allowed for wagering; if other games are played, the winnings can be forfeited
- certain bet limits are set; if the bet is bigger than allowed, the bonus and winnings can be forfeited
- the player cannot order withdrawal until the wagering requirements are met; sometimes they can, but the rest of the bonus and winnings will go void
- if the player has wagered all their bonus money and deposited money, but still failed to meet the wagering requirements, they have to make another deposit to continue playing until the requirements are met; only after that, the withdrawal option will be unlocked
- the player can ask Customer Support to remove the bonus before the wagering requirements are met, but all the money already won by betting the bonus will be removed from the balance as well.
- After these nasty wagering requirements are met at last, the customer is able to order withdrawal of their winnings.
Types of Welcome Bonuses
Classic Online Casino Welcome Bonus
This type is classic, because you will most likely find it on the majority of websites in the online gambling niche. This type is a match prize to the deposit. For example, it can be a 100% match up to $100, with the minimum deposit eligible $10, plus 25 Free Spins on a featured slots game. Wagering requirements are usually from x30 to x50. While such a bonus may seem unimpressive - you will see way more lucrative match online casino bonuses out there - it is rather realistic and may signal that the website does not promise pie in the sky, and is actually ready to pay you.
Welcome Package
This type is a variation of classic, but it is used in a cascade manner to several consecutive deposits made by the newly registered customer. For example, you get 100% match up to $100 for your first deposit, 75% match up to $100 for second deposit, 50% match up to $100 for the third deposit, and so on, plus 100 Free Spins, given out 20 FS per day in five consecutive days.
The match percentage, the minimum deposits and maximum sums, and amount of free spins bonuses vary from site to site. Some platforms offer smaller bonuses with each next deposit, others, in contrast, increase the match percentage with every consecutive deposit to keep the customer interested. To get the most out of such packages, read the rules carefully.
Live Dealer Welcome Bonus
As a rule, classic variations do not allow making bets at Live Dealer casino. This is usually caused by internal technical specifications and processes on the website; some casinos do allow access to Live Dealer games with a general Welcome bonus casino. Yet, if you are fan of the Live Dealer Games, you may want to find a specific Welcome Bonus casino for Live Dealer lobbies. These often resemble classic casino sign up bonus offers, but the bet size and the wagering requirements are usually higher. Also, in contrast to the general Welcome bonus casino that can potentially be used in any game, the Live Dealer Games Welcome Bonus casino can only be wagered on Live Dealer games. Obviously.
Cryptocurrency Welcome Bonus
Another rare variation is Welcome Bonus casino for customers who are willing to deposit in crypto coins, be it Bitcoin casino or other currencies. The concept of the casino sign up bonus offer is usually the same - a match percentage to the initial deposit. Here, the scope of games allowed is even smaller, because there are really few casino game software products that are suitable for betting with cryptocurrencies. In other aspects, the sign up bonus casino offer is pretty much the same.
Word or warning to customers depositing with digital currencies - before you even deposit, check if the site allows withdrawal of digital currency, not only depositing. Such a situation is not rare, as some smart ass casinos accept crypto money, but pay the winnings out in fiat currencies, this way, accumulating crypto coins for themselves. Avoid this scheme and make sure you can send and withdraw at a cryptocurrency casino.
How to Get and How to Use Welcome Casino Bonus?
Sign up bonus casino offer becomes available after making the first deposit, but it is never granted automatically, although the player becomes eligible automatically. This is done to enable players who wish to avoid taking the sign up bonus casino offer, to do so without bothering the Customer Support.
So, if you are willing to avoid the sign up bonus casino offer, just do not claim it. If you want it - then click the button “get the bonus”, add promo code, or contact Customer Support - depending on what the online casino instructions tell you to do.
After you see that the bonus was added to your bonus balance in the casino account, you can start making bets. As a rule, first the deposited money is used for the bets, and only after the actual balance is empty, the player starts to use bonus money to bet. If the bonus is not sticky, all winnings will be added to the bonus balance.
As soon as the wagering requirements are met, the bonus balance money will be moved to the actual balance, and the customer will be able to order a withdrawal of the funds.
Mobile Casino Welcome Bonus
The majority of modern web casinos are mobile compatible, and many of them already have official mobile applications for different OS. As a result, the online casino Welcome Bonuses are naturally available for customers on any platform, be it PC or mobile, regardless of the OS or device. Some sites take this even further and offer special Welcome promotions to punters who prefer access via mobile devices, to stimulate them play via the mobile more often. This is done to, firstly, make the punter bet more often since their mobile devices are always at hand, and secondly, to monitor the betting trends via various questionnaires and feedback sent on mobile.
To cut the long story short - if a Welcome bonus casino is offered on the site, it is for sure available on the same site if you access via mobile devices.
Drawbacks of Using Welcome Bonus
The main drawback of the Welcome bonus casino, whatever huge and lucrative and promising it is, is the need to meet the wagering requirements. The main catch here is that the player can spend their deposit, their whole bonus, and everything they win by wagering those two sums, and still fail to meet the wagering requirements attached to the sign up bonus casino offer they have claimed.
Many players face the need to deposit additionally to the site, in order to make more real money bets, meet the requirements, and eventually unlock the withdrawal function. This is why the higher the wagering requirements, the worse it is for the player, and the more time and money the player is to waste by managing those. So, there are lots of cases when experienced punters avoid taking any bonuses at all, and prefer to manage their bets as they wish, without being bound by additional rules.
