Online Casino Sign Up Bonuses – Read The Small Print!

One of the perks in choosing an online casino is evaluating each sites’s sign up offer. While these may seem pretty simple to understand, there may be more going on underneath the surface than you realize. Casinos often differentiate themselves with different terms for these sign up promos, such as welcome bonuses, first deposit bonuses or new player bonuses. The fact is, they are all the same and the real info you should look for remains in the terms and conditions.

Okay, Let’s Explain More

A sign-up bonus is given by an online casino to players as a reward for opening a new account with them. These are given out as a way to attract players to the site, and as a result, they tend to get quite competitive with each other.

How to Claim?

There are generally two ways you may need to claim your bonus. The easiest is the “automatic” bonus — I.e. it’s automatically credited to your account when you make your first deposit. If your casino offers this method, all you need to do is make a qualifying deposit, and you should see the bonus funds credited to your account.

The other major system for claiming your sign up offer is the coupon code. Many sites require you to provide a code when you make your deposit in order to claim your reward. There may be different codes for different offers, and in some cases, we may even be able to provide you with special codes that allow you to receive larger bonuses than the standard offers.

Variations On The Same Promotion

There are several different (yet similar) kinds of offers that you might see at various online sites. A few of the most common are as follows:

Matching Deposit Bonus: These are the most common promos offered by online casinos. Typically, you’ll see an offer such as a 100% bonus of up to $500, which means that they will match 100% of the amount you deposit, up to a maximum amount of $500.

Fixed Bonus Amount: Some times these guys take a different approach, giving you a certain amount of money regardless of the amount you deposit, as long as you meet a certain minimum.

No Deposit Bonus: In some rarer cases, a site might even be willing to give you a small amount of money to play with immediately, without requiring you to deposit money into your account. Typically, this will be a very small amount of money, and there are some pretty strict restrictions on withdrawing that money. However, these are a great way to try them out with no real money risk.

There are also a couple of different types of promotions in terms of how you can use the money. Cashable bonuses are where you can keep the bonus funds after clearing requirements are met, along with any winnings you might make during that time. More common is a “sticky” bonus, which is one that can only be used to play in the casino. While you can keep any winnings you make from these funds, that bonus money itself can never be cashed out – think of the funds as a tool for winning money.

Terms and Conditions – Caveat emptor

It’s easy to get caught up in the big numbers that are thrown around by online casinos when they talk about their offers, but it’s just as important to take a close look at the terms and conditions governing each sign up offer you take. While most of this stuff is pretty boring, there are a few things you should specifically look for when you’re researching the terms and conditions.

First, make sure that the games you want to play are allowed under the promotion. Sometimes, only certain games can be played while clearing a bonus; playing the wrong game won’t help you clear the bonus, and may even invalidate it entirely. Secondly, you’ll want to know what the playthrough or wagering requirement is. This number will tell you how much you’ll need to play in order to earn your bonus, usually expressed as a multiple of the amount you deposited and/or the bonus you received.

Finally, many sign up offers have a time limit attached to them that governs how long you have to complete the requirements. You may also want to look to see if there are any special requirements imposed based on players from your country.