Online Casino Bonus Schemes: Pros and Cons

Bonuses are an inescapable element of modern online casinos. They make their brands more visible by offering promotions, expand their user base, and drive users' activity on their sites. By accepting these promotions, however, the players are given the opportunity to play slots free of charge, place bets more often, and increase their chances of winning. Most appealing are promotions that don't ask players to spend their own funds to claim them. For anyone considering comparing various platforms, it's a good idea to visit Wild Casino pros and cons, as this gives players an idea of how promotions truly operate in real life.

Certainly, the popularity and allure of online gambling places are all or nothing based on the variety of bonuses and terms. The more rewards available, the higher the probability that the player will choose this particular casino.

Bonus programs offered by operators, in addition to serving the same function, also possess similar features. For example, almost all US casinos offer users two main types of bonuses: no-deposit and deposit. Most bonus programs also include:

• a welcome bonus for newcomers;
• birthday gifts;
• cash bonuses for frequent play;
• bonuses for achieving a new loyalty program level;
• gifts for downloading the mobile app, and so on.

Below we’ll take a closer look at the types of bonuses, along with their advantages and disadvantages.

Types of Bonuses, Their Advantages and Disadvantages

Casino promotions are targeted at both new and regular players. A player’s status often determines the size of the bonus, its format, and the conditions for receiving and wagering it.

For example, new users usually need to create an account to claim a bonus. The other types of rewards that are provided are for confirming a phone number, successful passage of verification, or subscribing to the casino's social media pages. The advantage of such rewards is that they can be obtained for ordinary actions. But the greatest benefit is that the casino typically offers no-deposit free spins. This allows newcomers to receive gaming practice without risk of money and then decide whether to deposit their own money or not. But this reward can be used only once.

No-deposit bonuses are also awarded to registered users. They often give them in the form of free spins, bonus money, or cashback. However, such rewards have drawbacks:

• normally no more than 20–50 free spins;
• bonus money must be played through before withdrawal;
• high wagering requirement — approximately 30x–50x;
• bets are limited to slot machines chosen by the casino.

The period of wagering is also limited, typically 2 to 5 days. If the players do not meet within this time frame, the bonus is cancelled.

Deposit Bonuses

Far more frequently, operators offer deposit bonuses. The main condition is to deposit a certain amount into the account. The amount of the minimum deposit is indicated in the promotion description. The advantages of deposit bonuses are:

• available to new players and regular players;
• the size of the bonus depends on the size of the deposit — the larger it is, the more free spins or bonus funds a player will receive;
• deposit matches usually range from 100% to 200%.

The main drawback most frequently cited by players is the necessity to bet the bonus balance prior to withdrawal. More often than not, players have to bet using their own money at first, and then using bonus money. Wagering requirements in this case are, however, less severe than for no-deposit bonuses.

Cashback Incentives

Cashback rewards are only for regular players. The idea is that the player gets back some of the money lost on bets. Usually, the rebate will not be more than 10%, but for VIP gamblers, it can be increased to a maximum of 30%. The bonus will be based on the number of bets placed and losses.

This promotion is attractive because players can receive some of their money back without wagering requirements (or with minimal rollover). However, let us note that the casinos use cashback as motivation to play and, as such, the enjoyment of receiving a small refund could be outweighed by further financial loss.

Final Thoughts

Before you actually take any bonus offer, it is extremely essential to carefully go through the terms and conditions of receiving and wagering it. Only then should you decide to accept the offer or decline it.