Complete Beginner’s Guide to Bonus Terms
To make the most of a casino’s bonuses, there are specific terms and conditions that you must follow. This guide will explain how bonus terms work, how to maximize your bonus and list all do’s and don’ts.
Table of Contents
What are Bonus Terms and Conditions?
Bonus T&Cs (terms and conditions) are essentially a set of rules that dictate how you may and may NOT use your bonus. Should you breach these rules, the bonus will be removed from your account.
Bonus terms and conditions contain information about wagering requirements, win caps, and all other terms you must consider before claiming any offer.
Why Do Online Casinos Have Bonus T&Cs?
Casinos implement bonus rules to mitigate potential losses they may incur from giving out free bonuses.
While bonus T&Cs may appear scary, they are essentially a business precaution. The primary goal of these terms is to ensure that the casino industry does not lose too much money when giving away freebies to players.
Understanding The Bonus Terms
Many online casino bonuses appear to be very valuable at first glance. Don’t get us wrong, some are – but many times, you wouldn’t have bothered to claim the bonus if you’d read the bonus conditions before claiming.
If an online casino offers a 200% match deposit bonus of up to $2,000 and 200 free spins, but the wagering requirement is difficult to meet, and you only have 5 days to do so, the bonus would arguably not be worthwhile for your deposit. At the end of the day, you want a decent chance of winning real money.
This is just one example of why you should read the terms and conditions of any casino offer before claiming it – you can save yourself a lot of time in the long run.
Next, we’ll examine the various aspects to take into account before claiming a bonus offer:
Before offering a bonus, casinos will typically require you to make a minimum deposit. This limit may sometimes be set at $5, but you should expect to deposit $10 or more.
A casino’s minimum deposit amount can be less than the minimum deposit required to trigger a specific bonus. Ultimately, make sure you understand how much you are required to deposit and if you are comfortable with that amount.
To get the most out of your online casino experience, you need to understand bonus wagering requirements, as they significantly impact your chances of winning real money with a bonus. In a nutshell, wagering requirements tell you how much money you must wager before you may withdraw your bonus winnings.
You deposit $50 and receive a $50 bonus, giving you a total of $100 to play with.
Before you can cash out your bonus winnings, you must play through your deposit plus the bonus amount 30 times. (These values will differ from casino to casino).
You must now wager the $100 bonus at least 30 times before you can consider withdrawing any wins. That means that you’ll need to place $3,000 in bets.
You start playing with the bonus funds once you’ve used all funds in your real account balance. It’s at this point you begin wagering your bonus.
Game weighting percentages specify what percentage of each bet counts towards your wagering requirement.
Here are examples of average game weighting percentages for different game categories:
| Game type | Wagering Contribution |
|---|---|
| Slots | 100% |
| Table Games | 20% |
| Live Casino | 10% |
| Video Poker | 10% |
Online slots contribute 100%, meaning you can quite easily fulfil the wagering requirement. For every $1 you bet, an equal amount is deducted from your pending wagering requirement.
Live dealer games, on the other hand, have much lower game weighting percentages. This means that only a portion of the bet you are applying is put to use to fulfil the requirement.
To find out which games are excluded from bonus play, check the T&Cs specific to the offer you’ve claimed. Even if a promotion is slot-specific, it may only apply to a subset of the slots.
On the other hand, if you do not have eligible games stated in the bonus T&Cs, make sure you check the general T&Cs, as they disclose which games are eligible.
Maximum win limits ensure that bonuses are economically sustainable for the online casino. These limits help prevent situations where players could win huge amounts with bonuses that could put the casino at risk.
Here are some examples of win limits:
| Win Limit | Indication |
|---|---|
| $10 or less | Not Recommended |
| $10 – $50 | Fair but limited |
| $50 – $100 | Generous |
| $100 or more | Extremely worthwhile |
Let’s say a casino offers you 50 free spins with a win cap set at $100. This means that you will only be able to withdraw $100 from your free spin winnings, irrespective of how much you win.
Online casinos set a time limit for you to wager the bonus funds before it expires. You should generally have between 7 to 14 days to play through your welcome bonus.
Free spins, on the other hand, have a shorter time limit.
Let’s assume a casino offers you 10 free spins valid for 24 hours. This means that your free spins will be forfeited if you don’t use them within the next 24 hours after claiming the promotion.
You may be tempted to sidestep the problems mentioned above by betting big. Place two $1,000 bets on relatively safe wagers, and you’ll have met your $2,000 wagering requirements in minutes, right?
Unfortunately, online casinos are safeguarded against such strategies. The maximum stake for most bonus funds is significantly lower than the game’s typical limit, often around $5 as an industry standard.
In addition, some casinos have minimum odds policies. Essentially, this means you must have a chance of losing.
For example, you cannot cover every number in live roulette and play through the money without risking any of it. Some casinos openly prohibit such play as a violation of their bonus T&Cs.
Withdrawal limits are one of the most frequently overlooked terms by players. They become aware of these limits once they need to withdraw their winnings, as most online casinos restrict the amount of money you cash out.
Withdrawal limits are applied weekly, daily or monthly – it depends on the casinos, and since they’re time-based, you may have to be prepared to cash out large winnings in increments.
For instance, if you win $4,000 and the weekly withdrawal limit is $3,000, you must wait seven days to cash out the remaining $1,000. More information on withdrawal limits can be found in our worse casino bonus terms article.
Another thing to determine from the T&Cs is if the bonus is cashable or non-cashable. This is a condition that frequently confuses new players.
A cashable bonus is precisely what it sounds like – you meet the turnover requirements within the timeframe specified, and your winnings are converted into real money or transferred to your real money balance.
In contrast, a non-cashable bonus is when the casino deducts the bonus amount when you make a withdrawal request. You can use the funds to win, but once you’ve wagered all the extra cash, you will only receive the profits.
Key Takeaways
- Always read the bonus terms – Reading and comprehending the bonus T&Cs of any offer you claim will guarantee that your expectations are reasonable and that you can evaluate the bonus value.
- Select trustworthy casinos – Playing at a reputable online casino with fair bonus terms and conditions will reduce potential problems.
- Play for free before risking real money – If you are a new player, you can profit immensely from playing games in demo mode or claiming a no deposit bonus with fair bonus T&Cs.
Following the Bonus Terms and Conditions
With so many bonus terms, you might question if casinos even enforce them. The answer is yes – If you breach the rules even marginally, a casino will always revert to the T&Cs.
In addition, a casino’s governing body expects the operator and players to follow the rules to keep things running smoothly.
Other Bonus Requirements to Keep an Eye On
Before we wrap things up, we’ll go over a few more key bonus terms you should be aware of:
One bonus at a time
you should keep in mind that only one bonus can be active at any given moment. This does not prevent you from taking advantage of promotions after you have played through a bonus offer.
Comparing Online Casino Bonus Terms
It would help if you considered many different factors when looking to win real money at online casinos, such as wagering requirements, game selection, and the length of time the offer is available.
Still, when selecting a promotional offer, it’s critical to choose the ones with bonus terms best suited to your preferences.
After reading this guide, you should have a better idea of what bonus terms are and what you should look out for. By carefully going over the bonus terms, you can find promotions that give you the most value.
FAQ
In the page footer, most casinos include a link to the bonus T&Cs. To ensure a positive playing experience, read them thoroughly before registering an account and claiming a bonus.
The best online casino for beginners is one that is reputable, offers a wide range of games, has outstanding customer service, accepts secure payment methods, and has fair bonus terms that are easy to meet.
Meeting the wagering requirements always requires a certain amount of luck. However, if you claim a bonus with low wagering requirements, equitable RTP and volatility, or with an extended expiry date, you are more likely to fulfil the requirements.
Yes, you can take advantage of free spins or matched deposits with absolutely no wagering requirements attached. Check out our No Wagering Casino Bonus page for the best promotions in the industry.
We recommend looking into the minimum deposit required to claim a bonus, the wagering requirements, bonus validity, and the eligible games. Also, find out whether there are withdrawal limits and maximum bets you must follow.
Yes, as long as the bonus you’ve received is cashable. Please be aware that most no deposit offers include a winning cap limiting the maximum amount you may withdraw.
Prioritize Bonuses with Clear Wagering Requirements
Choose bonuses with wagering requirements that apply simply to the bonus amount. For instance, a 100% bonus with a wagering requirement of 40x applied exclusively to the bonus is preferable to a 30x wagering requirement applicable to both the bonus and its qualifying deposit.