Choosing an online casino can be hard work. There are so many out there so which one should you go with? Reviews websites like SlotsAdviser.com certainly help players decide, and there are plenty here at the site that will narrow down your search.
Along with reviews, bonuses for online slots are one of the most persuasive reasons for choosing a casino. But how good are they, and should you even claim them? In this article, we look at this pressing question and help you separate the great offers from the rest of the bunch.
What is an online slots bonus?
The most common slots bonus is the Welcome Bonus. Virtually every online casino will offer something for new customers to sign up.
The industry is highly competitive, and they know how tempting a great offer can be at enticing gamblers to try them out. As such, players are bombarded with amazing bonuses, some offering thousands of pounds in Bonus Cash. Here are several examples of the kind of offers you can find:
- Deposit €100 and Play with €200 + 50 Free Spins
- €1,000 Welcome Bonus
- £100 + 120 Free Spins
- 100% up to £100
- Deposit £20 – Claim 50 Free Spins
As you can see, there is a lot of variety out there! Most slots bonuses come in the form of Bonus Cash and/or Free Spins so let’s take a look at these concepts separately.
Bonus Cash
There are casinos offering hundreds and even thousands of pounds for signing up. These are common offers, where a casino will literally top up an account to reward new players for making a deposit. If a casino says you will get £1,000 bonus, you do indeed receive an additional £1,000 in your account to gamble with.
So why would you not want to take the bonus money and run? The reason why is that money initially comes in the form of bonus funds which cannot be withdrawn straight away. To convert the bonus funds into cash (which can be withdrawn), you will need to complete wagering requirements first.
Once this has been done, then the bonus funds are transferred to the cash balance and can be withdrawn – result! Wagering requirements can be complicated, so we will dedicate some time to them shortly.
Free Spins
Bonus offers can often come with Free Spins attached. Sometimes, the bonus will only contain Free Spins. Many Free Spin bonuses come with wagering requirements as mentioned above, but many do not.
More and more often these days you can find Free Spins that do not come with any restrictions at all. These Free Spin bonuses are like gold dust, and it is hard to think of a reason why a player would turn them down.
Imagine this – Free Spins that have no wagering requirements, with no limit on how much money you can win from them. This is like gambling for free, and what could be better than that? Whatever the bonus is, make sure to read the terms of each offer carefully. You don’t want to void winnings on a missed technicality!
Wagering Requirements
It all sounds pretty good so far. Free cash, free spins, so what’s the catch? The vast majority of the time catches are not used to trick players. Most online casinos are serious companies that do not need to resort to such tactics. They are in business though and don’t want to hand away all of their money. To balance the offers, you can often find wagering requirements as one of the key terms.
Let’s look at an example. Say a casino gives a player £100 on top of their deposit. The player has deposited £100, the casino tops them up with another £100, and the result is £200 to gamble with.
Let’s say that the bonus comes with wagering requirements of 35x. This means that bonus cash and its winnings cannot be withdrawn until this condition has been met. £100 times 35 equals £3,500, so this is the amount that needs to be played through until the bonus cash can be withdrawn.
35x is a common figure in the industry, but it could be higher or lower depending on the specific offer. This is the kicker. Players need to figure out if the wagering requirements fit in with their bankroll and gambling style. If it does, great! Then it makes sense to take up the offer. If not, then it might not be worth their while.
Keep in mind as well, those slots bonuses do not need to be played through. Let’s say a player opts into a bonus but can’t complete its requirements. In this case, the bonus cash will vanish from the account with no other penalty. Since this is the case with the majority of offers, players will often accept the bonus and see how it goes – nothing to lose right?
Ongoing Promotions
The same principle can be applied to any promotion that a casino offers. The key is to understand what is required on the part of the individual gambler and see if it is worth playing for. There is even more variety in promotions for existing customers, and some of them require little input to redeem. Examples of these could be:
- Stake £10 and get 10 Free Spins
- Stake 25 for a ticket into a prize draw.
These offers generally have fewer conditions attached to them and are an attractive option for many players.
Conclusion – so should you claim or skip?
The key to answering that question will be found in the terms of the bonus. Players need to weigh up what they get versus what they need to do to redeem the offer. Bonuses without wagering requirements or win limits are easier to decide! Others may take time more time to digest.
The great thing is that there is no need to be confused. There are so many fantastic slots bonuses that players can always find something that suits them. Check the site for a huge list of brilliant bonuses to choose from.