Nearly all online casinos offer valuable incentives to start playing with them and if you don’t take advantage of welcome bonuses and other promotions you are basically depriving yourself of free money! These promotions, in particular the welcome bonus, are a great way to give your bankroll a healthy injection of capital thereby allowing you to play longer … and increase your opportunity to try out any of these systems and maximizing your chances of winning of course! There is fierce competition in the industry and you can pick up some rather lucrative deals.
However, it is important to always check the tedious terms and conditions of each promotion you are considering accepting and not just be attracted by the biggest ‘free cash’ figure that you happen across. This is because there is a catch to each and every promotion and they are known as ‘wagering requirements’ or ‘play through requirements’. This simply means that you are required to bet the bonus and deposit amount a certain number of times (usually 20 to 30 times) before you can cash out any of the free money. It is advisable to avoid any casino with a wagering requirement in excess of 50 times the deposit and bonus amount. In addition, be warned that not all games will count towards to meeting this wagering requirement or at least not at the same rate.
To use an example, let’s say that you see an 100% matching deposit bonus up to $100 and there is a wagering requirement of 20 times. You deposit $100, receive you other ‘free’ $100 but you will have to play through $4,000 worth of bets before you can even think about cashing out. And this is assuming that the games are you playing count 100% towards meeting the play through. This may not be realistic for every player and is something to consider seriously.
Also, keep any eye out for reload bonuses, alternative payment bonuses and monthly promotions. Whilst these may not be as profitable as the welcome bonus, they are certainly worth your efforts and keep your gaming experience fresh and lively.