If you take a look at online casinos nowadays, you will see that they are mostly competing in which one offers the biggest and best bonuses to its players. Welcome bonuses, reload bonuses and others are among the best marketing tools they have, so they make good use of it. Different bonus types come with different terms, conditions and requirements which you’d better understand to avoid unpleasant surprises while you play. Let’s see.

1. No deposit bonuses

We all know them and like them – these are the bonuses a casino offers its players without the need of making any deposits, to be able to test drive the casino itself without the need to risk your own money. But make no mistake, there is no such thing as free money. These no deposit bonuses have their share of applicable terms and conditions.

First of all, the amount you get as a no deposit bonus is play money, meaning that it can’t be cashed out. Usually the amount is only available for a limited time – a few days tops – after which it is removed from your account, leaving you with a part of the winnings generated using it. The money you are left with is usually play money as well until you make a real money deposit and complete a second set of play-through requirements.

2. Deposit matches

These tend to be the most attractive bonuses of them all (or sometimes they just look like them). The lowest deposit match I have seen was 50%, and the largest one had the potential to exceed 1000% (this was a special case, which I will present in another article). Deposit matches always come with conditions and play-through requirements which can be found either in the casino Terms or in the bonus Terms:

– minimum deposit amount – if applicable, the casino specifies that the bonus can be claimed for a specific minimum amount (usually equal to the minimum accepted deposit specified in the casino Terms)
– list of allowed games – red flush casino australia, you will be able to play over 500 different online casino games, but the first deposit bonus requirements can only be completed on slots and keno, for example
– list of banned games – sometimes the casino specifies that by playing on any other game than the ones in the list of allowed games can void the bonus and all winnings generated using it.
– play-through requirements – specifies how many times a player must roll over the bonus or the deposit+bonus amount to become eligible for a cash-out
– max cash-out limit – this is not present in all casinos, but where it is, it specifies how much of the winnings generated by using the bonus funds can be cashed out (usually 10x the original deposit amount).

3. Comp points

These comp points – complementary points generated by spending real money at casino games – are also a form of bonus. The points gathered by a player can be converted into cash or real life prizes (depending on the casino) which usually don’t have any further requirements attached to them. Still, it’s wise to read the terms applying to them, too, to avoid any surprises.

Casino bonuses can look diverse, but usually fit into the above three categories. Be sure to know the difference.