When choosing an online casino to register on, players usually take a lot of things into consideration. Somehow, the offer often depends on the bonus, even though it turned out so many times that bonuses aren’t a big thing in online gambling at all. Some experts go even further and claim that casinos without bonuses are actually a much better choice.
We can’t say if this is true or not, but we can evaluate some things regarding bonuses. We will try to measure the actual importance of these promotions and make a conclusion about their worth. To do that, we will briefly go through some of the most important aspects of casino bonuses.
Why Casinos Give Bonuses?
Well, the answer is super simple. The competition in the online casino market is extremely tough and casinos use different ways to get more users. Promotions are the most common way, particularly welcome bonuses. These bonuses come as a reward for new players, who choose a certain website over others.
Operators offer different kinds of bonuses. Some offer more money, while others include things like free spins for a slot game and similar things. On the other side, the most intriguing thing about bonuses is the wagering requirement. You can’t just claim a bonus and then withdraw the money. That would be too easy.
What Is Wagering Requirement?
This is probably the most important aspect of casino bonuses. Whether rewards require deposits or not, a vast majority of them have wagering requirements. They are related to the exact amount of bonus money and you usually have to wager a much bigger sum to become eligible for using the bonus money, as well as the money you’ve won by wagering bonus money.
A wagering requirement is usually displayed in a form that includes the “x” latter and a certain number. In other words, the number says how many times your wagering has to be bigger compared to the bonus money before you meet wagering requirements. So, if a wagering requirement is x10, and the bonus is $20, that means that you need to spend $200 before you become eligible of using 20 dollars of the bonus. Read full guide on wagering your bonus at Foxbonus.
Other Limitations
After seeing how the wagering requirement works, it’s easy to conclude that casino bonuses aren’t as good as they seem at first. The thing with them is that this isn’t the only issue. There are many other limitations, regarding casino bonuses.
One of the first limitations that come to mind is the maximum bet size. It’s usually pretty small, which significantly reduces your chance to win a big prize with bonus money. With some casinos, things can be even worse. In some cases, a house can also limit the maximum cashout sum. In other words, even if you win a prize with the bonus money, there’s a chance that you will be able to withdraw just a part of it. Therefore, it’s vastly important to read all the terms and conditions before claiming any bonus.
Another thing that comes to mind is the time limit. Bonuses are usually limited to a certain period and you have to wager all the bonus money before time expires. This isn’t particularly convenient, especially for players who don’t play online casino too often.
Big limitations can affect players who prefer slot games as well. For example, a free spins bonus may seem very generous but eventually, you would find out that free spins don’t work with all slots games. In many cases, free spins are restricted to a certain number of slot games. Usually, those are less popular games, or maybe some new titles. In any case, you probably won’t get the opportunity to use free spins on the most popular slots.
What To Look When Picking a Casino?
Although bonuses aren’t as great as they may seem, there are still useful. However, we believe that there are many other things you should prioritize when picking a website to register. For example, one of the first things that come to mind is the game offer. The best casinos are those that have a generous offer of great games. This doesn’t refer to the number of games only, but to other things as well. For example, there is a variety of games, which means having a choice between playing slots, table games, live casino etc. Of course, providers are hugely important too. We all want to play games that come from the highest reputable developers.
User experience is as important. In some measure, this may be a matter of personal preferences, especially when it comes to website design. On the other hand, there are some things that make a pretty obvious difference between good and excellent online casinos. Payment methods are some of the first things that come to mind. It’s always great when you have a bigger number of options. A good online casino accepts not just credit cards, but also a variety of e-wallets, cryptocurrencies etc.
Safety is another very important aspect and in our eyes, a casino with a reputable license is miles better than a casino that has a fantastic welcome bonus. Some of the highest reputable licenses are those issued by governments of the UK, Malta, Curacao etc.
Finally, it’s always great to play on a website where you can count on excellent customer support. We like casinos where we can get a response quickly, and where we can communicate in different ways, via phone, email, live chat etc.
Bottom Line
We hope you have a clearer picture in your head now. Yes, casino bonuses are a nice thing but that doesn’t mean that casinos without bonuses aren’t worth it. Quite the opposite, they can be fantastic if they are strong in all those fields we’ve just mentioned.
We believe that online casino bonuses shouldn’t be a determining factor when picking a casino website at all. They aren’t so relevant and it wouldn’t be a bad idea that even if there is a bonus, you just hit the Skip button and start playing without claiming any bonus. Bonuses are a nice thing but far away from something that could be called important.