Online casinos often create attractive promotions in order to encourage gamblers to sign up on their website. They offer users bonuses for registering and making a deposit and reward them for participating in tournaments. However, once credited to the account, these funds usually require wagering. And in order to take advantage of the special offer with maximum benefit to yourself, you need to understand in advance how to wager a casino bonus.
What Bonuses Casinos Offer
Casinos usually reward new players with bonus money or free spins. To get a so-called deposit match, you need to register in the casino and put a certain amount of money on your account. There is also such a thing as no deposit bonuses. For instance, some casinos offer 10 free spins no deposit. This means you can wager the bonus risk-free. However, consider that withdrawal of the money you win with such a freebie will be possible after making a deposit only.
Casino welcome gifts always come with certain terms. The most important indicator is the wagering requirements (WR) – the number of bets a user has to make to be allowed to withdraw his winnings from the bonus. We will discuss WR in more detail below.
How to Make Use Of the Bonus
The golden rule is to read bonus terms and conditions carefully before activating the reward. In most cases, you cannot withdraw your winnings until the bonus is fully wagered. For this reason, it is sometimes more advantageous to refuse the offer altogether than to have trouble when you want to request a money withdrawal.
Usually, no deposit bonuses have the highest wagering requirements. Experienced gamblers consider a reward with a wager higher than x40 to be disadvantageous. By the way, it is often necessary to wager a no deposit bonus at the casino in the first hours after receiving it because the wagering time is minimal. The situation with deposit matches is normally better – the period of their use can be up to 15-30 days, and the WR rarely exceeds x35.
Playing big, a casino user can meet the wagering requirements rather quickly. Understanding this, casinos limit the maximum bet per spin and mention it in the rules. In any case, experienced gamblers do not recommend making maximum bets but opt for a medium stake. This will give you the possibility to stay in the game longer and increase your chances of winning.
Here are some other nuances you have to consider in order to choose a decent online casino bonus:
- Limitation on the type of games
Some casino operators don’t set too high wagering requirements but simply prohibit wagering on Roulette, Blackjack, and other live-dealer games. If you wanted to play them with bonus money, you might be disappointed.
- Slots restriction
Sometimes casinos prohibit wagering the bonus in slots with a high RTP. The T&C include a list of slots where you can bet with bonus money. The same applies to free spins.
- Parts of the bonus with different WR
Only some casinos offer just a bonus match to newcomers. Usually, those who have just registered on the gaming site receive both a first deposit bonus and free spins. You need to consider that these two gifts can have different wagering requirements. And if you see that you need to wager free spins only 35x times, it does not mean that WR for the bonus match is the same.
- Bonus for two or three first deposits
Some casinos promise you a 300% bonus match with pretty adequate terms. Where is the pitfall? The thing is, such casinos often divide the welcome offer into several parts. For example, you can get a 100% match for the first deposit and 200% for the second one, but the offer will be promoted as a 300% bonus. Such gifts are not necessarily bad. But if the casino is welcoming you with a little trick, it does not seem to be a good beginning, does it?
Which Games are Better for Wagering
It is best to wager the bonus in slot machines with a high theoretical percentage of return if it is not prohibited by the rules. Therefore, we made a top selection of slots with high RTP for you.
- Mega Joker (NetEnt) – 99%. This is a classic slot with high winning potential. Consider that jackpot slot machines are likely to be on the list of slots prohibited for wagering. Information about this can be found in the terms and conditions. However, if you found a casino that does allow wagering a bonus with this slot, do not miss the chance.
- Blood Suckers (NetEnt) – 98%. The highest percentage of returns among the slots with a really great theme. The bonus game and other features of this slot will make you forget about wagering the bonus and simply enjoy spinning the reels.
- Jokerizer (Yggdrasil) – 98%. Try this simple video slot with fruit symbols to wager your welcome package. It has classic symbols well-familiar to most gamblers and gives you a high chance to win.
- Golden Tour (Playtech) – 97.71%. We are happy to tell you about this slot machine with a nice bonus round and pretty simple rules. The possibility of hitting the jackpot in the Golden Tour makes it even more exciting to play.
- Big Bad Wolf (Quickspin) – 97.35%. This popular casino machine often rewards players with free spins, which is one of the reasons for its popularity. Because of the high RTP and outstanding graphics quality, the slot is perfectly suitable to wager bonus money and have fun.
To Sum Up
No matter how generous the bonus looks reasonable terms and conditions are what make it really attractive. So don’t forget to check wagering requirements, validity time, and other things that matter when it comes to playing with the bonus money or using free spins.