The welcome bonus offered by online casinos is like a starter kit for a new video game. It provides you with some additional goodies to help you discover a new realm, and it can be an excellent way to discover that new world as well. However, just like a loot box, it is not always easy to see what you are getting and how you can use it. A large bonus package may look extremely attractive at first, but the terms and conditions that come with it may make it complicated to use.
The first secret to maximizing the bonus is to match it with the games that you want to play. A bonus package that is ideal for a slots player may be of little use to a blackjack player. The terms and conditions are like learning the rules of a new game and once you learn it, you can develop a strategy to help you maximize the bonus.
Bonus Types
First of all, you have to understand what type of bonus you are dealing with. The majority of welcome bonuses can be divided into two large groups.
The first and most popular type is Deposit Match. This type of bonus is when the casino matches your deposit amount with a bonus amount so for example, you might see a “100% match up to $200” bonus and this means that if you deposit $100, the casino will give you an additional $100 bonus, making your total balance $200. It is a fantastic way to double your initial deposit amount.
The second popular type is Free Spins. In this case, instead of receiving a bonus amount, the casino will give you a certain number of free spins on a particular slot machine or a group of slot machines. You might receive 50 free spins on a brand new slot machine just for opening an account and making a small deposit. Any winnings you receive from these spins will be converted into a bonus amount, which will then have its own terms and conditions.
The Main Quest
Every bonus comes with one major rule you should be aware of and that’s the wagering requirement. The wagering requirement is always represented by a multiplier, such as 10x or 20x and it indicates how much you must bet before your bonus funds can be turned into real money.
Here is how it works. Suppose you receive a bonus of $20 with a 10x wagering requirement and so in this case, you must place a total of 200 in bets (20 x 10) before completing the quest. Once you have placed a total of $200 in bets, the initial bonus of $20, plus any winnings you made from it, will be turned into real money in your account that you can withdraw.
The purpose of this rule is quite simple. It ensures that players do not use the bonus to simply walk away with the free money. For you as a player, the lower the wagering requirement, the better. Completing a 10x requirement is much simpler than completing a 40x requirement.
Game Contributions
This is where the importance of matching your bonus to your game comes in. Not all games will contribute to your wagering quest at the same rate. This is known as game contribution, and it is typically expressed in the form of a percentage.
Let’s say that you have a wagering quest of 1,000 experience points. Different games will award you different amounts of experience points for every dollar that you wager.
Slot machines always contribute 100% and so this means that if you wager $1 on a slot machine, you will receive $1 worth of experience points towards your quest. It’s the quickest way to grind out your requirement.
Table games such as blackjack and roulette contribute very little. Their contribution may be only 10% or 20% and this is because these games have a lower house edge, which means that the player has a better chance of winning. This means that if blackjack contributes 10% and you wager $10, you will only receive $1 (10% of $10) towards your quest and also you would have to wager ten times as much on blackjack as you would on slots to complete the same wagering quest.
Your Bonus Strategy
Understanding game contributions enables you to plan a strategy.
As a slots player, you are in luck. Any kind of deposit match bonus or free spins bonus is perfect for you. Since slots have a 100% contribution to the bonus, you can easily complete the requirement just by playing your favorite slots. This makes slots the best bonus to clear, a fact that is well known to players of Canada slot games and all over North America.
As a table games player, you have to plan a strategy. A deposit match bonus can still be good for you, but you have to be aware of the low contribution rates. The 10% contribution rate for blackjack means that you have to play for a much longer time to clear the bonus. As a table games player, the best bonuses for you are those that have low wagering requirements, such as 5x or 10x. Some casinos also offer special “live casino” bonuses that are especially for games such as live blackjack, and these often have better terms for table games players.
Reading the Fine Print
Apart from the wagering requirements and game contribution percentages, there are a few other terms to be aware of. These are always worth checking in the bonus terms and conditions.
There is always a time limit on bonuses. You may be required to fulfill the wagering requirement within 7 or 30 days. If not, your bonus money could vanish.
There is always a max bet limit. This is because you are not allowed to bet more than a certain amount, such as $5, per spin or hand when using bonus money.
Lastly, there may be some games that are not allowed at all. For instance, you are not supposed to use bonus money to play progressive jackpot slots.
Level Up Your Bonus Strategy
Welcome bonuses are a wonderful way to discover a new online casino. They will give you more time to play and more opportunities to try out various games. However, welcome bonuses are not all created equal. The trick is to see beyond the large number advertised in the headline and to know the rules of the game.
By examining the rules of the welcome bonus, specifically the game contribution percentages, you can find a bonus that matches the way you play and so playing the right game with the right bonus is the best way to level up your experience.
