By Samantha Williams

Most top online casinos today take the players point of view into account, they offer winning strategies and systems as well as ‘practice for free’ options. There are no download, no deposit games that can be played in demo mode, and some casinos are even starting to offer a whole suite of real play games in no-download formats.

Top casinos online offer a fair, secure, reliable service, they are chosen for their good reputation, and players trust them to provide a high standard of customer service. But what about bonuses – are they just a gimmick to attract new sign-ups?

There are many types of bonus on offer when we play at top online casinos, so, it pays to know more than just a little something about them. For example some sites offer one hour of free play, while others may offer a few pounds or dollars of ‘no-deposit’ funds.  Many of the top sites don’t even offer either of these no-deposit bonuses and will attract players quite easily with, 100% 200% or even more as a cash-match, sign-up bonus money account, and this is when it starts costing ‘Real Money”.

We are talking about wagering requirements, and this is where the top sites take the players point of view into account. Sites without much of a reputation can really take their players for a rough ride. On the other hand, casino websites with big reputations tend to be much kinder with wagering requirements. Take for example William Hill casino, they offer bigger jackpots, better bonuses and even better wagering requirements. This site clearly defines what they want from the player, and there is a 20 x wagering requirement on the first deposit bonus.

On the other hand, casino websites we have seen that are less well known, want anything from 30, 40, 50, and we have even seen 100 x wagering requirements before bonuses are released or withdrawals of winnings can be made.   

Bonus terms and conditions often don’t only include wagering requirements, and there are other elements to be considered also. The top online casinos make these known, but at less than reliable sites, these elements are hard to find. The player needs to calculate the cost of the bonus by taking into account:

• Wagering requirements
• Game contributing percentage and whether a game qualifies
• The house edge of the game.

We will go into these factors in a little more detail in a later article. But for now suffice it to say that knowledge of these factors is important before choosing an online casino. The top online casinos take these factors very much into consideration by operating with transparency, while the websites lower down the scale, appear to be a little more ‘tricksy’ about it.

By Samantha Williams

No deposit casinos are a special feature that we only find when we play online. Basically this means that the player does not need to make a deposit first to play, and may try the site before they buy. There are various ways in which no deposit casinos work and some will offer a certain amount of free spins or time, while others offer a cash value for the new member to get started playing.

For example, the Gaming Club, which is a Microgaming site, offers 30 free spins on the download game ‘Madhatters’ or the no-download game, or Flash version of the Osbournes. But no other games may be played on this bonus.  Mummys Gold Casino is also Microgaming and they give potential new members  1 Hour plus $/£/€/C$500 Free to play. Winnings from this promotion may be transferred to a real money account, but there are some terms and conditions which understandably need to be met in order to claim any winnings. The player needs to place 100 or more bets on any game as well as deposit $50+.

Getting something for nothing is great fun, but it pays to remember that the more well-known a site is, the less they give away for free. This is chiefly due to the fact that these sites are not so tricky about how they draw in their customer base. In other words they are more above board. All no deposit casinos come with terms and conditions that must be met for the player to get the full value.

Even though the no deposit bonus has been common practice from as far back as online gambling first began, and were used as marketing leverage, they have become a standard practice for many sites. Yes…they are still used as marketing leverage, but if you don’t have anything to lose and you might win…well…what have you got to lose? Players now expect to receive these bonuses when they play at certain sites, and despite the fact that there was talk of phasing them out many years ago, this has actually yet to happen. We certainly believe that websites which need an edge over the big brands online will hang onto their no deposit casinos policy, tooth and nail.

Although the most common bonus is the cash match welcome bonus, this cannot be said to be a no deposit bonus. The player must register for an account and make a deposit to receive the cash match, where as with the no deposit bonus, no deposit at all is supposed to be required. It is a powerful attractor for many players, but do be careful when you play, because wagering requirements must be met, so, always read terms and conditions and make sure you agree with these. In the long term this avoids any disappointments for the player.