By Samantha Williams
Anything for nothing is a bargain according to my old mum, in a way she is right, but we also have to remember that everything comes at a price. Online Casino Bonuses, may mean free chips, spins or money for the newly registered member, as well as existing players – but again, the rule of thumb is, everything comes at a price. Always read the small print.
In this instance the small print is Terms and Conditions, and every good online casino, makes these conditions clearly known to members. It is the sites which don’t make the T’s & C’s of their online casinos bonuses clear…that we really need to steer clear of. If we know what we are in for, we may opt in for bonuses or not, so, that the decision to take-up a bonus or not, also becomes an educated decision.
All casinos online offer bonuses as part of their marketing plan. They budget for these in their cash flow and this factors into the prizes paid out, as well as a whole lot of other conditions. It is for this very reason that the casino which offers the lowest bonuses, also offer the biggest prizes, and the best wagering requirements. Bonuses may consist of all of these factors, any/or various combinations:
? No deposit bonus
? First deposit bonus
? Ongoing deposit bonus
? Bonuses for using alternative payment methods
? Bonuses for taking part in promotion
? Friend referral bonuses
? Birthday bonuses
? VIP bonuses
Taking advantage of online casino bonuses means in essence – value for money. While this is true in the most part, we need to know what we are doing when we claim these free gift, and this is why it is so important to understand wagering requirements and how these work. Terms and conditions tell us what the wagering requirement is, and it is from this information and our budget that we determine how much money to deposit. For example; €/£/$10 is generally the minimum deposit and the maximum can go up to the thousands. The bigger and better-name a site, the more likely it is to be that bonus amounts are capped. In this instance; wagering requirements are either non existent or extremely fair.
On a scale of 1 – 10, we would say “no wagering requirements” is excellent, while 10 x is “good”, 20 x is “fair” and anything above that is simply outrageous. We do however see some sites which offer 50 or even 100 x wagering requirements. Why any sensible person would want to join any site with such ridiculous terms is completely beyond our comprehension. Making a small deposit and claiming a small bonus, means players who are not millionaires can get conditions met much more efficiently.
