Casino Bonuses and How they Work

As soon as you visit a new online casino, you are likely to be bombarded with ads for promo offers, "one time deals" and no deposit bonuses. It can get confusing for a newcomer, especially if you are not familiar with what these things mean exactly. In order to find the best casino bonus offers and promotions in the UK, you must first understand how it all works.

Wagering Requirements

A wagering requirement or a playthrough requirement as it is called sometimes is the number followed by an "x" in front of the bonus that is being offered to you. What that number represents is the minimum number of times a user must gamble the given bonus cash or credit, before the money in the user's account can be withdrawn. A 10x wagering requirement on a £100 bonus means that you will have to make bets worth at least £1000 before you can cash it out.

Gaming Restrictions

The bonus you are given in an online casino will in most cases, apply to specific games only. Slot games are usually where the bonus money is supposed to be spent. Games such as blackjack, roulette, etc usually do not give you full value of the bonus when it comes to fulfilling the minimum wagering requirements. For example, if you have been given £200 in bonus and you use it to bet in roulette, your bet will only shave off a small percentage (5% - 20%) from the minimum staking requirement. The percentage varies depending on how much of a cut a particular casino has on the particular game in question.

Cashable and Sticky Bonuses

A cashable bonus amount can be withdrawn after the minimum wagering requirements are met. If you try to cash out your winnings before you have met the requirements, it will fail. A sticky bonus cannot usually be withdrawn from your account but is always available to be used in a bet. The non-deposit bonus offers are usually all sticky bonuses. This means that if you win £100 by using some of the £300 no-deposit bonus you were given on joining, the total amount of money that you will see in your account will be £400. However, the £300 sticky bonus will remain in your account and only the £100 which you won will qualify for a cashout, provided that you have already met the wagering requirements.

As you can see, while bonus offers are great, it is important to understand what you are getting into and what to expect before starting with your gambling ventures. Casinos are not there to lose money, so bonuses are a good way to start off with but just do not consider them the same as cash in the bank.