How To Maximise Your Winnings With Casino Bonuses
Bonus: something extra, something unexpected.
Bo – Nes. Rolls off the tongue easily. Slips into your bank account even easier.
Boh – Nurse. An extra sum unattached to your monthly budget. Free. Do what you want with it.
Yeah, we definitely love our bonuses, especially the ones we get from playing with trusted casino providers! So, whether you’re playing online slots, or playing live dealer games, or even betting on sportsbooks, read this article and you’ll be able to:
-Know exactly what a casino bonus is.
-Know the various types of casino bonuses.
-Know how to turn your bonuses into real money.
-Walk away happy!
Excited to know more? Great! Let’s begin!
What Exactly Is A Casino Bonus?
In casino terms, a bonus is a reward given by a casino when certain conditions are met. These conditions can range from simply registering an account to racking up a certain amount of points in a system.
The range of what the reward entails is similarly quite wide although common rewards include free play of games or additional credit to play games. Certain casinos (especially online ones) even offer VIP membership bonuses that add an extra degree of exclusivity on top of the usual perks.
However, it’s important to note that casinos don’t all have the same rules and availability when it comes to bonuses! Some reliable casinos may have more player-friendly bonuses whilst others keep their requirements high (looking at you, “free credits, no deposit” bonuses) and some casinos may not have your preferred type of bonuses at all!
Thus, it’s always good to research and read up on your chosen providers so that you only play for the best and most trustworthy real money casinos!
The Casino Bonus Catch: Wagering Requirements
Here’s the thing with casino bonuses: when you go claim a bonus from a casino, you’ll only be paid in bonus money and not real money. This bonus money cannot be instantly withdrawn as real cash. All winnings from Free Spins, will similarly only get you bonus money. This bonus money can only be withdrawn when the wagering requirement is met.
A wagering requirement (otherwise also known as turnover) means that you must bet on a certain amount of money (usually a multiple of the bonus amount) before you can withdraw or cash in your winnings from the bonus. For instance, if you have a bonus of SGD 100 and the wagering requirement is ten times, you’ll need to wager 10 x SGD 100 (a total amount of SGD 1,000) before you can withdraw the bonus of SGD 100 (along with any winnings).
Do note that different casinos set different wagering requirements for different games and it is important to be aware of them before playing.
Next, we cover the different types of casino bonuses!
6 Common Types of Casino Bonuses
Welcome Bonus
A Welcome Bonus is the bonus you get when you first register for an account with a casino. Usually, this type of bonus comes in the form of Free Spins, Free Play, or Free Cash.
Match Bonus
Has nothing to do with matches, instead, a Match Bonus (a variation on Welcome Bonus) is when a casino matches the deposit amount you put in when you first register with them. For instance, if you create a new account and put in an SGD 30 deposit, the Match Bonus will give you an extra SGD 30 so that you have SGD 60 in total when you start playing.
Reload Bonus
A Reload Bonus is given when you add money to your casino deposit account (“reload”). The casino will subsequently give you a bonus based on your “reload”. It’s similar to a Match Bonus only it has lower return percentages and it only applies to subsequent deposit top-ups.
Loyalty Bonus
A Loyalty Bonus is the casino’s way of rewarding you for regularly playing with them. Rewards may come in the form of Free Spins, Free Play, Free Cash, or a membership upgrade (i.e. VIP). Usually, this bonus makes use of a points system that can be racked up by the number/frequency of games played as well as the bet amounts in the games.
Wager-Free Bonus
A Wager-Free Bonus is a bonus that is unaffected by wagering requirements. Thus, once you’ve gotten this bonus, you may immediately withdraw the winnings as real money.
Rescue Bonus
Regular players in online casinos will probably appreciate the Rescue Bonus (also known as Cashback) which is a fixed rate amount of cash you will be given back should you have a certain amount of losses in a certain period of time. Say you’ve lost about SGD 1,000 in a week, a 20% Rescue Bonus Rate means you will regain SGD 200 and only lose SGD 800 in total. Like Wager-Free Bonuses, Rescue Bonuses are unaffected by wagering requirements.
Finally, now that you know so much about the actual bonuses, it’s time for what you’ve all been waiting for: the tips to be a casino bonus ace!
5 Tips For Casino Bonuses
Tip 1: Always Know Your Bonuses
We mentioned it earlier but it bears repeating till your ears are sore: different casinos operate differently! Always do your research on what bonuses they have, what the conditions are, what are the wagering requirements. When you know exactly how the bonuses work in casinos A, B, or Z, you can be sure there aren’t any surprises left and can thus plan accordingly!
Tip 2: Put Your Own Free Spin
As a general rule, go for bonuses that offer Free Spins rather than those which offer Free Play or Free Cash. With Free Spins, you gain an opportunity to win even more than you normally would with the multiplier system that most Free Spins-eligible games often have. If you’re lucky you might get a steady stream of Free Spins and ultimately win far more than is possible with just a free game session or some extra deposit credit.
Tip 3: Use But Never Abuse The System
There are many ways to abuse the bonus system to gain an “advantage”. For instance, you might use your bonus money to play a game like slots at very high stakes while waiting for a bonus round. Then, once the bonus round arrives, you lower your stakes considerably while still meeting the wagering requirements, resulting in a game with a very high payout but low stakes!
Nonetheless, there might be many ways to exploit loopholes, but consequently, there are just as many ways that the casino may notice the abuse and ban you! This can result in a forfeit of all winnings and deposits! Most casino providers are on active look out for rule abusers and cheaters, so it’s not worth it to try to trick them.
Tip 4: Establishing “Loyalty” Takes Time
Most casinos have a withdrawal limit from bonus winnings so you’ll be risking more than you stand to win if your stakes are too high! The key isn’t to go overboard trying to catch the big bonuses.
Instead, strive to play more lower stake games compared to playing just a few high-risk ones. This way you’ll rack up Loyalty Bonus points more efficiently and also better cushion your bankroll if you hit a losing streak!
Tip 5: Forfeit Your Bonus
Wait, give up on the bonus, isn’t that completely counter to what this article is about? Well, no, because a big part of maximising casino winnings is also about minimizing unnecessary risks.
You can still lose money chasing a bonus, especially with how tough some wagering requirements can be! So, if you’re fast emptying your bankroll, or even if you’ve just won big, you may want to not risk it on bonuses.
In Conclusion
Casino bonuses can get quite complicated can’t they? But now that you know all about them, you can finally maximise your winnings! Register now at Play88 and get a hefty SGD 300 Welcome Bonus and other great promotions at our trusted Singapore online casino!