Online casinos offer many types of different bonuses. One of the most common ones is the deposit bonus. We’re here to explain what exactly a deposit bonus is and what you can expect and need to consider when claiming one.
General
A deposit bonus is called that because you are required to first make a deposit into your online casino account before you can claim it. There are various ways to do that (such as credit card, eWallets or prepaid options) and there’s usually a minimum deposit required to activate the bonus.
The minimum deposit at most casinos tends to be €10 to €20 (or the currency equivalent). That’s a fair amount and in return, you will receive bonus cash from your chosen casino.
Often, a deposit bonus is also called a ‘match bonus’ because the casino matches the amount you have deposited or at least a percentage of it. The most common match bonus you’ll see is the 100% deposit or match bonus, meaning you will receive the same amount in bonus money that you have deposited in real cash. However, there’s a limit! Every casino will limit the maximum amount of bonus cash you may receive. That could be as little as €50, in which case you will get €50 bonus cash when you deposit €50 real cash. Should you deposit €100 instead, you will still only receive €50 from the casino.
The average tends to be between €100 and €200, but more is possible and online casinos that offer high roller bonuses, will match deposit bonuses up to several thousand Euro (or Dollar, Pound, etc.).
Types of deposit bonuses
There are various types of deposit bonuses online casinos may have available to their customers. We’re breaking the most common types that you are likely to encounter here.
Welcome Bonus:
Almost every online casino out there offers some kind of welcome package to new customers (notable exceptions would be PlayOjo or the No Bonus Casino). A welcome bonus will only ever be available for the very first deposit you make at your chosen casino. And it is almost always a deposit or match bonus. The most common variation available is a 100% match bonus and up to €100/€200 in bonus cash. That means you can make a deposit of €100 and receive €100 from the casino. That gives you €200 to play with and is intended to get you started. A welcome bonus always comes with specific bonus conditions, which also include wagering requirements. We’ll explain wagering requirements in more detail in a separate article.
More generous online casinos may offer a 200% welcome bonus, though the match amount may be reduced to €50. In such a case, you would deposit €25 and receive €50 from the casino. The possibilities are as numerous as there are casinos around.
2nd and 3rd Deposit Bonus:
Some casinos offer welcome packages that will give you special deposit bonuses on your 2nd and sometimes even 3rd (or even 4th and 5th) deposit. In such cases, you will very rarely receive a 100% match bonus, however. Instead, the match percentage will be reduced to 75%, 50% or 25%. Any combination thereof is possible. That means you might receive a 50% bonus for your second deposit. If you decide to deposit a further €100, you will receive a maximum of €50 from the casino.
In cases of welcome bonuses with multiple deposit bonuses, online casinos could offer you a package that gives you 100%, 50%, 25% and another 50% for your first four deposits. We’ve seen countless variations of such packages. Interestingly, sometimes casinos will offer higher match percentages for the last deposit as an added incentive for customers to claim it.
Reload Bonus:
Common offers at online casinos include reload bonuses. These also require you to first make a deposit. They may be available weekly, monthly or only for special occasions. Some casinos will match your deposit with 100% once again, but more often than not you’re likely to find reload bonuses offering 20% to 50% instead. They will usually give you less bonus money as well, perhaps up to €50.
Reload bonuses are intended as regular incentives to keep players engaged. They also have bonus conditions attached and wagering requirements will need to be considered. We have found, however, that they’re usually a little less strict.
High Roller Bonus:
This type of deposit bonus is aimed at players who tend to spend/play more. High roller bonuses can come in the form of welcome offers, reload bonuses or one-time specials. Here the minimum deposit tends to be much higher than for regular offers (often at least €200 if not €500). The match amount is almost always 100%, though here the casino may match a customer’s deposit up to at least €1,000 and often more than that.
Once again, bonus conditions are wagering requirements will apply. Since the bonus amount is higher here, the conditions attached are also likely to be different from regular bonuses.
Things to consider when accepting a deposit bonus
Before accepting any kind of bonus, you will wade through a lot of information. You will want to review the casino you might be signing up for, which includes paying particular attention to the bonus conditions.
It’s important to only ever sign up at reputable online casinos. When doing so, bonuses tend to be one of the primary incentives players consider, but not all bonuses are great deals. Bonus conditions and wagering requirements are among the most common reasons for dissatisfaction and misunderstandings.
Reading the terms and conditions for anything tends to be tedious at best and often most of us just skip ahead. But here we are talking about your hard-earned money and if you want to play safely and with enjoyment, you need to read the bonus conditions.
So, some of the questions you will need to ask yourself are these:
- Are the bonus conditions fair?
- Am I likely to be able to complete the wagering requirements?
- How important is it for me to meet the wagering requirements (you can, after all, decide not to have the bonus funds and any winnings from it paid out)?
- Will I even use regular deposit offers?
Keep in mind that online casinos usually only allow you to have one active bonus at a time. Some deposit bonuses may lock your own funds as well, requiring you to complete wagering requirements before you can make any kind of withdrawal.
Some online casinos also only permit the use of regular reload bonuses, if you’ve also claimed the welcome package (which you are usually allowed to opt-out of).
We’re here to help you navigate the pitfalls of claiming any kind of bonus, so let us know if you have further questions.
FAQ about different types of Deposit Bonuses
The “best” is always difficult to define, so it makes the most sense to look at what makes a good deposit bonus. That must make a good bonus:
– Low wagering requirements
– Potentially high bonus amount
– As few games as possible that are excluded
– Secure deposits and withdrawals and a reputable casino
For example, a bonus that only needs to be wagered 25 times, has 200%, does not exclude slots and is a reliable casino with a Malta and UK license – that is very good. Whether it is the best depends mainly on what you want. It is of no use if you only want to play Blackjack and no slot machines are excluded.
A bonus with no deposit is a bonus you get even if you don’t make a deposit. Without risk, this bonus makes it possible to win money. The problem is often that the requirements for wagering are very high. So you get a 10 Euro No Deposit Bonus, for example, which you need to wager 40 times. That is 4000 Euro turnover with just 10 Euro – hardly feasible. So it’s actually these conditions that make such a bonus attractive or a waste of time.
Yes, there is such a bonus, and the big bookmakers in the UK usually offer it. The problem is that these bonuses are often very small, like depositing 10 Euros and getting a bonus of 50 Euros. This is all well and good, but with such small amounts it becomes difficult to meet the turnover conditions. At the end of the day, you will usually have to make another deposit – and that’s exactly what makes the 500% null and void.
Yes, and it has become a very popular offer. On the one hand for casinos and on the other hand for fans of slot machines. The casino can also push certain slot machines really well and increase demand.
For example, you get 30 free spins for Book of Dead or Starburst if you deposit at least € 50 and activate the € 100 bonus. This is how such free spins bonus offers look like.
