Understanding Casino Bonus Terms Conditions

Terms and conditions are viewed as the least exciting things to read at online casino sites. Although, by putting in some extra effort, you can use casino bonus terms and conditions to your advantage, with this guide taking you through all of the key factors.

Deposit Stipulations

At first your might realise, but it’s very common for casino sites to impose terms and conditions from the outset, starting with the ones below.

Minimum Deposit

The first that comes to find would be deposit bonus terms and conditions, whereby you have to meet a minimum stake threshold in order to trigger a welcome offer. For instance, £10 or more is very common, but you can encounter as low as £5 or as large as £20.

No Deposit

You might believe that these deals are simple, but no deposit bonus terms and conditions must be considered. In some cases, for example, you will not receive the funds until you add a viable credit or debit card to your casino account.

Excluded Payment Methods

From terms and conditions (T&Cs), these can be the hardest to take. There are some casino sites out there that will prevent players from claiming welcome bonuses with e-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller.

Promo Codes

In some instances, casino sites will use promo codes when awarding their welcome offers. Therefore, you should always read T&Cs along with promotional to ensure a promo code is not being asked for. If it is, then you must follow the precise instructions.

Bonus Categories

For players, it is understandable to view bonus funds as being the same, but the fact of the matter is that they vary depending on how they are defined. Learn more by reading about bonus categories.

Cashable Bonuses

This is a straightforward bonus that will commonly be secured from making a deposit. As the name indicates, the bonus funds can be redeemed for cash, but only after clearing wagering requirements.

Non-cashable Bonuses

This next category is divided in two, as casino sites can offer non-cashable bonuses in a couple of formats:

• Sticky type I: This is a bonus that will be removed whenever you elect to withdraw winnings. For example, you have a £20 bonus with £10 worth of winnings, but the £20 will be removed whenever the £10 is claimed. This is still a good bonus, though, as the wagering requirements are usually low or absent entirely.
• Stick type II: The sticky type II is more appealing than I because you will get to keep the bonus after removing winnings. However, there could be an expiry date that the bonus funds have to be used by.

Wagering Requirements

For players, the dream casino scenario is one where they do not have to be concerned about wagering requirements. However, the fact of the matter is that these requirements prevent organised criminals from laundering their ill-gotten gains in a fraudulent manner.

Deposit Bonuses

Wagering requirements are commonly placed on these bonuses. Players must play through the bonus funds a predefined number of times in order to cash them out. As an example, there could be 40x requirements on the combined value of a £20 deposit plus £20 bonus. This would mean £40 x 40 to give a total wagering value of £1,600 that must be met.

No Deposit Bonuses

These bonuses are given away free, but not from wagering requirements, with casinos usually increasing the rate. In this example, you receive a £5 no deposit bonus with 80x requirements, giving a total wagering value of £400.

Free Spins

Quite often, any winnings from free spins will be converted straight into bonus funds, with players asked to clear wagering requirements. After gaining £10 worth of winnings, you might still be asked to clear 40 times the value, which would be £400.

Game Weightings and Restrictions

Casinos do not treat all wagering equally when using bonus funds. For the most part, video slots will clear bonuses at a rate of 100%, but this will dramatically decrease for other game categories, while some will be excluded entirely. The following is a sample list of game weightings by percentage contribution to wagering requirements:

• Video slots: 100%
• Classic slots: 75%
• Roulette: 50%
• Other table games: 10%
• Progressive jackpots: 0%
• Video poker: 0%

Withdrawal Limits

The online casino marketplace can offer up some enormous welcome packages worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Among players, it’s easy to see these as big pay days, but first you must consider the withdrawal restrictions.

Minimum Withdrawals

There have been casinos that offer £5 no deposit bonuses saying players can keep what they win, but yet the minimum withdrawal amount is set at £30. This is important to consider if you are not willing to make a deposit.

Maximum Withdrawals

A casino could be offering a £2,000 welcome package, but your cashable bonus level could be restricted to just £1,000 after meeting wagering requirements.

Making the Most of Bonus T&Cs

Finally, this guide will provide a selection of tips on how you make ensure that bonus T&Cs are not working against you:

• Check the deposit value: What looks like a great deal might turn sour once you realise that you are not willing to stump up £50 to unlock the goodies.
• Deposit bonus stipulations: No deposit offers look instantly appealing, but their often high wagering requirements can be unrealistic to clear. This can make deposit bonuses look even better, and more so if your stake is free from requirements.
• Cashable or non-cashable: Cashable bonuses do look good to players, but non-cashable can be very effective for claiming winnings if they have no wagering requirements, which is often the case.
• Check games weightings: There are casino that will exclude roulette from wagering requirements, but others that will weight them at 50%. In this case, roulette can be extremely effective for clearing wagering requirements with even-money bets.

Casino bonus T&Cs are not so daunting once you understand them, and you can even make them work to your advantage by checking back in with this guide from to time.