One of the biggest reasons to choose one online casino over other is the choice of bonuses offered, especially for newly registered players. Free spins, cash bonuses, VIP bonuses – the greater is the competition, the more tempting the bonuses get. However, as casino bonuses are essentially free and just little tokens of appreciation that the casino is willing to hand out, you can imagine that such bonuses come with a myriad of terms and conditions.
Wagering requirement
Wagering requirement is the big bad wolf of casino bonuses. You may get a bonus but that doesn’t mean you can immediately cash it out and be on your merry way. To protect the casino from scam artists, they usually require that the bonus must be wagered in certain amount before it can be withdrawn. If wagering requirement is 10x and your bonus amount was 100 dollars, it means, you must wager at least 1000 dollars in the casino before you can transfer that 100 dollars to your cash account. The requirement is most commonly under 40x but very rarely under 10x.
Time restrictions
No bonus can last forever – they all have certain due dates. The bonus is up for grabs usually at least 7 days, seldomly more than 30 days. That means you have limited time to fulfill the wagering requirement and make the bonus available for withdrawal. If you don’t succeed, you’ll simply lose the received bonus after the due date.
Payout restrictions
Not all bonuses require a deposit – there are plenty of no deposit bonuses that can be used to try out certain casino games without risking with your own money. However, as these bonuses are the most tempting for scammers, it’s clear that the bonus will not be handed out so easily.
The greatest restriction that applies limits the amount you can withdraw without making a deposit. That means, if you win 5000 dollars with your no deposit free spins, but the casino has limited withdrawals without deposit to 500 dollars, you can withdraw 500 dollars, but will need to give up 4500 dollars. As harsh as it may sound, such requirement is necessary to protect the integrity of the gambling site.
Registration requirements
Beyond everything else, there might be some specific requirements that limit who can register and claim bonuses. Not all bonuses apply to all countries, so before registering you should figure out if any restrictions apply to you. If you wish to claim a deposit bonus, make sure you deposit at least the minimum amount required in bonus terms, otherwise you might not be eligible for the tempting offer.
Even if the terms might seem harsh, think of it this way – you will get free money for nothing more than signing up. Such terms are there for a reason, that reason being to protect the casino from players who are up to no good. Strict requirements ensure that the casino can offer great games and functionality to only those who truly value it. Next time you see bonus terms that seem too harsh at first glance, try to think of it from this perspective. In the end, you will still get something for just a small effort!