A bonus is a promotional tool used by an online or mobile casino site to invite you to come and try their offering. Without the ability to offer dining experiences, free hotel rooms and celebrity concerts and private events online casinos focus on the simplest customer attraction tool they have – top quality casino bonuses!
That being said not all bonuses have been created equally! The savviest players know that a big face number and a lot of flashing the word ‘Free’ does not necessarily make the welcome bonus or promotion the top bonus for you!
Another thing which makes it necessary to really dig deep into the promotional terms is that bonuses comprise prizes, comp points, Free Spins, free credits and deposit match bonuses. Each of these has its own set of rules around wagering, game play and cashout requirements prior to withdrawing your winnings.
With so many online gambling sites available, and more launching every few months, the market is being flooded with welcome bonuses, promotional giveaways and competitions. For many players who are simply looking for an online casino to gamble at but aren’t interested in getting into the history and drama of the industry this deluge of flashing banners can be overwhelming.
GamblersPick has taken the pressure off you by looking into not only the bonuses offering but also the background information such as licensing, brand reputation and more to bring you a select list of online and mobile casinos offering what we believe to the Top Bonuses available at this moment in time.
Is It All Sugar Spice?
Yes, casino bonuses by the very nature of being something you get for free or on top of a deposit you’ve made as a Thank You means they are ultimately something nice!
However it is important to keep in mind that not everyone has the same tastes. To one person dark chocolate is heaven and to another it is a bitter hell! The same rings true with online casino welcome bonuses!
Setting aside competitions, giveaways and comp points to look solely at bonuses and games credited to your real money casino account you will find that any top bonus will be made up of a combination of the three following offers:
- No Deposit Required – These are casino credits you are gifted by the casino without you making an initial deposit. A great option to bounce around and try several different game types.
- Free Slot Spins – To promote play on a new slot machine, or in some cases several new games, casinos will gift you with free spins on these games. Once again there is no need to make an initial deposit which makes this a zero risk way to test out new casino games.
- Deposit Bonuses – These bonuses are a great way to boost your bankroll as the casino will give you a bonus chip stack based on the value of your deposit(s). These bonuses can be greater than 100% if you play smart and pick your bonuses carefully.
One of the other fantastic ways casinos choose to reward their loyal customers is to run exclusive prize giveaways such a family vacation, a world cruise and in some cases even cars and jewellery! Entries into these lucrative prize giveaways are often based on the wagers placed, deposits made and which games are played. This means you could win a major prize for doing nothing more than playing at your favourite casino – which you were going to do anyway!
“Here Comes The Bride! In 2017 Royal Panda took themed giveaways to the next level! They ran a Valentine’s Day promotion that offered the lucky winners a chance to get married in Las Vegas. The kicker? The potential couple would be drawn randomly from players who had wagered on Burning Desire during the promotional period! Would you marry a complete stranger?”
Over and above the big advertised prizes there are always an absolute king’s ransom of free spins, free cash and comp point pools that are divvied up amongst players who access their real money casino accounts during the course of the promotion.
What Bonuses Make The Top List?
With top casinos putting their best foot forward and the others still offering bonuses which look appealing on the surface it could be quite a tedious task to research each one in depth before making a decision to sign up. On the other side of the casino chip teaming up with the wrong casino or spending your money on a lesser bonus could cause you to lose out big.
In order to make the Top Bonus list with GamblersPick, a bonus has had the following criteria appraised and it has been found to offer great value for money with a reputable casino brand:
- Brand reputation – playing with a trusted brand means you can rest assured that your bonus will be fair and your winnings will be honoured!
- Play through – while each offer has some wagering requirement built in to protect the casino there are some large variances in what’s expected.
- Deposits – getting the best value bonus for the required deposit amount is key to your enjoyment.
- Game list – which games the bonus applies to, and which games can be played to meet your play through requirements can be a game changer.
- Regional offers – not all offers are available to all regions, making sure you have the best bonus for you is of utmost importance.
- Cashouts and Withdrawals – the best bonuses will place little if not hurdles in your way when it comes to cashing out your credits. Speedy processing of your withdrawal goes hand in hand with this to ensure you have you cash in hand as soon as possible.
When a Welcome Bonus has the best combination of the above options, to allow as many players as possible to claim, wager and withdraw with as little interference as possible it is a top quality bonus, and you’ve found a top casino to gamble with long term.
The Devil Is In the Detail
It is worth taking a moment to delve into the details surrounding some of the key items which will have an impact on your ability to cash out your winnings from whatever promotion you partake of:
Wagering Requirements:
In order to protect themselves from bonus abuse, online casinos have implemented a playthrough requirement for any free offer they give to a player. This wagering requirement is usually either a multiple of the bonus amount you’ve received (shown as ‘wager 50x Bonus’) or as a multiple of the bonus amount received and the deposit you made to receive it (shown as ‘wager 30x Bonus & Deposit’).
The key to getting the best deal here is to look past the multiples on face value and actually do the math. While 30x would appear to be a better deal than 50x, it is the requirement to add the Bonus and Deposit amounts that make it the worst of the two.
If you deposit €150 and received a €150 (100% match) bonus. You would then need to wager €9000 in order to cash out the bonus with the 30x requirement.
Since the 50x bonus only needs you to play a multiple of the bonus amount you would only need to wager €7500. Making it the far better offer!
Available Playthrough Games:
An online casino will never stop you from playing any of their casino games with your bonuses. They will however manage what percentage of your wagering requirement they will accept from various games.
The short version is that games will lower the margin, i.e. where you have the higher likelihood of winning, will be able to contribute a small amount of your wagering. While higher margin, higher risk, games like slots will be allowed to contribute the full amount.
Review the promotion terms and you will see a list of playthrough percentages for various game types. Slots is usually 100%, whereas Roulette – given super low risk of betting Red and Black at the same time to cancel out losses – is often set to 0%!
Make sure the promotion you’re claiming allows you to meet some, if not all, of the wagering. If not contact support and ask about a bonus for your favourite game!
Minimum Deposits:
This applies specifically to no deposit bonuses and free spins offers. While you do not have to make a deposit to claim the bonus and play the games or credits there will be a minimum deposit required in order to cash out your winnings. This minimum deposit is designed to get you comfortable with spending money at the casino and can be as low as €10.
Once you’ve made the minimum deposit there will also be a maximum withdrawal value in place. In most cases when you’ve received free money or free spins withdrawals will be limited to around €100.
Knowing these amounts and how they vary from casino to casino, and promotion to promotion, will help you find the balance between offers that are both entertaining and financially viable.
“Progressive Jackpot Tip! When playing progressive jackpots don’t do so with free spins or free money offers as these will limit how much you can cashout. Deposit Match Bonuses are yours to play as you please and you will get to cash out the entire jackpot if you win!”
How Do I Claim These Top Bonuses?
Our Top Bonus list is regularly updated with new and improved offers and casinos who meet all the criteria of a truly Top Bonus! To claim any of these offers, peruse the list of casino brands and click through to the site. From there, it’s simply a matter of signing up for a new real money account and meeting the bonus requirements.
Joining the GamblersPick community has the dual benefit of allowing you to share your experiences with your peers while it also ensures that you will receive our latest Exclusive Bonuses direct to your inbox. These are offers that are not available to the public and are far superior to those seen online. If you’re looking for the crème de la crème of top bonuses this will be it!
