Online casinos are more popular than ever. People from all over the world are using them. While they have existed for a very long time, they gained a lot of traction during the pandemic. Gamblers were unable to attend casinos and bookies in person, so they turned to the internet. Now, online casinos are arguably more popular than real-world casinos and bookies.
One thing that online casinos offer that makes them especially popular is welcome bonuses. This post will explore them in more detail, explaining how they affect a person’s first impression of a casino.
What Are Welcome Bonuses?
Welcome bonuses are financial gifts given to the users of online casinos, usually in order to encourage them to deposit money. More often than not, welcome casino bonuses are given in the form of free spins. The idea behind them is that by giving players a free number of spins or some money to play with, they will then make a deposit themselves. People actively search out casino bonuses. There is actually an established form of betting which involves going from casino to casino exclusively playing with welcome bonuses, called matched betting. Matched betting is popular all over the internet. The good thing about it is that players do not have to deposit any of their own money, they can gamble with the houses. It is worth noting though, you cannot keep the house’s money until you have used it all and then earned more.
Types of Welcome Bonus
Free Spins
As mentioned in the previous section, the main type of welcome bonus is free spins. Usually, when a player signs up for a casino’s website, they are given a fixed number of free spins to play with. These spins usually have to be played in a game with less than favourable odds. Also, the spins also have to be played one after the other. You are usually not allowed to take a break, and then come back later. Free spins are a popular type of welcome bonus because on video slot games you can leave them running, meaning you don’t need to actively play.
Deposit Doubles
Deposit doubles are another type of welcome bonus, given to players who make a deposit for the first time. Deposit doubles can be highly profitable and very lucrative because they allow people to double the amount of money that they deposit, i.e., if a person deposits $100, they get an additional $100 from the house. However, as with free spins, this money cannot be withdrawn and has to be played with. Only when the money has been played with can players then withdraw it and keep it for themselves.
Cash Bonuses
The final type of bonus, which is most uncommon, is a cash bonus. Cash bonuses are similar to deposit doubles, in that you get a fixed amount of cash. This money has to be played in full. Only once you have played with it all and then exceeded the amount you were given can you keep it. Cash bonuses are a very popular type in matched betting because they give players the ability to play with more games, usually on ones with more favourable odds. Cash bonuses aren’t offered by many casinos today.
Why Are Bonuses Popular?
It’s obvious why welcome bonuses are so popular: they provide people with a very easy method of making a little extra money. Since you do not have to put any money down to access welcome bonuses, unless you are using a deposit double, you can play for free. The ability to play for free therefore means that people who are on a budget and don’t have a lot of disposable income are still allowed to gamble. In fact, they can actually win a lot of money back from gambling.
Making the Most of Them
If you want to start using bonuses, then consider matched betting. There are various tutorials elsewhere on the internet that describe matched betting in detail and offer very effective tips for taking it up as a hobby. If you do plan on trying out matched betting, then try to play games with favourable odds as much as you can. The more favourable a game’s odds are, the more you are likely to win. More often than not, casinos make the odds of games that have high entry fees (as in you have to play a minimum of $50 or more) favourable. This is because it’s easier for them to recoup their losses by setting high entry fees.
Welcome bonuses make gaming a lot more fun. They give players the ability to gamble, even if they don’t have enough money to make a deposit themselves. Most casinos offer some kind of welcome bonus because they are a great way of attracting people.
