Casino bonuses can be a huge part of the experience and are often part of the reason that users choose specific sites to play on. The better the bonus, the better your first-time experience can be when starting at a new casino site - but how do you find the best bonuses without manually comparing thousands of sites?
Thankfully, there are a few ways to streamline the search and help you find bonuses worth choosing. But what should you look for, and how do you know which bonuses are worth signing up for?
What Makes a Good Bonus?
There are a few things that can make a casino bonus "better" overall, depending on what you are looking for. While the bonus size is an obvious place to look first, it is important to consider (and compare) multiple factors if you want to pick out the best bonus available.
Size of the Bonus
The size of the bonus is often the first thing people look at. Larger bonuses can be enticing, but sometimes, a smaller bonus with better terms (or a stronger influence on the games you play) might be more valuable in the long run.
For example, some people will find that a deposit match bonus of £50 in real cash is more useful than £100 in free bets - especially if the bets are on a game they are not interested in playing. Bonuses like the maxwin 100% welcome bonus are a great example.
Minimum Deposit
A minimum deposit is required to claim the bonus in the first place. While some bonuses require a large deposit, others might be available with a smaller amount or activate as long as you deposit any amount.
Keep in mind that some bonuses - mostly match bonuses - scale with how much you deposit, but others do not. If a site offers you £50 for depositing £50 with no other terms, depositing £100 will still only earn you £50.
Wagering Requirements
This is a crucial aspect of any bonus. Wagering requirements specify how many times you must play through the bonus amount before withdrawing any winnings - usually meaning that you have to deposit more money to earn your bonus winnings.
Lower wagering requirements are generally better, as they mean you can access your winnings sooner. In most cases, your bonus winnings are lost if you do not meet the wagering requirement.
Game Restrictions
Some bonuses are only valid for certain games or types of bets. This obviously means that you will only be able to use those bonuses on games they support, so it is important to understand what restrictions apply and which games are not supported.
If you are only interested in a certain type of game - or even specific games altogether - then you naturally want bonuses that work with that game. Make sure to double-check these restrictions before claiming any bonus.
Expiry Dates
Bonuses often come with an expiration date, after which the bonus will be nullified. This can apply both before you claim the bonus and after you have claimed it, so you need to be careful.
Most bonuses will expire either 7, 14, or 30 days after being awarded, but others might have more specific time limits or have a timer that only starts after you take a certain action. Make sure you are prepared to actually use the bonus before its time limit expires.
Maximum Win Limits
Most bonuses will have a maximum cap on how much you can win. For example, if a bonus is £50, and the maximum win limit is £500, the highest payout you will ever receive from it is £500 - regardless of how much you deposit or play with.
These caps are usually in place to prevent users from winning jackpots or other huge amounts on a free bonus and to prevent exploitation of free-to-activate welcome bonuses. Even so, you need to keep them in mind.