Loyalty programme prizes tend to include extra deposit or reload bonuses, free spins, bigger withdrawal limits and so on

At the higher levels, casinos will give you a personal account manager, provide faster withdrawals and even award tickets to events and stays in hotels.

Accepting a casino bonus

So, now casino bonus codes you know what bonuses you can claim, it’s time to take a look at the bonus terms and conditions that will inevitably be attached. While bonus requirements are a pain to the player, these are actually in place to protect the casino from fraudulent players. They’re also there to comply with money laundering regulations that local gambling jurisdictions put in place.

These requirements are designed to prevent players from simply making an account, claiming some bonus credit and withdrawing it instantly without playing it. This is essentially stealing, but wagering requirements prevent that.

Wagering requirements are different at every single casino, as are the extra terms and conditions in place. We will take a look at the different conditions you will have to meet when accepting a bonus of any kind at an online casino.

Wagering requirements

First up are the wagering requirements or play-through requirements. This is the main part of any set of bonus terms and conditions. This is the number of times you will need to play through your bonus cash or the winnings made from bonus cash before you can withdraw it. The requirement varies wildly from casino to casino and can be anything from 2x to 70x.

As you might have guessed, the lower the wagering requirement, the easier it is to achieve and the better it is for you. For instance, a bonus of $10 with a 20x wagering requirement attached means you will have to wager $200 in total before you can make a withdrawal. With this in mind, it can really affect which bonus you take on.

For instance, a $100 bonus may sound great until you realise you have to wager it 40x. It is, therefore, a better option to take on the $20 bonus with a wagering requirement of 5x. At the end of the day, you’re more likely to achieve the latter and walk away with some extra cash.

As a general suggestion, you should be looking for bonuses that have wagering requirements between 20x to 30x as these are the most manageable. Anything above 40x is rather hard to achieve.

Time limits

Another condition that is often overlooked is the time limit attached to a bonus. Many players wrongly assume that once they have claimed a bonus, they can use it whenever they like. This is not the case. Many casinos will actually have a time limit in place, and this will depend on the type of bonus you have claimed.

For example, free spins often have a one-day expiry. This is particularly the case if you’ve been awarded a large number of free spins split over a period of days. As we mentioned, you will need to log in each day to claim them, but also you usually have 24 hours to use them or lose them.

Match deposit bonuses usually have slightly longermonly, you will need to meet the wagering requirements within a period of 30 days. If you fail to reach the requirement within this time, the bonus funds and any winnings from them will be forfeit. However, not all casinos offer this long. Some will only give you 14 or even just 7 days, others up to 90 days.

With this in mind, you need to select a bonus with a timeframe that suits you. Do not be dictated to by the casino and when the bonus has to be played. After all, it’s your money and time. Make sure to check any time frames though, as you do not want to be caught out and lose the bonus. Many casinos will bank on a certain amount of forgetfulness and missed bonuses too. But for them, in the long run, either option is a win.