You don’t walk into a land-based casino and expect to be given a loaded credit card of money to play on slots. Yet most of us wouldn’t think of signing up for an online casino without taking a casino bonus offer, thinking it’s free money.
Bonus money is rarely real money. Because if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
You use the bonus money in online casinos to play any of the games on the gambling site. This bonus money can only be used at the casino that has given it to you and cannot be withdrawn immediately. To withdraw bonus money, or any winnings made using bets placed with casino bonus money, you need to clear the wagering requirements first.
If this all seems too complicated, don’t worry. We take you through the simple steps of what a bonus is, how to use it, and (if you are lucky) how to withdraw it.
What is a casino bonus?
A casino bonus is extra money added to your account as a ‘bonus.’ In many ways, it resembles real money because when you open up a slot machine, you can play with the bonus money as you would with real deposit money.
Choose your bet amount, spin, and win or lose.
The difference is that with real money you’ve deposited, if you gamble and win, you can withdraw the winnings immediately. It’s your money to do whatever you like.
If you play and win with a casino bonus, any winnings are placed in your bonus balance, and you need to play through the wagering requirements before you can withdraw a single cent.
Related: What should I be asking myself about casino bonuses?
What does bonus balance mean?
Most good mobile casinos online will split your pots of money: one with the cash you deposited, the other with any bonus money you’ve accumulated via offers or free spins.
The bonus balance holds all the bonus money you’ve received so far. You only use the bonus money if you run out of cash in your real money pot. If you withdraw your real money pot before using the bonus, you forfeit the bonus.
A casino bonus is like a safety net that allows you to keep on playing, even once you run out of money. But unlike real money, the bonus money still belongs to the casino.
The best use of bonus money at online casinos
Think of casino bonus money like game tokens. You can use it to try new slot machines, check out features, try and hit those elusive free spins. What you probably can’t do is withdraw the bonus.
Bonus money has wagering requirements, usually somewhere between 30x to 40x. So if you are given a no deposit casino bonus of £€$30 with 35 times wagering requirement, you would need to play £€$1050 worth of bet (with the bonus money) to then be able to withdraw.
It’s one of the top 5 reasons why casinos won’t pay out winnings – because players are not aware of how the wagering requirements work.
If it all seems like an impossible sum, that’s because it usually is. You would have to have some crazy wins to clear the wagering. And while it’s not impossible (we’ve seen it happen), it’s pretty rare.
It’s why you should always use a casino bonus calculator before you take an offer.
So how do you use bonus money in Online Casino?
The system is pretty much automatic. You don’t have to do a thing.
- Sign up to one of our recommended online casinos
- Click yes on offers and promotions
- When you deposit you will be automatically added a bonus to your casino account
- The casino will automatically use the bonus money once you run out of real funds
Remember that you can accept a bonus but not use it if you don’t want to. You can forfeit the bonus money whenever you want.
Try Grand MondialGrand Mondial Review
What’s the use of bonus casino funds?
It’s like free drinks at the slots in Vegas. The casino gives you a little happy boost to keep you seated and playing. But, unlike with Vegas, you can keep a clear head and use it wisely:
- Play brand new slots – test the new machines to see if you like them before using your deposit money.
- Play new types of casino games – always been a little afraid of Megaways slots? Tempted to try online scratchcards or bingo? Now is the time.
- Play progressive jackpot slots – they have the worst odd in slots, but who cares? You can win millions in one spin, whether it’s bonus money or real money.
- Test the online casino – if it’s a brand new site, have a play with bonus money to see that the games don’t crash, what the customer service has to say, and how easy it is to deposit, play and withdraw.
- Play slot tournaments – many casinos, such as Videoslots or Casumo, will allow you to use bonus money to play in their slot tournaments. You might only be able to win bonus prizes, but it’s a bonus for a bonus, and you get to try fun new games.
- Play, Win, Withdraw – It’s rare but not impossible.
And if all else fails, a nice little bonus can help you place a few bets before payday to scratch that casino itch safely.
What’s the best online casino bonus?
We always focus on the quality of the casino first, and then the quality of the bonus. Because making sure that the casino pays out on time, provides a safe place to play, and has the right slots, is more important than the latest casino promotions on offer.
The best option is to find an online casino with low or no wagering requirements on their bonus.
That said, it’s fun to get casino bonuses – for all the reasons we’ve mentioned above and more. No matter how rational we are, even our eyes glitter with excitement when we play with bonus money and win big.
Play at Rizk casino
Rizk Casino is a great gambling site. They don’t give you a strong welcome offer (in the UK, you don’t get a welcome bonus at all), but that’s because once you start playing, you’ll soon get plenty of extra casino bonuses.
The Wheel of Rizk is tied to its loyalty program. As you progress through the casino, you level up. You then spin a wheel and are guaranteed a casino bonus with no wagering requirements – each and every time.
Everything you win is yours to keep – just like real cash.
Add some fantastic games, an easy-to-use site, and friendly customer service; you can see why that welcome bonus isn’t that important to us. Instead they’ve given you a fair and fun space where you can win, with or without a bonus.
Head on over and see exactly what we are talking about.
