Compared to going to a physical casino, using online casinos has many benefits. The abundance of extra money offered to players in the form of bonuses may be the most alluring of all these benefits. Almost all online casinos offer new customers a sign-up bonus, and the majority of them also give regular players additional bonuses. A sizable proportion of casino players really like these bonuses. They can still add a lot of value, even though you can’t really classify them as “free” money because you typically have to deposit some of your own money and satisfy certain requirements. You can significantly improve your chances of winning money at online casinos if you take the time to shop around for the best bonuses. Although it would seem logical to pursue the largest fish possible, this isn’t always the case. When determining how much value a casino bonus actually offers, there are a few factors to take into account in addition to size. Below, we go over these elements in more detail in an effort to determine whether size truly is best.
Wagering Conditions
One of the most crucial factors determining a bonus’s value is its wagering requirements. When it comes to casino bonuses, wagering requirements are almost always present. This means that before you can withdraw any money, you must wager a certain amount while playing games. Usually, the bonus is multiplied by these conditions to express them. You would need to wager a total of $6,000 before you could withdraw any money, for instance, if a $200 bonus had 30 times the wagering requirements. With more games, you have a higher chance of losing because of the house edge in casino games. The probability laws dictate that you are always more likely to lose than win, although this isn’t always the case since you might get lucky. As a result, bonuses with higher wagering requirements are less worthwhile than those with lower wagering requirements.
Cash bonuses versus Play bonuses
Cash bonuses and play bonuses have important distinctions from one another. A play bonus can only be used to make wagers; it cannot be taken back. Once the wagering requirements have been satisfied, you will be able to withdraw your initial deposit and any winnings you accrue from using the extra funds, but not the bonus money itself. Contrarily, cash bonuses are withdrawable. The wagering requirements must once more be satisfied before you can withdraw any money that is in your account. By comparison to play bonuses, cash bonuses are obviously much more valuable.
Game Weightings & Game Eligibility
Not every game that is offered can be played using casino bonuses. For instance, some bonuses are only valid for slot machine play. Others can be used for the majority of games, but not for blackjack or baccarat, which have a very low house edge. Because a player is more likely to meet the wagering requirements when playing games with a low house edge, casinos put these rules in place, at least in theory. Players are more likely to lose the bonus money if these games aren’t allowed. Some casinos apply game weightings to the wagering requirements rather than excluding the low house edge games. This implies that when playing certain games, a smaller portion of your bets will count toward the requirements. A casino might use the following game weightings, for instance.
| All Slot Games | 100% |
| Table Games (excluding below) | 50% |
| Roulette | 20% |
| Craps | 10% |
| Blackjack & Baccarat | 5% |
According to these weightings, you would need to wager $2,000 on slots in order to claim a $100 bonus with a 20-times wagering requirement. However, you would need to put down $10,000 if you were playing roulette. Playing blackjack or baccarat would require a wager of $40,000. This illustrates how game weightings can significantly impact the amount of wagering you might be required to place. They consequently significantly alter the total value of a bonus.
Conclusion
It should be fairly obvious that the aforementioned factors all influence how appealing a bonus is. Even though a sizable bonus might seem alluring, it might not be all that great if it is only a play bonus and has high wagering requirements. Of course, when determining the worth of a bonus, size will always be important, but not in isolation from other important considerations. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that when it comes to online casino bonuses, bigger is not always better.
