Understanding Casino Bonus Terms and Conditions
At first glance, many online casino bonuses look like they offer plenty of value. Don't get us wrong, some do - but in many cases, if you'd have read the bonus terms and conditions before claiming, you probably wouldn't have bothered. An online casino might offer a 500% match deposit bonus of up to €/$2,000 and 500 free spins, but if the wagering requirements are high and you have 5 days to complete them, you're unlikely to get much joy out of it. That is just one example of why you should read casino bonus terms and conditions before you claim any bonus. You could save yourself from wasting any time.
Of course, there are many other bonus terms and conditions you should be aware of. That is why we have put together this handy guide on bonus T&Cs.
What are Terms & Conditions and How Do They Apply to Casino Bonuses?
The T&Cs or (terms and conditions) are a legal agreement between the customer and a service provider. Whether you signed up to a social media platform, bought a Netflix subscription, booked an airline flight, or one of the countless other examples, you would have had to agree to terms and conditions. Obviously, most of us are guilty of just skipping through, reading nothing, and then just happily clicking 'I Accept'.
Casino bonus terms and conditions cover the rules adhered to casino bonuses. This covers the different payment methods you can use to claim the bonus, any wagering requirements required, who qualifies for the bonuses, and more.
Why Do Casino Bonuses Have Terms & Conditions?
Online casinos put bonus T&Cs in place to protect both the casino and we the players. The casino wants to ensure that players do not have an unfair advantage, do not attempt bonus abuse strategies, and are properly qualified to claim the bonuses.
At the end of the day, the sole aim of an online casino, as with any business, is to make money. These businesses want to make sure there are terms and conditions in place that will help to ensure they do not lose huge sums of money via their own promotions. After all, the casinos are giving players the potential to win real cash from the bonus money or free spins given out as part of a bonus.
An online casino makes money by having a slight advantage over players. You will see this when playing casino games, as the casino always has a house edge, which means it makes money from each game over an extended period. To maintain its advantage, the casino implements wagering requirements on bonus money. This means the odds are that most people will not win big, but a few lucky players might beat the odds and convert that bonus cash into real money.
With that in mind, it is even more important to understand an online casino's bonus terms before you claim its latest deposit bonus. You want to choose an online casino that not only offers a good chunk of bonus cash but also gives you a better chance of winning actual money from it.
Recommended Casinos with Fair Bonus Terms
Casino Bonus Terms to Keep an Eye Out For
If you have read a terms and conditions page before, you will know that they can be long and dull. That is why many people just skip them altogether. However, while we recommend you read them, you do not have to go through the entire page. Instead, you can just look out for certain bonus conditions that, when combined, will determine whether the casino bonus is fair and achievable or far too good to be true.
Casino Bonuses Wagering Requirements
The first part of the terms and conditions you want to seek out is the section that explains the casino bonuses and wagering requirements. If you're unsure what 'casino bonus wagering requirements' means, it refers to the playthrough requirements of the bonus cash you receive. In effect, these requirements are the biggest indicator of how fair an online casino bonus is.
Let's use an example as a good way to describe wagering requirements:
Let's imagine you found a welcome bonus offering a 100% match of your first deposit of up to €/$1,000 and you made a deposit of €/$100. You receive your €/$100 deposit and another €/$100 of bonus cash. Sounds great, right? You received double what you deposited! Well, unfortunately, the wagering requirements make it difficult for you to convert the bonus cash into real money. After checking the bonus terms and conditions, you find out that the wagering requirements are 35x. This means you have to wager the €/$100 bonus cash 35 times, which equals €/$3,500 in bets. Once you have placed that value of bets using the bonus cash, only then will it convert from your bonus balance to your real money balance at the online casino. As you can see, you will need a lot of luck to complete those wagering requirements. However, fulfilling these requirements is possible, and 35x represents some of the more reasonable wagering requirements you'll find at online casinos. It is not rare to see requirements of up to 100x.
Also note, some wagering requirements stipulate that you wager the combined value of the deposit and the bonus. Effectively, 35x could mean 70x wagering if that is the case.
Wagering Contributions & Game Restrictions
Something else you have to look out for is the game weighting of the online casino games at the casino. You need to know the eligible games allowed for wagering purposes. Most casinos will allow slot games to have a 100% contribution to the wagering requirements. However, for other games such as virtual table games, jackpot slots, and live casino games, online casinos usually lower their contribution or exclude them altogether.
It is not uncommon for live casino games to either be excluded or to contribute a significantly smaller percentage towards the wagering requirements. If not excluded, you will often see live games contribute between 5% and 20%, and very rarely more.
The reasoning behind this is that table games often have a lower house edge. For example, following a basic blackjack strategy when you play, you can lower the house edge of a casino to just 0.4%. Compare the Blackjack house edge to the 4% (on average) that a casino has with video slots, and you can see why these platforms drastically lower the contributions these games make towards bonus playthrough requirements.
Bonus Validity Period
Another consideration to make before jumping in and claiming a free bet, welcome bonus, deposit bonus, or any other kind of casino bonus is how long you have to wager your bonus funds. In almost all casino bonuses you find, you will have time limits to complete the playthrough requirements before the bonus expires.
Some might give you 5 days, others a week, 15 days, or maybe even a month. Knowing the time limits gives you a good idea of whether you have the time to play and complete them, or whether it is even possible to wager a bonus within that time. For instance, unless you play around the clock and get extremely lucky, you're highly unlikely to wager a 70x bonus within 5 days. A fairer example and one that you stand a chance with is a bonus with 20x wagering requirements at a 30-day validity period.
So, in short, while the bonus numbers may look big on the outside, once you dive into the fine print, you quickly realize the bonus terms and conditions are stacked heavily against you.
Caps on Bonus Winnings (Max Conversion)
Just to make sure you do not turn your free bonus cash or free spins into big profits, online casinos often put a max limit on how much you can win. This is understandable, but only if all other requirements and conditions seem fair enough and the maximum winnings possible are of a decent enough size.
Often, you will see online casinos setting a max bonus winnings limit of between €/$20 and €/$50 for no deposit bonuses and anything upwards of that for bonuses you receive in return for your deposit.
Understanding the maximum winnings limit is important not just so you know how much you can win, but also so you stop playing if you reach that limit. There is no point continuing to try to increase your profits if you will not see that increase yourself. You might even lose some funds chasing something you will not win.
Cashable and Non-Cashable Casino Bonuses
Something else you need to establish from the legal agreements in the T&Cs is whether the bonus is cashable or non-cashable. This is a condition that often confuses players, but we will explain the difference between the two aforementioned types of bonuses.
A cashable casino bonus is exactly that. You complete the turnover requirements within the given timeframe and your winnings convert to your real money account balance. This is the one bonus type you should look for.
As for a non-cashable bonus, the casino will remove the bonus amount you received when you make a withdrawal request. Essentially, you can use the bonus funds to try to land winnings, but once you have wagered 'all' the bonus cash, you only receive the profits. The bonus funds given to you as part of a bonus are removed.
Other Important Terms to Be Aware Of
- Accepted Countries: Some casino bonuses are not available to players in certain countries. Even if you're allowed to sign up, create an account, and play at a casino, the bonus T&Cs may state that you do not live in a country that is accepted for the promotion.
- Restricted Deposit Methods: You should also check to see if using your payment method qualifies you for a bonus. At many online casinos, you cannot claim a bonus if you made a deposit using the Neteller or Skrill eWallets.
- Allowed Maximum Bets: When wagering bonus funds, you might have to adhere to max bet limits. This is usually set at around €/$5 per spin but can differ on different platforms. Just check to see if there is a limit on the bets you can place when wagering bonuses at a casino.
