Head to any online casino and we can guarantee that they’ll offer some sort of bonus. They’re now the norm and the main way that online casinos, particularly newer ones, attract new customers. The world of casino bonuses is huge, and casinos are always shaking up their bonuses in a bid to draw in new players.
On this page, we will review some of the most common bonuses found at online casinos. Do bear in mind that we cannot cover every single bonus imaginable, mostly because casinos sometimes come up with new bonuses that you can’t find anywhere else. However, we will cover the main ones, and we expect that 95% of the bonuses that you encounter will be some variation of these bonuses.

Deposit match bonus
Some of the best bonuses available at online casinos are deposit match bonuses, which are also the most common type of promotion. If you look at established review sites like CasinoTopsOnline, you’ll notice that nearly every platform featured there has a deposit match bonus. This type of bonus is normally provided to new players at an online casino. You’ll know that you’re looking at a deposit match bonus if you see something like a site claim they’ll match your first deposit up to a certain amount, such as 100%. Some online casinos may even match your first few deposits on the platform in a bid to keep you depositing money on their site.
Deposit match bonuses often have a lot of limitations attached to them, so don’t forget to read the terms and conditions. They pretty much all work the same way though. When you make your first deposit on a platform, assuming you meet the minimum deposit, the online casino will match that deposit in bonus funds. This credit will have a separate balance from your standard funds. In most cases, the bonus will be automatic when you make a deposit, while in rare cases, you may need to enter a code when making your first deposit. The site should tell you what you need to do.
Cash bonus
You’ll rarely find this type of bonus nowadays, but they do exist. Some online casinos may give you a small credit for signing up for that platform, as the benefit of having you and your personal data is worth something to them. Most of the online casinos that offer a cash bonus tend to be newer online casinos that are making a huge push for new customers.
No-deposit bonus
A no-deposit bonus is a bonus given when you sign up for a platform but no deposit is required. Nowadays, this is very rare. The no-deposit bonus can take many forms. Most of the time, it comes in the form of free spins, but some online casinos will provide a small credit to play with for registering too.
Reload or deposit bonuses
These bonuses are for regular players at an online casino. The idea is that if you make a new deposit on the platform then the online casino will match a percentage of that deposit as credit. You can think of this as being very similar to deposit match bonuses, but they are designed for regular players at a casino, and you won’t receive as much of a bonus. For instance, the bonus is likely to be much lower than 100%.
Some casinos may only offer reload bonuses on certain days of the week. In many cases, this will be a Wednesday as that is typically the least busy day for online casinos.
VIP bonus
A VIP bonus is a bonus provided to high rollers at an online casino. Some casinos may also give their casual players VIP bonuses by allowing them to collect points to advance through their loyalty system. Bonuses can vary here. Sometimes, players can get credit, special game-focused bonuses or other perks.
How the VIP bonus works will be highly dependent on the online casino, and not every online casino will offer this type of program. When you evaluate a platform, keep an eye out for whether they offer a loyalty system or something similar. They should provide details regarding how you can register and start claiming your bonuses. Even if a site doesn’t explicitly state it offers a loyalty system, it may still reward its high rollers. You just won’t know about it until you become a valued player at the online casino.
Free spins
Some online casinos will offer free spins on slot machines. Most of the time, this will be part of a welcome bonus. However, free spins can also come up in other ways too. Free spins will often be limited to certain slot machines. This will often be NetEnt games, as they pioneered the free spins system. Free spins will be valued at a certain amount so any cash won from the free spins will then become bonus cash which will have wagering requirements attached to it.
Cashback bonuses
While it is rarer nowadays, some online casinos will offer cashback on your losses each week. If you don’t incur an overall loss, you don’t get anything back. The whole idea behind this type of bonus is to keep you gambling since online casinos only profit when you lose. If you keep losing, the casino will make more money.
Cashback bonuses are often automatic, but make sure that you read the terms and conditions for the bonus to find out if there is anything else you need to know.
Bonuses are not all the same
You need to remember that not every bonus is the same, even if they look the same. A deposit match bonus at one casino may not be the same as a deposit match at another casino. They all have terms and conditions attached. For example, some bonuses will limit you to playing certain games, and almost all bonuses will require you to play through your bonus winnings several times before you can withdraw the cash which is known as rollover or wagering requirements, but the number of times will vary. Some online casinos may even have time limits on their bonuses. Always do your research to ensure that you choose the best bonus, and that you know exactly how that bonus works.
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