Besides the thousands of computer-generated and online fruitys and classic favourites like roulette and blackjack that people like me can enjoy playing at any time of the day on the world’s safest and most secure online casino websites, the other reason why people play on these sites and have multiple active accounts with several top brands is the initial sign-up bonus.
The sign-up bonus, also commonly referred to as the welcome bonus, differs on each site. It’s essentially a marketing strategy that’s designed to entice new people to join and start spending money on their site.
On this page, I will discuss the most common types of bonuses I have come across each time I register a new account somewhere, and I will reveal some of the similarities and differences between the attractive sign-up bonuses you will most likely encounter.
Are all sign-up bonuses pretty much the same?
Yes and no. For example, I have noticed that most operators today offer new members some kind of guaranteed welcome bonus that will automatically be unlocked as soon as their new account has been activated. They will offer matching deposit bonuses, a free spins bonus, or both.
A matching deposit bonus essentially rewards you with free money just for making a deposit on that site. It’s usually only ever available on the first-ever deposit you make, and most of the ones I’ve claimed are the standard 100% match bonus, which effectively sees you double up on your deposit up to a certain amount.
You can find countless attractive 100% match bonuses, free spins and welcome bonuses worth anywhere from $/€/£50 to $/€/£2,000 or more on the Johnslots (www.johnslots.com/en/) review site, which I visit each time I’m looking for somewhere new to play.
You can also find 25%, 50%, 150%, and 200% match bonuses, but in my years of experience, the 100% match is more common than any others. Let’s take a quick look at a couple of examples of how this bonus works:
- If you have just claimed a 100% match bonus worth up to $/€/£200, and the minimum deposit to unlock this bonus is $/€/£20, it means you can deposit $/€/£10 to $/€/£200, and the operator will match your deposit dollar-for-dollar. Therefore, if you deposit just $/€/£25, they will give you $/€/£25 extra on top of your deposit. If you max it out and deposit $/€/£200, they will give you $/€/£200 extra
- If you have just claimed a 150% match worth up to $/€/£100, and you deposit $/€/£10, they will give you $/€/£15 extra free, and if you deposit $/€/£50, you will receive $/€/£75 bonus money, and so on
If you receive free spins as part of the sign-up bonus, you will get to use them to play any of the selected online fruit machines on that site.
You may find some sites with the same or similar sign-up bonuses, but the wagering requirements and other terms and conditions for those bonuses could be completely different.
Why should I read the terms and conditions?
Two sites might be offering the same 100% match bonus worth up to $100 + 50 free spins for all new members, but what’s required of you to get the most out of your bonus might be completely different, which is why you should ALWAYS read the terms and conditions attached to any bonuses you claim.
For example, the minimum deposit on one site might be $/€/£10, but $/€/£20 on the other site. You don’t want to miss out on your bonus because you didn’t deposit enough.
Also, some online payment methods may be excluded from some sign-up bonuses. You don’t want to deposit with PayPal only to find that it wasn’t included in the promotion, meaning you will miss out on your deposit bonus and free spins.
The bonus winnings may be capped at just $/€/£100 on one site but $/€/£500 on the other site. The Ts and Cs may also state that your free spins can only be used on one or two online fruit machines, whereas the other site might let you use them on any of their fruitys.
Finally, the Ts and Cs will tell you in great detail about how much you have to wager before you can withdraw your bonus winnings and how long you have to complete those wagering requirements.
With some bonuses, you may find that you only need to wager the bonus amount or free spins winnings 30x times, and you have one month to complete them, whereas, on other sites, you might have to wager your winnings 50x times in two weeks before any winnings you have made expire.
You may even find in the Ts and Cs that the bonus you are about to claim is for mobile users only, so if you’re using a laptop or desktop computer, you may not qualify for the bonus. This kind of information will all be revealed in the Ts and Cs.
Final thoughts
I strongly advise claiming only one bonus at a time and reading the terms and conditions for a few minutes. When I first started playing on sites like this and claiming matching deposits and free spins bonuses, I failed to read them, which often led to disappointment.
Today, it’s the first thing I do before claiming a bonus, and I recommend you do the same.
