Nov

14

Casino Bonuses and Loyalty Schemes

Filed Under Casino |

These are offered by online casinos to encourage new players to sign up and play regularly. In this article we will look at the types of schemes that are most commonly offered, and I will explain how you can evaluate them and choose a casino bonus or loyalty programme that best suits your needs as a player.

Sign-Up Bonus

The sign-up bonus rewards you for registering a new casino account (signing up) by giving you a specified amount of cash to play with. You often don’t need to deposit any of your own money to claim this bonus (if you do then it could more accurately be described as a first deposit bonus - see below) so it could be viewed as free money. Sign up bonuses requiring no deposit of your own funds are almost always of a fixed amount.

First Deposit Bonus

This rewards you for making your first deposit into an online casino account. It is usually based on the size of your initial deposit and is expressed as a percentage, with a maximum threshold. For example, it could be advertised as a “100% bonus up to $500″. This would mean that your first deposit would be matched by the online casino, but you wouldn’t get a bonus of more than $500 even if you personally deposited a higher amount.

Reload Bonus

A reload bonus works much like a first deposit bonus, but in this case it rewards you when you reload your account by adding more funds. As with the first deposit bonus, reload bonuses are expressed as a percentage and have a maximum limit. It is also usual for this kind of bonus to apply to just one deposit per calendar month, although some online casinos may be more generous when they are running special promotions.

Loyalty Schemes

Loyalty schemes reward regular players by giving them points (often referred to as Comp or VIP points) for every bet the place at the casino, regardless of whether they win or lose. These points can be collected over time and then redeemed for cash that they can spend or for tangible prizes. Players at some casinos who collect a specified number of points may also be promoted to a higher ranking in a “VIP Programme”, which could give them better reload bonuses, a lower house edge in certain games and entry into VIP-only competitions.

Although most bonus and loyalty schemes work in a very similar way, there are subtle differences that make it worthwhile shopping around for the best deal. The main points that you should consider in this respect are:

Terms & Conditions

All bonuses and loyalty schemes have terms and conditions attached to protect the casino from abuse and exploitation. You should check these terms carefully so that you know exactly what you will be getting from a specific programme. For example, most bonuses can only be withdrawn after you have given the casino a certain amount of “action”, and the amount of action required will vary from place to place. Being aware of how much action is necessary before you decide to participate in a bonus scheme is essential.

Quality of Rewards

A loyalty scheme is only as good as the rewards you get for the points you collect. If you need to collect points for months just to get a dollar in cash or a bookmark then it probably isn’t the best one around. Take a look at what points can be redeemed for - and how long it will take you to get those points - before making any decisions.

Personal Cost

How much will you need to bet to get a certain number of points in the loyalty scheme that the casino offers? If you can get twice as much value in one loyalty scheme than you can in another, it makes sense to take that fact into consideration when evaluating the offer. Similarly, if one venue offers a bonus that is twice as generous as another, it’s sensible to choose the more advantageous deal.

Time Limits

Some casino bonus and loyalty schemes have time limits which you need to be aware of. For example, when collecting points in a VIP programme some places allow you to do so indefinitely so that you can save for months, or even years, before redeeming them for a chosen reward. Others insist that you redeem your points at certain times (such as every 90 days) and this will obviously restrict the number of points you are able to collect before choosing to redeem them.

Whilst you should never choose to join any site just for the bonuses or loyalty scheme that it offers, such things can be useful in helping you to decide between two or more online casinos that are very similar in all other respects. If you can find a casino you enjoy that has a bonus and loyalty scheme you are happy with, your online gaming experience will be as good as it gets. Enjoy!

Jack Noble is a 47 year old casino enthusiast who specialises in baccarat and is now a full time casino reviewer. Find more articles by Jack at www.gamble.co.uk


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