I decided to write this article mainly for people who are taking their first baby steps from the land based casino world to the online casino world. I have been playing in land based casinos since my 18th birthday, and I recall my first experience searching to try my luck at an online casino. I remember being bombarded by pop ups promising 100%, 200%, even 500% on my first five deposits. I didn’t know what to believe, or what to trust – why would one casino offer me only 100% and another 500%? This was back in the days of the Wild West of the online casinos when there was even less regulation than today, and terms and conditions were anything but clear – plenty of people, including yours truly, were screwed by the allure of big bonuses.
Nowadays there are no lack of dishonest online casinos out there, but thankfully an increase in competition has helped bring about plenty of honest and player-friendly casinos that strive to keep their reputation top-notch. Since the house always wins, they will always come out ahead at the end of the day without having to resort to unsavory practices.
When deciding upon a new online casino, the first thing you should decide is whether or not to take their bonus. This can depend on many factors:
- Playtime – Accepting a bonus will give you a much higher starting bankroll, and will therefore increase your overall playtime (provided you don’t bet higher stakes because of the bonus). Many people gamble for entertainment purposes, and a higher bonus % will give them more mileage for their money.
- Playthrough/Wagering requirements – Of course, if you would like to withdraw at some point it would be wise to read the terms of each and every bonus you accept so. When accepting bonuses you are required to bet a certain amount before you can withdraw (see below for an example). Playthrough varies outrageously from casino to casino, and from bonus to bonus. Typically playthrough for deposits are between 15x-25x, and free bonuses 70x and upwards – I’ve even once seen an offer containing a playthrough of over 300x, which is next to impossible to achieve.
- Game preference – Depending on what games you prefer to play you may be better off not taking a bonus. Most table games have restrictions on bonuses, notably roulette and blackjack. I’ve found that in most online casinos bonuses are either not allowed to be used on those games, or that your bets on those games will not reduce your wagering – not something nice to find out after you’ve been playing blackjack for 3 hours and want to withdraw. Every casino is different, so it is best to check the terms and conditions before you claim your bonus.
An example of Playthrough
Casino ABC is offering a free sign-up bonus of $10 to come and try out their games. What they might not tell you (you will need to go looking for it in the terms and conditions) is that this free bonus has a playthrough of 99x and a max cash out of $100. What this means is that you need to wager the bonus 99x before you can cash out – you need to bet a total of $990 with your $10 bankroll to complete the playthrough! Good luck, because you’ll need it.
Casino XYZ is offering you a 200% bonus on your deposit of $100 with a wagering requirement of 20x. This is where you need to start asking questions:
- Is the bonus cashable, or will it be removed from my account when I try to withdraw (after meeting the playthrough)?
- Are there any games that do not count towards meeting the playthrough?
- How is playthrough calculated? Is it (Deposit + Bonus) x Playthrough? Or is it Bonus x Playthrough?
Let’s assume that that you deposited $100 and took the 200% bonus, and you know that bets made on blackjack count towards 30% of the wagering requirement. Your playthrough is (Bonus x Playthrough), so it is $200 x 20 = $4000. You need to bet $4000 before you can cash out. An important thing to remember is that you do not need to have $4000 in your balance to withdraw, only to bet that amount. Let’s look at the following example:
- When playing slots you bet $500 over the course of an hour. Your playthrough is now $4000 – $500 = $3500.
- You then decide to move over to play Blackjack and bet $1000 total. Your playthrough is now $3500 – ($1000 x 30%) = $3500 – $300 = $3200
The important thing to remember here is that playthrough is independent of your current balance. In the above example it doesn’t matter if your current balance is now $50, $300, or $10,000 – your playthrough is based on the amount of money you bet
Bonuses – Are they worth it?
Of course, whether or not bonuses are worth it depends on personal preference. Do you prefer to play with a bigger bankroll or be able to cash out whenever you like? Do you play several games or do you stick with a game that meets the playthrough?
Bonuses are perks offered to players as an incentive to attract them. Provided you get all the information about the bonus beforehand, it is advisable to play with bonuses as they will extend your playing time significantly and give you a better chance of hitting it big, especially if you are playing to hit a jackpot – more spins means more chances to win.
