Understand what the casino bonus is before accepting it

There are always casino bonuses available for new players registering at an online casino but before opting in to accept a casino bonus it might be worthwhile reading about what is involved. There will be several restrictions surrounding the casino bonus although they vary casino by casino not the least of which is of course the size of the bonus. Some online casinos have a one off bonus which is generally a match of your first deposit into the casino which is obviously to encourage you to make a large deposit. The match is normally 100% which means, for example, that if you deposit €100 into your new account then the online casino will also put €100 into your account but the casino will not put their money into your playing account but rather into a bonus account which has been created. There are also online casinos that advertise larger amounts but they can be split over your first three deposits and can be for lesser percentages. The next problem with casino bonuses is how to get your hands on the money. Money in your bonus account cannot be withdrawn so somehow you need to transfer the bonus money from the bonus account into your playing account. Online casinos make this difficult by insisting that you stake the bonus money a number of times on certain casino games. The number of times that the money must be staked also varies from online casino to online casino but a number of 40 times is not unusual. You will sometimes see a headline number of 20 times but it then is generally applicable to both your deposit and the bonus together which is in effect the same thing if you have had a 100% match.

Another problem is that not all casino games are eligible to count towards this staking requirement or if they are then it can be for a lower percentage. Casino slots are always eligible and will count 100% but you may well find in the terms and conditions of the bonus that roulette for example either does not count at all or it counts for a small percentage such as 20% or even less. To put all this into perspective, if you receive a €100 bonus and the requirement is 40 times you will need to stake €4,000 on casino slots but if you only want to play roulette which counts for 20% you will need to stake €20,000 before any winning s can be transferred into your playing account. This is all designed to give the online casino the maximum chance of getting their money back before you have the chance to withdraw it. Another possible restriction to look out for is how long you have in which to meet this staking requirement and 48 hours is not unusual so do not think that you have a week or so. Once again check the terms and conditions associated with the casino bonus. Having said all that a 100% match of your deposit does enable you to play for twice as long as would otherwise be the case so if your sole aim is entertainment then a casino bonus is a good thing. The whole point is to know what to expect before you start.

There are alternatives to this sort of casino bonus which casinos.ie has found and recommends to Irish casino players and one of those is called No Bonus casino (www.nobonuscasino.com). The name rather gives away the fact that it offers no bonuses for new players but it does offer an alternative and that is cash back if you lose. The offer works as follows. If you make a deposit into the online casino on any given day and after playing the casino games you have lost the complete deposit you will get 10% of your losses back the very next day. This cash back is not put into any sort of  bonus account but is placed in your playing account which means that you can do what you like with it including removing it if you so wish. Even more attractive is that this promotion is not a new player promotion but is available for all players every time that they make a deposit into the online casino. The only restriction to this cash back offer is that there must be no more than €10 in the account at the time the cash back is calculated and you have 10 days in which to either play with the cash back or to withdraw it. No Bonus casino also sometimes has special cash back offers when new casino slots are introduced to the casino. Recently for example when introducing a selection of sports themed slots no bonus casino was offering 50% cash back up to €40 and again with no strings attached. Apart from having this great alternative to the casino bonus nobonuscasino.com is a grat online casino with an excellent range of casino games from some of the top casino softare suppliers around.

Another alternative to the joining bonus can be found at Freespins casino (www.freespinscasino.com) where again the name gives away what they are doing. Freespins casino gives free spins on a selection of casino slots on every deposit made into the casino for every player so it is not a joining bonus as such. The actual number of free spins awarded depends on the size of your deposit and which of the casino slots you choose to play but for example a deposit of €250 will result in no less than 450 free spins on the casino slot Starburst™ or 225 free spins on Gonzo’s Quest™. Any winnings resulting from free spins, and there is highly likely to be some, will be placed in a bonus account in a similar way to the regular joining bonus. To transfer money from the bonus account into your playing account the amount won must be wagered 50 times on certain casino games. This might seem quite a high play through requirement but you should remember that you have not actually played with your own money at this stage so it is a no lose scenario.