Beating the Bookies
Choosing a casino provider can be a confusing affair: Do you go with a brand name that you recognise or do you get involved with an operator who you’ve seen advertise heavily on national TV?
For most of us it can be a tough choice but one way to filter through the many options is to look at the welcome bonuses.
Comparing online casinos can take time but we all like some bonus funds and that’s why the providers compete to give you the best deal. In some cases, these can rise up to several thousand pounds but are they all that they seem?
What to look for
If a casino is promising bonus funds just for opening an account then this will almost certainly come in the shape of a matched deposit. For example, you may be asked to deposit a maximum of £500 or currency equivalent and the operator will match that equally and credit a further £500 into your new account.
Sounds almost too good to be true but while there are certain terms and conditions to adhere to, you have the chance to make some serious profits with your bonus cash. The biggest point to look out for however, is the rollover.
A rollover requires you to play through your bonus and deposit amount a certain number of times before you can withdraw any funds. So, let’s say you were able to fund the maximum amount of £500, using the above example, and you now have a total of £1000 to play with. The casino may require you to rollover – i.e. wager that amount – 10x before you can claim any profits.
So, in theory, you may have to play through £10K before you can even get a return. That’s a lot of funding but for the more serious casino players, it’s certainly achievable, even if there is a time frame set at around 30 days.
If, however, you don’t intend to play through that much then you can still take advantage of the welcome bonus by crediting the minimum amount. This may be set at as little as £50.00 so if that’s more comfortable, it’s a much easier target to achieve.
Other rules
Rollover terms can also be very specific and may look to exclude certain games. Perhaps you can use them at the slots while other card and table options such as European Roulette are not admissible. As always, it’s vital that you check all terms and conditions before you accept any offer.
As an alternative to taking the bigger welcome bonuses, some casinos offer deals where you can claim a small amount of free play – usually in the region of £5.00. The rollover terms here may be higher at around 30x but there are lesser figures involved so the target can be reached in a shorter space of time.
In all cases there is definitely a chance to win extra profits using funds that have been provided by the casino so there is value in each welcome offer and some can be very generous indeed. It’s just a question of checking all the rules before you go ahead. Other factors, such as range of games and a possible choice of live dealers and croupiers should also be considered so take your time before deciding which online operator is right for you.