Online casinos are a very competitive field. Every day, new operators spring up, hoping to attract the largest possible audience. This is true everywhere, even for US players. Far fewer online casinos are available for the US market due to strict gambling laws. However, as these laws have relaxed in several states, new and improved online casinos have launched to accommodate.
With new players entering the market every single day, they need something to make themselves different. Enter casino bonuses! Every website offers one or more of these exciting promotions. What kind of bonuses can you expect to find in US online casinos? What bonus terms should you be on the lookout for? These are all important questions that we will help answer in this article. We will explain you how to select the best casino bonuses!
types of casino bonuses
There are different types of casino bonuses that online casinos can offer players. The most common one is one casino members have seen countless times. Yes, we are talking about deposit match bonuses. The way these promotions work is quite simple. You deposit funds, and the casino matches how much you deposited. This matched value is then awarded to your account as bonus funds. These bonus funds can then be used to play casino games but cannot be withdrawn.
Free spins are also a frequently awarded promotion. Sometimes, they are granted independently. Other times, they are awarded alongside the deposit match bonus as an extra. Free spins promotions are rather self-explanatory. You meet their requirements and receive a set number of free spins. Free spins are awarded for a specific game, usually an online slot.
Refer-a-friend bonuses are around in one form or another, but they are not as popular as they used to be. The idea behind them is simple. One player sends an invitation for the other to join the casino. If the second person becomes a casino member and deposits funds, the players who invited them are also rewarded. Unfortunately, this type of bonus has slowly been disappearing, as it attracted bonus abusers. However, it can still find it in some online casinos we reviewed.
Cashback is a concept many Americans encounter in real life. Cashback credit cards are a great real world example. Cashback in online casinos works on a similar principle. If you lose more money than you win for the month, the casino will pay you back a portion of that amount. Cashback promotions come with numerous restrictions. There will often be a limit on how much money you can get back. Some casinos restrict claiming cashback if you have another promotion active.
Check out our casino reviews. We list all currently available bonuses on the review pages.
wagering requirements
If you have any experience with casinos, you came across wagering requirements at some point. When a promotion awards you bonus funds, the casino applies wagering requirements on them. They prevent you from just withdrawing the extra cash you received as part of the promotion. Instead, you can only withdraw bonus funds after the wagering requirements are met. Some bonuses have no wagering requirements. However, their prizes are usually awarded as part of loyalty programs, which require you to wager large sums of money.
Most wagering requirements sit in the 30x to 40x range. Anything more than that becomes a little too steep for our liking. Obviously, if you can find a wagering requirement that is even lower, you should take it.
You should be careful about the wording used when describing wagering requirements. A 25x wagering requirement on the bonus is not the same as a 25x wagering requirement on deposit and bonus. Let us imagine we deposited $10 on a bonus and got $10 back as bonus cash. If the 25x play through only applies to the bonus funds, you need to wager $250 ($10 x 25). If the 25x wagering requirement applies to the deposit and bonus funds, you need to play through $500 ($20 x 25).
To learn more, visit our full explanation on wagering requirements for US players.
How to select best casino bonus terms and conditions
Alongside wagering requirements and bonus types, players also have to consider current bonus terms. Over the years, online casinos have become stricter in what sort of play is allowed or not. For example, some operators will take steps to prevent you from constantly swapping between high and low bets. These restrictions limit how much you can potentially benefit from the bonus.
That is why we highly recommend going through all the bonus terms before you accept a promotion. Doing so can feel tiresome, but it will help you avoid accidentally breaking a rule. Breaching bonus terms often results in the promotion being removed from your account. Unless you are willing to risk letting your deposit go to waste, you will want to consult the bonus terms.