Every US casino brand will offer a casino bonus to reward new customers and keep existing players happy. It’s human nature to enjoy freebies or to feel like you’re getting good value for money, so that’s why casino bonuses are so popular among American betting fans.
A new customer casino bonus is usually activated after making a first deposit and gives you extra bonus money or free spins. At some US casinos, you will earn both free spins and bonus credits from the same deposit. A retention bonus is deployed to keep loyal customers happy. Casinos will give away free spins or reload offers such as free bets for making a new deposit.
There are a lot of different casino bonuses to keep track of and that’s why USLeaguesBetting.com has created this bonus page. We cover all of the extra rewards or incentives available at online gambling brands. Read on to learn more about US casino bonuses and what to look out for.
- Casino Bonus Types
- Online Casino Bonus Wagering Requirements
- Wagering Contribution
- Live Casino Bonuses
- Mobile Casino Bonuses
- Casino Bonus Codes
- How to Find the Best Casino Bonuses
Casino Bonus Types
The casino bonus and promotion pages can help shift the win rate in your favor. Not the win percentages of the games, of course, but the amount of money you end up with at the end of the day.
If a game has a 48% return rate and you invest $100 in it, you’ll have a bit less money at the end of the day – but what if that money isn’t yours? If it comes in the form of a casino bonus you’re suddenly winning money. Casino bonuses are usually split into a few distinct categories, which are all very easy to understand:
- First deposit bonuses are the most common type of casino bonus which you’ll encounter. They’re often called “welcome bonuses” or “signup bonuses” due to the fact that you receive the money after you create a new account and make your first deposit. Casinos usually give customers between 50% and 150% of their initial deposit, with some going all the way to 200%. This isn’t free money, remember – there are some rollover conditions involved, more often than not with a timestamp as well. Rollover conditions for casino first deposit bonuses are usually around 35-40x the amount of the first deposit, but this isn’t as hard as it sounds to clear. Be sure to read the terms and conditions of the bonus carefully before using it.
- Reload bonuses work the same as the first deposit bonuses mentioned above, except for the fact that they work for all subsequent deposits. They’re usually significantly smaller than the first sign-up offer that attracts you in the first place. At the end of the day, they make re-loading your casino account a lot more profitable.
- Free spins are usually given out loosely by casinos. They’re part of welcome bonuses, reload bonuses, and are also the most frequent bonus given to existing customers. In essence, free spins mean that you can play a specific slot game without paying any real money. This is the mechanism used by casinos to get players to try out new casino slots or promote games dropping in popularity. They’re a good way to have some extra fun and try things out, while even being able to earn some money from the process.
Other bonuses are a lot more specific, and we won’t go into them right now. Remember to carefully read the terms and conditions of the bonuses to fully understand what you’re getting and how to turn the bonus money into real money. Especially if you’re serious about gambling, casino bonuses can make the difference between a sub-par experience and actually making a profit.
At the end of the day, a casino bonus is just as good as you make it. There is some irony in that statement, since most casino games have a fair bit of luck involved. Most of the bonuses around casino games are extremely straightforward and honestly, it’s quite easy to transform them into some winnings.
We’re also aware that some people play casino games for fun, and hats off to them – not everything should be about winning. But if profits are your main objective, navigating bonuses will out you on the path to victory.
Online Casino Bonus Wagering Requirements
While there are a few online casino bonuses that now have no wagering, the majority still do. It’s essential that you understand this component of the casino bonus because the wagering directly relates to the value of the bonus and your chances of walking away with some winnings.
As mentioned above, for deposit bonuses, you can expect to see wagering requirements stand at around 35-40x. However, that doesn’t paint the full picture, because some online casinos calculate wagering requirements differently. Here’s an example:
- 200% up to $100 – the wagering requirements are 35x the bonus amount only.
- 100% up to $100 – the wagering requirements are 25x the deposit + bonus amount.
Assuming you claimed the full $100 bonus for the top offer, the total wagering requirements are 35 x $100 = $3,500. The second offer is $100 deposit plus $100 bonus = $200 x 25 = $5,000 total wagering. At a glance, the 25x looks like the better bonus, but we can clearly see this is not the case. Always check what the wagering applies to.
Please note that ‘wagering requirements’, ‘rollover requirements’, and ‘playthrough requirements’ all mean the same thing.
Wagering Contribution
Another part of casino bonus wagering requirements is game weighting – also referred to as ‘wagering contribution’. The bottom line is that certain games contribute more towards clearing the wagering than others. This is an example of a wagering contribution table:
- Slots 100%
- Blackjack 20%
- Roulette 10%
- Video Poker 5%
- Craps 0%
Based on this, if you play slots, every $10 you wager will clear $10 from the wagering. However, $10 wagered on the roulette table would only clear $1 from the total wagering. Game weighting rules catch out many new customers until they become aware of it.
Live Casino Bonuses
Online casino bonuses are most certainly not limited to casino games, video slots, and other virtual games, as there is now an abundance of live casino bonuses and promotions to choose from. For new players, these come in the form of welcome bonuses and reload deposit bonuses, similar to those described above. The primary difference is that these offers are specific to live dealer games. Therefore, the terms and conditions, such as wagering requirements, are adjusted to accommodate this.
As an existing player, you’ll be able to pick up live dealer casino rebate bonuses. These give cashback on your aggregated losses, which helps to soften the blow of a bad session. Commonly, the wagering on the cashback bonus is low, so players have a good chance of pocketing some extra money.
Further live dealer bonuses include promotions such as lucky numbers on the roulette table and perfect pairs for blackjack. It should be noted, with the exception of the welcome bonus, that offers in the live casino are not fixed; meaning they come and go.
Mobile Casino Bonuses
Mobile casinos are leading the way forward for the online gambling industry, so it’s no surprise that many players are interested to learn more about the casino bonuses on these platforms. The good news is that mobile players can claim all of the same bonuses that are available to desktop users – and some sites have added exclusive ‘mobile-only’ promotions on top.
That means the welcome bonus, 50 free spins, and deposit bonus offers can easily be claimed on the go. The terms and conditions remain the same regardless of the platform. Where mobile casino bonuses come into their own is if the operator has a standalone iOS or Android app. Often, they will pump extra offers, like free spins no deposit, through their apps to persuade customers to download and use the application. Furthermore, by utilizing push notifications, the casino operator can personalize promotions to suit your style of play, and deliver a wide selection of time-sensitive bonuses directly to players.
Casino Bonus Codes
With many brands providing multiple gambling products on one platform, it makes sense for them to use bonus codes. For instance, the operator may have sports betting, poker, and casino gaming; and there is a welcome bonus for each product. Bonus codes are a simple system that allows the casino bosses to know which offer the customer wants.
Although casino bonus codes are primarily associated with welcome bonuses, some sites do use them for reload deposit bonuses, free spins, and other offers. You can check out our sportsbook review pages or refer to the terms and conditions of a specific promotion to find out if a bonus code is required – and more importantly – what the code is.
Redeeming your bonus codes can vary from site to site, and it also depends on the casino promotion you are claiming. For instance, you may have to enter a code when registering your account to get a sign-up bonus. However, deposit bonus codes are redeemed when you fund your account.
How to Find the Best Casino Bonuses
Bonuses are a great way to boost your bankroll, which then gives you more cash to play your favorite casino games. Still, that doesn’t mean you should blindly accept the first offer that you come across.
Here are some top tips for finding the best casino bonuses that are right for you.
- What games will you play? If you prefer to play table games, then a 100 free spins casino bonus is not the right deal for you. Therefore, before you start, ask yourself, ‘What games will I play?’ This will help to cut out the casino bonuses that are unsuitable instantly.
- Compare casino bonuses: Having established the rollover requirements are a key driver in determining the real value of a casino bonus, you must compare different offers to find the ones that are the most player-friendly. As highlighted above, don’t judge a book by its cover. Check out the terms prior to accepting.
- Preferred payment methods: Several US online casinos have different bonuses depending on the payment method you use. For example, you may get up to $1,000 if you deposit by Visa or Mastercard, but up to $3,000 when you use Bitcoin. This makes a big difference, particularly for players that want to make a sizeable deposit.
- Instant payouts: If you grab a casino bonus and manage to clear the wagering – it’s time to make a withdrawal. However, there are a few operators that impose a 30-day bonus hold, so you must wait 1 month to get your cash. We don’t appreciate this restriction and neither should you. The best online casinos pay out immediately, and those are the sites you should use.