Online Casino Bonuses

Bonuses come in all shapes and sizes. Our goal is to make sure you understand everything you need to know about the different types of bonuses out there, and it’s all on this page. Once you’re confident you’ve got a grip on how the different bonuses work, we can even help you get set up with one at a great live casino.

Tristan Moore
| March 18, 2024 | Reading time: 16 min | Views: 24.7K

Best Bonuses at Online Casinos

Check out our reviews, where we take an in-depth look at the bonuses on offer at each casino.

See the list below for our current favourite bonuses.

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At Betspin.com we put player safety and security first. While we do accept a commission from partners which may affect brand positioning, we are dedicated to only working with trustworthy and reliable operators. All our reviews are written and rated independently of the paying partner and we reserve the right to decline commissions from operators who do not meet our standards. Our list of top live casinos is not comprehensive of every casino operating in the market but is updated continuously with the best and newest brands.

How Online Casino Bonuses Work

Online Casino Bonuses are special offers from Online Casinos, which allow players to claim some extra money, play games for free, or save money in some other way when they play online casino dealer games.

Online Casino Bonuses are distinct from regular casino bonuses in that they are aimed especially at players who want to play Online Casino Dealer Games and the bonus offers are tailored to these games.

It’s important to be aware of the difference between the two – you may claim a regular casino welcome bonus and find that the bonus cash doesn’t let you play at live casino dealer tables.

There are many types of Live Casino Bonuses out there, and the best one to choose depends on how you intend to play. On this page, you can find explanations of all the most common live casinos bonuses, essential terms and conditions, how to claim your bonus, and more.

Types of Online Casino Bonuses

See below to read more about specific types of bonuses available at online casinos:

Online dealer casinos are the future of online gambling. Combining real dealers in real casinos with virtual software means we get the best of both worlds – the authentic casino atmosphere conveniently available anywhere, at the touch of a button.

But online dealer casino technology is still comparatively new in the betting world, and attracting new players is the order of the day. One of the main ways that casinos do this is with live casino bonuses.

Casinos use bonuses and promotions basically as marketing tools. The idea is that they create an offer so attractive, we just can’t resist signing up or playing on their site.

This is great for us too. They may be marketing tools, but that doesn’t mean bonuses aren’t potentially very valuable. Live casino bonuses represent some extra value, an opportunity to play and win more than the casino typically allows.

We look at:

  • Welcome bonuses
  • On-running promotions
  • Bonus terms and conditions
  • How to claim a bonus

Welcome Bonuses

Live Casino Welcome BonusesA welcome bonus is basically a one-time offer a live casino will give new players when they create an account. They are only available once and only for brand new players. Welcome bonuses are arguably the most significant type of bonus since they need to be especially good value to tempt new players to sign up.

Welcome bonuses also come in different forms, and we’re going to take a quick look at all of the most common types.

 

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At Betspin.com we put player safety and security first. While we do accept a commission from partners which may affect brand positioning, we are dedicated to only working with trustworthy and reliable operators. All our reviews are written and rated independently of the paying partner and we reserve the right to decline commissions from operators who do not meet our standards. Our list of top live casinos is not comprehensive of every casino operating in the market but is updated continuously with the best and newest brands.

Enhanced / Boosted Deposit Bonus

Boosted Deposit Bonus Live CasinoThis is probably the most common type of welcome bonus. With an enhanced deposit bonus (sometimes just called a deposit bonus), whatever your first deposit, the casino will match some or all of it up to a certain limit.

100% deposit bonuses (meaning the casino will double your first deposit) are very common, but some casinos may only offer a smaller percentage boost, like 50%.

The limits vary a lot depending on the casino, but a typical bonus might include a 100% boost on your first deposit up to £250.

That means if you deposit £250, you will receive £500 in total. If you deposit £25, you will receive £50.

However, the boosted portion of your deposit is not available for immediate withdrawal and may appear in your account as bonus cash.

 

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At Betspin.com we put player safety and security first. While we do accept a commission from partners which may affect brand positioning, we are dedicated to only working with trustworthy and reliable operators. All our reviews are written and rated independently of the paying partner and we reserve the right to decline commissions from operators who do not meet our standards. Our list of top live casinos is not comprehensive of every casino operating in the market but is updated continuously with the best and newest brands.

Bonus Cash

Bonus Cash Live CasinoBonus cash funds you have received as part of a promotion or bonus, which can’t be withdrawn immediately. Instead, you need to fulfill certain conditions before it can be withdrawn, the most important of which is the playthrough requirement. You can read a full explanation of this and more below in our Terms and Conditions section.

Enhanced deposit bonuses are great because they significantly boost your bankroll upfront. Offers with high limits are especially valuable for players who intend to make a big deposit upfront since the value of your bonus depends on how much you deposit.

For players with especially small bankrolls, no-deposit bonuses might be more appealing.

No Deposit Bonuses

Just like it sounds, a no-deposit bonus is a bonus you receive without depositing any of your own money into your account. All you need to do to claim a no-deposit bonus is register with the casino.

Effectively, this means you get a completely free shot at playing your favorite live dealer games for real money.

No-deposit bonuses tend to be much smaller than the potential limits of enhanced deposit bonuses. For example, casinos might give new players £10 or £20 just for creating an account.

Again, this money will be in the form of bonus cash, and you won’t be able to withdraw it immediately – which makes sense, otherwise, the casinos would literally be handing out free money! The playthrough requirements on no-deposit bonuses may be stricter than enhanced deposits too.

No-deposit bonuses are great for letting you try out a site absolutely free of charge. Maybe you don’t have much money in your bankroll, or maybe you just want to test out a few different sites before committing to one.

In these cases, no-deposit bonuses are perfect.

Free Spin Bonuses / Free Game Bonuses

Free Spin Bonuses Live CasinoThese types of bonuses are significantly more common at virtual casinos than online dealer casinos, but you can still find them at some live casinos.

They involve a number of free plays on a certain game, most commonly slots. An online dealer casino may let you play a certain number of hands of blackjack at a predetermined value, or 10 bets on a color on roulette.

Winnings from free spins are often subject to playthrough requirements too, but not always.

These types of bonuses tend to suit players who are signing up especially to play a certain game.

Cashback Bonuses

Cashback bonuses are a great option because they protect you from losing too much money over the medium or long term. With these bonuses, the casino will refund you a certain percentage of the money that you have lost over a given time period.

For example, a casino might offer a 20% Cashback Bonus over the first two weeks of signing up to a new casino. If you end up losing  £100 in that time, you are eligible to claim  £20 back. There is always an upper limit on how much you can claim with these types of bonuses.

A big advantage of Cashback Bonuses is that the money you get back normally comes in the form of regular cash you can withdraw, not bonus cash. That means no playthrough requirements and no obligation to bet with it if you don’t want to. It’s also

nice to know that, if you have a Cashback Bonus in play, you can never actually go broke.

On the other hand, with a Cashback Bonus you don’t receive anything up front – which is not the case with other bonuses. Also, if you end up winning, you aren’t eligible to receive anything from a Cashback Bonus.

Cashback bonuses are favored by more cautious, long-term thinking gamblers who understand that the most valuable bonus doesn’t necessarily mean a chunk of extra money right off the bat.

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At Betspin.com we put player safety and security first. While we do accept a commission from partners which may affect brand positioning, we are dedicated to only working with trustworthy and reliable operators. All our reviews are written and rated independently of the paying partner and we reserve the right to decline commissions from operators who do not meet our standards. Our list of top live casinos is not comprehensive of every casino operating in the market but is updated continuously with the best and newest brands.

On-Running Promotions

While welcome bonuses are one-time-only offers designed to lure new players through the virtual casino doors, on-running promotions are designed to keep current players happy and engaged.

Since casinos are most interested in attracting new players, on-running promotions sometimes take something of a back seat compared with welcome bonuses – but they are just as important and as valuable.

On-running bonuses are also used by casinos to promote certain games, by creating offers that focus on getting players to try specific games or tables. With live dealer games currently enjoying a surge in popularity, it’s common to find casinos creating promotions to encourage long time players to try them out.

Types of On-Running Promotions

Often the promotions will be similar to the welcome bonuses we’ve already looked at.

For example, reload bonuses work in the same way as enhanced deposit bonuses, only they apply to later deposits. You might find a casino offers one reload bonus per month, or that your first 3 deposits will qualify for a reload bonus.

Just as with a welcome bonus, the same terms and conditions surrounding bonus cash will apply (which you can read more about below).

Live casinos might also use on-running promotions to promote specific games, similar to the last section. A casino may give every player ten free spins per week, or something similar.

Another alternative could be a potential jackpot or offering enhanced odds for certain games.

For example, a casino could offer players a share of the jackpot any time the number 0 is rolled on a live roulette table, or some money back if you hit 21 three times in an hour in live blackjack.

These kinds of bonuses are often time-limited: they might only be in play for an hour a day or after 9 pm for example.

Loyalty Bonuses

Live Casino Loyalty BonusesWhile some on-running bonuses are given to all players, others need to be earned through playing. Lots of casinos have loyalty schemes or VIP programs that involve earning loyalty points, which can then be cashed in for prizes or bonuses.

The more points you earn, the more privileges you receive; like expedited withdrawals, invitations to tournaments, or even real prizes like cell phones or speakers.

VIP programs tend to be more valuable for high volume, higher stakes players.

 

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At Betspin.com we put player safety and security first. While we do accept a commission from partners which may affect brand positioning, we are dedicated to only working with trustworthy and reliable operators. All our reviews are written and rated independently of the paying partner and we reserve the right to decline commissions from operators who do not meet our standards. Our list of top live casinos is not comprehensive of every casino operating in the market but is updated continuously with the best and newest brands.

Important Things to Know Before Claiming an Online Casino Bonus

You should never jump into signing up for a bonus without a firm idea about what you’re getting yourself into. Here are the main things to be aware of:

  • Bonuses are NOT simply free money. There are always terms and conditions to be aware of and to put it simply, casinos are not in the business of handing out cash for free.
  • If an offer sounds too good to be true, there is probably a catch in the small print, like very high playthrough requirements. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t genuinely valuable bonuses out there, just that you should be vigilant.
  • The safety and security of the site should always be your top priority, no matter how juicy a bonus sounds. If you’ve found the best bonus in the world but the site seems sketchy, you should just leave it. Better yet, stick to our list of recommended sites.
  • Welcome Bonuses can be claimed only once. Once you’ve used up your bonus, it’s gone forever.
  • Be aware of deadlines. Just about all bonuses come with a time limit attached – whether it’s a deadline to claim your bonus or to fulfill the playthrough requirements.
  • Sometimes certain deposit methods or even certain countries are ineligible for receiving a bonus. It’s up to you to check this advance.

Bonus Terms and Conditions

If you’ve been reading up to now thinking all these bonuses just sound too good to be true, well, you’re partly right.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Just about all live casino bonuses come with terms and conditions attached – the main reason for which is to protect the casino.

A no-deposit bonus of £10 might be advertised as free cash, but you can be sure that no casino is literally giving out free money. It’s not exactly a long term business plan.

Your first port of call with every single bonus should be to head to the terms and conditions section and read it very carefully.

In this section, we’re looking at the most common surprises lurking in the small print. You should consider every single one of the following when deciding how valuable a bonus is – although some may not apply in every case.

It’s also worth noting that, although casinos obviously prefer to grab our attention with flashy headlines and leave the conditions in the background, they are (usually) not actually trying to scam players. It’s not really in the best interest tf the  to annoy and alienate players.

Even with their attached terms and conditions, casino bonuses can still be genuinely valuable as long as you understand how to make the most of them. We really can’t stress enough how important it is to fully read the terms and conditions of your bonuses, to avoid any nasty shocks in the long run.

There are lots of terms that are unique to the world of casino bonuses, and you need to understand them to make sure you’re getting the most out of your bonus.

  • Wagering requirements or playthrough refers to the number of times you need to gamble with some bonus cash before it becomes regular cash that can be withdrawn.
  • Live Casinos are casinos that offer Live Online Dealer Games. They might be regular online casinos that have live games on their menu, or they could be casinos that are exclusively dedicated to live games.
  • A Welcome Bonus is any kind of bonus you get for signing up to a new live casino. It can be claimed only once and once you use it, it’s gone for good.
  • A No Deposit Bonus is a type of welcome bonus that you can claim without needing to deposit any money yourself, totally free.
  • Bonus Cash is money that you receive as part of a bonus. It can’t be withdrawn until you complete the wagering requirements.
  • A Promo Code or Bonus Code is a special password that you sometimes need to type in when you are signing up to a casino in order to unlock your bonus.  However, you don’t always need a promo code and some of the offers on BetSpin can be claimed with just the click of a button.

Wagering Requirements

This can also be known as “playthrough” or “turnover” and it’s probably the most important of all the common conditions attached to bonuses.

Wagering requirements refer to the number of times you need to gamble with some money you received as part of a bonus, before it can be withdrawn. The concept is also sometimes known as playthrough or turnover, and it has a huge effect on the overall value of a casino bonus.

It applies to bonus cash – which you might receive either as a no-deposit bonus or as part of an enhanced deposit bonus – and it refers to how many times you need to gamble the money before you can withdraw it. Once you have completed the wagering requirements on bonus cash, it becomes normal cash.

For example, a wagering requirement of 20x would mean you need to bet the full value of your bonus 20 times before you can withdraw it.

Say you deposit £100 with a 100% bonus and 20x playthrough. You will receive £100 in cash and £100 in bonus cash. At first, you won’t be able to withdraw the bonus cash. To unlock it, you would need to place bets worth up to (100 x 20) £2,000.

Sometimes, casinos calculate the playthrough based on your initial deposit + bonus cash, which in this example would be (200 x 20) £4,000.

Wagering requirements work like this:

  • Any bonus cash you receive, whether from a deposit bonus, no deposit bonus or from playing free games, won’t be eligible for withdrawal immediately.
  • To unlock it, you need to use the bonus cash to place bets worth a certain value.
  • The amount you need to bet is determined by the wagering requirements attached to the bonus, and how much money you claimed as part of the bonus.
  • For example, let’s say you receive £100 as part of a bonus with wagering requirements of 20x. To unlock it, you would need to place bets worth up to (100 x 20) £2,000.
  • Once you have placed £2,000, all the money in your account becomes regular money that you can withdraw.

As you can probably tell, a low wagering requirement makes a huge difference to the actual value of a bonus, and it’s just about the first thing you should look at. To give an example, a no-deposit bonus of £10 with 10x playthrough attached is way more valuable than £20 with 50x playthrough.

Wagering requirements vary a lot depending on the casino and on the overall value of the bonus. It could really be anywhere from 1x to 70x.

Obviously, the lower the wagering requirements the better. Don’t be fooled by headlines: the wagering requirement is just as important as the upper limit in an enhanced deposits bonus, or the amount of a no-deposit bonus.

Things you should know about wagering requirements:

  • Any money you receive as part of a casino bonus is subject to wagering requirements.
  • There is generally a time limit in which wagering requirements must be fulfilled, or else the money is lost. It could be anywhere from a week to a month or two.
  • If you have both regular cash and bonus cash in your account, the casino normally decides which is automatically prioritized for use first. This is something you should check, so you know whether your wagering requirements are being fulfilled or not.
  • Certain games are weighted differently for clearing the wagering requirements.

This is due to the difference in house edge between different games.

Live Casino Wagering Requirements

Weighted Games / Contributions

This goes hand-in-hand with wagering requirements but doesn’t necessarily apply at every casino.

The idea here is that some games count more towards the wagering requirements than others – so it could take you twice as long to unlock your bonus cash playing online slots than at a live blackjack table for example.

The reason for this is that the odds of winning are different depending on what kind of games you are playing, so the wagering requirements are adjusted to reflect this.

Like wagering requirements, the information should be easy to find, even if it’s not plastered all over the front page of your casino. There is often a chart or a table showing how much the different games count towards the playthrough.

Time Limits

Lots of bonuses come with expiry dates. You may have a week to claim your bonus once you sign up, or a limited amount of time to unlock your bonus cash before it expires.

The time limits on bonuses are rarely too strict, and as long as you are aware it exists it shouldn’t affect the value of your bonus too much.

Not Applicable Payment Types

This refers to welcome bonuses or bonuses when you need to make a deposit. Some casinos make their bonuses unavailable to certain payment methods.

Maybe they have a deal with a certain e-wallet, and want to encourage users to use that one instead of its competitors, or maybe some methods incur fees on the casinos side that they don’t like.

This stipulation is comparatively rare, but it does turn up from time to time. If so, it will be clearly mentioned in the small print of the welcome bonus.

Claiming a Bonus

There are different ways to claim bonuses.

For welcome bonuses for new players, a bonus code is often required. This is a special password that you can type in during the registration process which unlocks your bonus. If you have a bonus code, look out for the box to type it in when you sign up.

Some casinos allow you to type in the code in the cashier after you have signed up. Sometimes you need to check a box instead of type in a code.

Other casinos don’t require any action on your behalf, and instead, just automatically credit new players with their welcome bonus.

If that sounds like a lot of different possibilities for claiming your bonus, don’t worry. Casinos aren’t really in the business of trying to stop players claiming their bonuses, and as long as you read the instructions you should never miss out.

If you sign up to a live casino using our BetSpin links, we will also make totally sure you receive your welcome bonus.

For on-running promotions, you may need to opt-in in the cashier or the casino might just credit your account with them automatically.

There aren’t really any hard and fast rules when it comes to claiming bonuses, but it is never too difficult or confusing. If in doubt, just read our reviews carefully and sign up via our links.

Online Casino Bonus Payment Options

The best live casinos have lots of different banking methods available, so that no matter how you normally make payments online you should have no trouble.

Choosing the payment option that works best for you is all about weighing up different factors to see how the options compare. Think about processing fees, how long the payment takes, and how secure and private the technology is. You also need to consider if there is a suitable method for you to withdraw your winnings later on.

It’s worth noting that some bonus offers are restricted depending on which deposit

method you choose. This is something you should check out in advance, in the bonus terms and conditions.

You can head over to our banking section for a full guide to live casino payments. Below are some of the most common ways to deposit at live casinos:

  • Bank Cards
  • Prepaid Cards
  • E-Wallets
  • Bank transfers
  • Wire Transfers
  • Cash in Person
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Vouchers
  • Mobile Payments

Make the Most of Online Casino Bonuses

There you have it. If you feel like you’ve got a good handle on everything we’ve looked at on this page, you’re more than ready to claim some valuable online casino bonuses.

We’ll leave you with two final pieces of advice about bonuses.

The first is that the value of every bonus varies depending on the players. A 100% deposit bonus with a huge £10,000 limit isn’t much use if you’re a lower-stakes player with a more modest bankroll. Figure out what type of bonus would be most beneficial for how you play, and look for a online casino that will give it to you.

The second piece of advice is even more simple: always read and understand the terms and conditions! They are consistently the difference between a good bonus and an excellent bonus.

Head over to our online casino reviews, where we leave no stone unturned when we look at the bonuses on offer. If you like what you read, sign up via our links and you’ll never miss out on a bonus again.

FAQs

What is a live casino bonus?

A bonus is a promotion that live casinos use to encourage players to sign up and bet at their casino. There are different types of live casino bonuses, but all of them involve the chance to save money or play online casino games for free.

Are live casino bonuses a scam?

No. Although you should always read the terms and conditions very carefully, casino bonuses are genuine opportunities to save some money when you are betting, at the casino’s expense.

Can I withdraw my live casino bonus?

For bonus cash, you need to fulfill certain requirements known as “turnover” or “wagering requirements” before you can withdraw it. Normally this involves using the money to bet a certain number of times; for example 35x wagering requirement means would need to turn $1 of bonus cash into $35 before it can be withdrawn.

What is a Promo Code?

A promo code or bonus code is like a password you can use to unlock a live casino bonus. You often type it in during the registration process when you set up your account, but some bonus codes can be typed in afterwards in the cashier.

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Tristan Moore Tristan Moore

Content executive of Betspin.com. Online gambling expert & player for the past decade. I help analyze casino payment methods and bonuses and sort out the best lists for quality gameplay for Betspinners.