After you deposit, some casinos may require you to play with your money before you can access your bonus funds

• Use a casino bonus code if one is required
• Make sure you deposit at least the minimum required amount
• Upon depositing, the bonus money is added to your account balance
• You can now start playing for real money

Enabling players to claim bonuses easily is casino operators‘ biggest challenge. New players find them confusing, and experienced ones are usually very picky when it comes to bonus terms. Operators have pushed the boundaries and have improved the user experience in this regard. However, casino bonus codes, to this day, are a highly effective way of offering and claiming online casino bonuses.

What Are Casino Bonus Codes?

Casino bonus codes are a mechanism that allows online casinos to offer a specific offer to hundreds of players, without the players having to follow a specific link or a landing page. Players should use the bonus code during registration or when making their first qualifying deposit.

There’s no difference between a casino bonus that you get with the use of a bonus code and one that doesn’t use a code. Instead of bonus code, some casinos use the term “coupon code” or “promo code”. They all mean the same thing, these are just different naming conventions.

Pros & Cons of Casino Bonuses

Online casinos bonuses exist solely to attract new casino players or to reactivate and re-engage existing ones. Whether you’re one or the other, the following advantages and disadvantages likely apply:

Extended play time Higher chances to win They are an opportunity More games to try out Widely available Wagering requirements They lock in your cash Game restrictions

Some of the pros and cons don’t apply to all types of casino bonuses. They are all bundled together, meaning our evaluation takes into account casino bonuses in general, not any specific bonus type.

Types of Casino Bonus Offers

Depending on the nature of the casino bonus, who can claim it, when, how many times, and why, there are quite a lot of different types of casino bonuses. However, what you get at the end can be put into three different categories.

The following types of casino bonuses are also available, though are much less common, and aren’t considered categories in and of themselves:

• Casino tournaments – some tournaments require a deposit as a buy-in fee. Some casinos charge a buy-in fee. Either way, tournaments allow players to win prizes from prize pools that go well into 5 and even 6 digits.
• VIP loyalty rewards – casinos thank their most loyal patrons by handing out a variety of rewards, cash prizes, exclusive bonuses, all-expense trips and other special privileges. Some of the perks go beyond the online offer and take you to land-based casinos in places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
• Cash drops – Sometimes, all it takes is clicking “Enroll”, and you don’t have to do anything else. Whether it’s a perfectly timed deposit, or you’ve joined the casino at the right time, you can win cash simply by being part of the casino community. You need be an active player to be eligible for cash drops.
• Reload bonuses – the equivalent of the sign-up casino bonus is the reload bonus, but for already registered patrons. You can usually find these in casinos‘ “Promotions” section, or in your account dashboard. While similar, the wagering requirements are known to be radically different, including some winnings limits, and a condition that prevents you from claiming bonuses on every deposit, meaning you need to make a few deposits between casino bonus offers.