Bonuses help lower the house edge on the games. From blackjack to baccarat, craps to video poker, we present a guide to navigate your online game.

Online casinos offer bonuses to encourage new depositors. This gives players a reason to try out a new site. These bonuses help lower the house edge on the games.

Online casino bonuses are usually deposited into a player’s account in the form of chips at the time of deposit. These funds may be played with in the casino immediately. This is different from poker bonuses where a player must generate a certain amount of rake or poker points to receive the bonus.

Most online casino bonuses are described with a percent and a dollar amount. The most common percentage is 100%, while dollar amounts typically range between $100 and $500. A player offered a 100% up to $500 bonus would receive a dollar for dollar match. The maximum bonus for that offer would be $500. Players could deposit less and receive a match on that smaller deposit amount.

How to Clear an Online Casino Bonus

Online casino bonuses are cleared using a formula based on the amount wagered. There is a rollover requirement that is described as a number. Examples include 10x, 20x, 30x and 50x. This number is the multiplier required before a withdrawal may be requested. It is important to understand that once a bonus has been accepted its terms must be met before the casino will honor a cashout request.

A 20x bonus would require a player to wager 20 times the amount of the bonus before requesting a withdrawal. A 20x $500 deposit bonus would require $10,000 in casino game wagers.

Game Restrictions

Many online casinos will restrict games from bonus offers. The most likely games to be excluded are baccarat, blackjack, craps, roulette and video poker. These games are not allowed for different reasons.

Baccarat, craps and roulette players have been known to try and cheat the system by placing opposing bets. Baccarat players might try to get away with clearing a bonus by betting on the player and banker on the same hand. In craps, that would mean better the pass and don’t pass line on the same roll. A roulette player may try to bet red and black or odd and even on the same spin.

Blackjack and video poker have an extremely low house edge. This might make it too easy to clear bonuses with low wager requirements.

An online casino may raise the play-through requirements for these games or outright exclude them.

Slots Only Bonuses

Online casinos like to offer bonuses that only apply to slots. The terms slots used by brick and mortar casinos often includes video poker. It never includes video poker when used by casino sites. Slots specifically describe line and reel games. These bonuses will usually have a much lower wager requirement than bonuses that allow other games. This is due to the higher house advantage.

Reload Bonuses

Casino sites may offer reload bonuses to players that have already made a deposit. These are often weekly promotions and some may only apply to specific games. Holiday weekends are another time casino reload bonuses may be available. Check the online casino’s promotions page to see if a reload bonus offer is active.

Important to Read Terms and Conditions

Each online casino must disclose its promotional terms—this is mandated by gaming regulations. It is imperative that you read the promotional terms information. It spells out exactly how the bonus is cleared and what is required before a withdrawal request may be made.