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How to Clear Bonuses at Online Casinos (Without Losing Money)
Brick-and-mortar casinos used to have quite an advantage over online casinos in terms of customer loyalty because they offered an experience you couldn’t find anywhere else.
But those days have gone the way of the Rat Pack and the One-Armed Bandit—and online casinos have discovered they can compete quite well with “real-world” casinos with the offer of sign-up and other loyalty bonuses.
Free money is never free, of course, and online casinos want assurances that you’re going to cleave to them only as you gamble your way to fame and riches. You’ll need to do what the casinos call “play-through” to earn out any bonus you sign up for.
How does this play-through work, and how can I do it most efficiently, you ask? Well, grasshopper, attend well the following casino bonus playthrough tips.
All Bonuses Are Not Created Equal
There are bonuses, and then there are bonuses. Usually, the largest bonuses apply to new first-time sign-ups, but some give bonuses for “reloads” as well.
Wild Casino is an excellent example of the range of bonuses available and the restrictions and codicils you need to be aware of when you sign up for a bonus.
Remember that all casino bonuses are “earned” when the player has wagered an amount (in total, not all at once) equal to a multiple of the deposit amount plus the bonus amount. For example, if you deposit $100 and are given a $200 bonus. You must wager $300 x 20 (an average multiple) to earn that bonus: that’s $6,000 in total wagering.
Be aware that you’ll see multipliers as low as 10, but 20 is the most common. And some bonuses require 45x your deposit to earn out.
Standard Bonus
Wild Casino offers a good 250% first-time sign-up bonus for the first deposit of up to $1000. On top of that, they offer additional 100% bonuses for up to four subsequent reload deposits.
Like all other online casinos, gamblers are limited to the games they can play to earn out those bonuses. Not only that, but many casinos apply different percentages for earn-outs according to the game being played.
For instance, slot machines at Wild Casino earn 100% play-through on slot machines but only 5% play-through credit for table games like blackjack and roulette.
That’s better than other online casinos, which typically disallow all play-on-table games from earning a bonus.
Be sure to head to Wild Casino to grab some great bonuses!
Crypto Bonus
Crypto gambling sites offer special bonuses for players who sign up with a deposit of cryptocurrency. Again, Wild Casino has a generous 300% bonus for crypto deposits up to $3000, meaning that first-time sign-ups could be working on earning a $9,000 bonus.
Formidable, but not impossible. By the way, if you need help with the crypto jive, here’s a primer.
High Roller Bonus
Like the clubs and special treats awaiting high rollers in Vegas, many online casinos have special bonuses set aside for high rollers.
If you fit their criteria to qualify for a high-roller bonus, then you may find that the rules are different from those imposed on us poor NPCs over here playing Fa Fa Twins at 88 cents a whack.
Be wary. Bigger isn’t synonymous with better.
Bonuses for Certain Games
Online casinos have their own business plans, and like the greengrocer that just opened a fish section, an online casino may have some generous bonuses set aside to encourage play on new games. It’s just added to their platform.
Non-Cashable Bonuses
These bonuses are just what the name says: A bonus you can play with, i.e., treat as your own gambling bankroll, but you can never cash out with that bonus. You likely can’t cash out until you’ve met the play-through requirements.
Please read our detailed guide to bonus hunting at online gambling sites for more information below.
Read the Fine Print
This is one of the most important casino bonus playthrough tips you could ever commit to memory. Online casinos want you to spend your gambling money with them. That’s what they’re in business to do.
Anyone who wants to know how to clear bonus wagering requirements needs to know all the rules affecting that bonus. Here are a few of the most important rules to look for.
Max Bet Limits
Gamblers learned early on that one answer to the question of how to clear online casino bonuses fast was simple: Wager vast amounts on a game, and the bonus practically flies into your hands.
Unfortunately, online casinos learned this strategy right about that same time. So, casinos set max limits on wagers you could make to earn out a bonus.
Expiration Dates
Bonuses not only have play-through requirements, but they also invariably have expiration dates, as well.
Wild Casino’s generous 300% crypto bonus, for instance, is only good for 30 days after sign-up—and that’s industry standard.
Penalty for Early Withdrawal
The phrase made infamous by banks is also part and parcel of the online casino bonus rules. In fact, the penalty for even attempting an early withdrawal can mean the forfeiture of said bonus.
You’d think an innocent mistake of asking to withdraw your bankroll would be shrugged off by the casino with a simple “try again later,” but no.
Play Permitted Games That Have a Proven Strategy
Another of the more important casino bonus playthrough tips is this: Learn to play your chosen games properly—i.e., to your long-term advantage.
Depending on the particular online casino you’re dealing with, wagering on one or more of the following games may not help you to earn your bonus. Be aware of applies with the casino you have chosen.
- Slot Machines—You’ll need to know exactly what you’re doing when you play slots for real money. Why? Because slots offer the lowest RTP (return to player) in the casino. But some slots offer much better RTPs (up to 98% or even higher). Naturally, you’ll need to do some research to find these games, but any job worth doing is worth doing right.
- Roulette—Single zero (European/French) roulette has wagers giving the house only a 2.7% edge, so look for these. Remember that many online casinos disallow table games from those used to earn a bonus. Be sure that roulette is permitted before you place that first basket bet.
- Blackjack—There are specific blackjack strategies that give the house a very thin edge, so make sure you understand how to play using these strategies—and that blackjack is on your casino’s list of acceptable games with which to earn out a bonus.
- Video Poker—depending on the pay table, video poker can give the player a slight edge—provided the play is perfect. If you’ve learned how to do that, make sure playing a ton of video poker is acceptable in terms of earning your bonus.
Play Games with the Lowest House Edge
If you want to know how to clear online casino bonuses fast, play games with a low house edge. Jacks or Better Video Poker is a good selection (provided it’s on the permitted list at your chosen casino). Video Blackjack is another good choice.
I’d mention the live version of blackjack, but online casinos often disallow earning a bonus on these games simply because they offer the casino such a thin edge.
Whether you’re trying to limit the edge the house has – or simply looking for upside – it’s good to know which casino games to turn to. Here’s a list of 10 viable options every time you gear up to roll the dice.
Be True to Your Casino
This is one of the easiest casino bonus playthrough tips to follow.
Online casinos want you to spend your gambling money with them. That’s what they’re in business to do.
They give you hours of anticipation and hope of a big jackpot (and occasionally, the actual awarding of the same).
And in return, they expect you to show some loyalty. While they don’t want to give you money, they have agreed to do so, provided you meet some requirements and avoid some pitfalls.
So, treat them right whichever online casino you choose to accept a bonus from. Follow Frankie’s advice.
Fill Your Boots!
That’s what the Brits say, anyway, when they want to encourage someone to get to work already! Bonuses offered by online casinos can be quite generous.
Still, they all require that the gambler (you and me) be prepared to treat the earning-out of that bonus as a sort of job completed against a deadline and under very specific restrictions.
So, find a reliable casino like the one from our list of safe online casinos. Sign up, make a deposit, and start gambling—secure in the knowledge that your bonus will be there once you’ve earned it.
Be sure to check out some of out best online casino bonuses for new offers and hot claim with a limited budget.
