There are a lot of different factors to take into account when you're choosing an online casino. You can first see if the vibe of the site matches what you want, you can look at what range of games they have, and even what payment options they have to work with. At the end of the day, however, the biggest differences come down to what bonuses they have on offer. If you're new to online casinos in general, here's a brief guide on which kinds of bonuses could suit you best for the way you want to play.
Deposit Bonuses
As different types of bonus go, this one is usually the flagship offer of any online casino and the one they will push to the front. A deposit bonus is essentially extra bonus funds given to a player when they make a deposit, typically as a percentage of that deposit. So, for instance, a 50% bonus on a deposit of 200 would give 100 to use as bonus funds.
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These are all-purpose bonuses that virtually all online casinos start new players with. While there is no particular downside, be aware of the conditions of the offer. As this article at Casinoalpha describes, larger numbers in the deposit bonus may look more appealing, but they often come with more restrictions on how the bonus is used and how winnings are withdrawn.
Free Spins
As the name suggests, a free spins offer gives the player a certain number of spins to use that won't take funds from their balance. Usually, these are at a set value and from a specific list of games, so for instance, it could be 20 spins at 0.20 per spin on any Play'n GO game or perhaps a specific title like Book of Dead.
Free spins are usually more straightforward than deposit bonuses, but if you are looking to play a particular title, then they may not work for you. Some casinos extend this to two offers: one for free slot spins and one for free games on something like roulette. The key is to make sure the games you want to play are covered.
Cashback
Cashback is the least common as a welcome offer but commonly turns up in loyalty schemes. In the simplest terms, the casino will pay back a set percentage of your lost bets, either daily or weekly. Similar concepts are sometimes used by retailers, as explained in more detail by Investopedia. Apart from excluding any bonus funds used to play, cashback at casinos usually covers all kinds of bets, although some also limit it to slot games or table games.
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The one extra point to keep in mind is that a handful of sites may enforce restrictions. For example, crypto casino sites may only count bets made with Bitcoin towards any cashback. There is often also a hard limit on the maximum cashback that can be earned over a set period. Aside from that though, cashback is generally always a positive feature for a site.
Remember that, at the end of the day, reading the terms and conditions is always the most important thing with any bonus or offer. Always do your research first!