Should I take a casino welcome bonus?

Whenever you decide to join one of the major online casinos on the net, you will be asked if you want to take a welcome bonus. Most players do, but some have made their mind up from the start that they are not remotely interested in that. Why? In this article, we will be looking at casino welcome bonuses, and seeing if they really are in your interest to claim them. To determine whether or not you should take a casino welcome bonus, ask yourself 5 very important questions. The answers to those questions should give you an overall answer.

How much can you afford to deposit?

The amount you can afford to deposit may determine whether or not you want to take a bonus. Casino welcome bonuses can provide you with plenty of funds to start off with, as match deposit bonuses on your first deposit. It is understandable if you are only interested in depositing a little cash into your account, that you might want to take a bonus. If, however, you are depositing plenty, then why bother? You’ll save yourself the trouble of having to sort out wagering requirements later out. More on that in a moment or two.

How much do you wish to stake?

It is certainly tempting to claim a welcome bonus which is worth a few thousand pounds. But hold your horses. If you are going to be placing big bets on high-stakes games, a rather sizeable welcome bonus is a plus. If you are only interested in wagering very small sums on games, then you may not necessarily need to claim a welcome bonus offer.

How often do you wish to play?

Deciding whether or not to take a bonus can also be determined by how often you wish to play. If you frequently play casino games and have moderate stakes, you may very well find a welcome bonus alluring. It will keep you supplied with cash to play for a lot longer than not taking one. Keep in mind, though, that if you just want to play on the weekends or less casually than that, you may not wish to claim the welcome offer provided at online casinos.

What kind of bonus do you want?

There are several types of welcome bonuses out there. No deposit bonuses come in several varieties, and then there are match deposit bonuses.

No deposit bonuses can be timed, offer free cash, or free spins. In a timed bonus, players will have a large sum of free cash from the casino to play games with. They must use all of that cash within a specific time frame, and can only claim a predetermined amount (often £100) as winnings. Free cash no deposit bonuses offer you a small sum of cash to spend on games, and you can spend it as you see fit, whilst free spins are usually played on a specific slot or selections of slots, for example, the popular free spins bonus on the range of monopoly online slots. Anything you win with your free spins or free cash is yours to keep, within reasonable parameters. As their name suggests, no deposit bonuses won’t cost you a thing, and there are no strings attached.

Match deposit bonuses can also be claimed as welcome bonuses. These offers are far more lucrative, but you will need to deposit to claim them. These bonuses can see you able to pocket countless sums of free money. For instance, you could claim a 100% match deposit bonus worth up to £500 on your first deposit. This means that whatever you deposit (up to £500), will be doubled by the house, giving you the equivalent of 100% of your deposit back as a bonus. Match deposit bonuses sometimes come with sizeable wagering requirements, though.

The most important thing you need to figure out here is what kind of bonus you want. If you are not sure if the casino is really for you, and aren’t ready to commit yet, claim a no deposit bonus. If you are besotted with the casino, why not go all out.

Can you fulfil the wagering requirements?

Almost all casino bonuses come with wagering requirements. These are basically rules that stop you from claiming big and fat bonuses, then doing a runner with the casino’s cash. When you claim a bonus, you are entering into an agreement which dictates that you must wager the bonus amount a specific number of times before you can withdraw. In short, if you claim a bonus worth £10, and it has wagering requirements of 10x the total bonus, you will need to wager a total of £100 (10x the £10 bonus) before you can withdraw any winnings.

This may sound harsh, but all online casinos carry wagering requirements. Ideally, if a casino welcome bonus has low wagering requirements (up to 40x) the offer might interest you. As a general rule of thumb, we’d never claim a welcome bonus with wagering requirements which are over 40x. Of course, some casino welcome bonuses are free of wagering requirements altogether, but these are very rare, indeed.

Should I claim a casino welcome bonus?

The important thing to remember is that there are no drawbacks to claiming no deposit bonuses. You cannot lose, so you might as well go ahead and claim them. Whether you wish to claim match deposit bonuses, though, depends on how often you’re going to play, the value of your stakes, and those all important wagering requirements. Ask yourself those questions and do the math. You should soon discover whether welcome bonuses appeal to you or not.