Most Canadian online casinos are carrying bonuses of some kind or another. Many will provide you with a welcome bonus when you first join, and this may require a deposit or not. Top casinos will continually reward you with promos and bonuses long after you stop being a new player to keep you entertained throughout your time at their site.
Oddly enough, there is more to casino bonuses than just stacks of cash. Do not get us wrong – we like bundles of free spins and cash. However, these mean next to nothing if the terms and conditions attached to these bonuses are not fair, too. Claiming an offer with bad conditions will be detrimental to your casino gaming experience rather than benefit it. What should you look for then?
Before playing at any Canadian online casino, read through the terms and conditions attached to each offer (as tedious as that process is) and ask yourself these six simple questions.
What Are the Wagering Requirements?
The wagering requirements attached to bonuses is hugely important. Casino bonuses that have hefty playthrough rates (also known as rollover requirements) mean that you will have to re-wager much of what you win multiple times before you can withdraw those winnings. For this reason, we would not recommend claiming any casino bonus which has wagering requirements of over 40x the bonus amount. A few casino bonuses out there are wager-free, and that is great. However, they tend to be worth considerably less than offers that have fair playthrough rates.
How Much Are You Required to Deposit?
Unless you claim a no deposit bonus, you will likely have to deposit to claim an offer. The amount you are required to pop into your account can vary from offer to offer, never mind casino to casino. Cash and free spin bonuses worth small sums will typically only need a minimum deposit of $10. More extensive offers can ask for $20 to $25. Only high-roller bonuses should require a minimum deposit of hundreds, if not thousands of euros.
Can You Use Your Bonus on All Games?
You might think that you can use your casino welcome bonus to play anything and everything that a site has to offer. That will most likely not be the case, though. Live casino bonuses can usually only be used on live dealer games. Slots are typically fair game with most rewards. However, it is worth noting that some slot games are exempt from bonus offers, and this usually means progressive jackpot titles. Similarly, free spin deals may be valid on a single game, a selection of games, the titles from one provider’s portfolio, or many of them. For this reason, it is worth checking the terms and conditions before you claim an offer.
How Much Can You Really Win?
It is unlikely that you are going to be able to win millions with casino bonuses. Many offers come with specific terms relating to how much you are permitted to win with free spins. Usually, progressive jackpot prizes are out of the window, to begin with. How much you are entitled to win with your casino bonus is vital because it plays an essential role in determining whether an offer is worth claiming in the first place or not at all.
Are There Maximum Cashout Caps?
Just because you win several thousand dollars with a casino bonus does not mean that you can cash out all those winnings. Some casinos are sneaky in that they will “let you win” vast sums but limit the amount of winnings from bonus funds that you can withdraw. For this reason, you should once again check a bonus offer’s terms and conditions to ensure that maximum cashout caps are reasonable in comparison to the bonus you receive and the amount you can win with it.
Do I Get My Bonus Immediately?
You will not always get your bonus immediately. Some casinos have wagering requirements attached to their offers and will immediately let you play with your bonus funds as soon as you deposit. Other casinos initially look like they have no wagering requirements on their bonuses. In reality, though, you will “unlock” your bonus over time rather than being given it straight away. The amount you wager (within a timeframe) determines how much of your bonus is unlocked. In other words, this process is precisely the same as having a promo with wagering requirements, the only difference being that you will not get to play with the bonus straight away.
However, when you do “unlock” the offer, the funds are not credited as bonus cash but as real money. This means that you can withdraw anything you win with unlocked bonuses, as you have technically already fulfilled the wagering requirements on them.
