Online gambling has become one of the biggest entertainment markets in the UK. Whether it's for sports betting or online casino gaming, both avenues are experiencing increase after increase as the years proceed. The online gambling market in the UK is worth over 16 billion pounds in GGR, making it a considerable entity within the online entertainment industry.
One of the biggest contributing factors to this rise in popularity is due to the nifty features that online casinos have been able to offer their players. A critical one and also the focus of this article, will be looking at the feature called 'online casino bonuses'. There are many different bonuses (also known as promotions) that fall under this umbrella term, so get comfortable, as you're about to learn about the most popular ones.
Welcome Bonuses
A popular bonus amongst all the lot is the welcome bonus. As the name suggests, this is a bonus that you can get your hands on when you sign up with a new platform, as they reward you with free spins and tokens as a sign of gratitude for signing up with them. Finding a casino with deposit options for UK players is typically at the top of the 'to-do' list of players, as it allows them to partake in games without using as much of their investments.No Deposit Bonuses
Again, as the name suggests, this is a bonus that you can receive even though you haven't made a deposit. You might think that this sounds a bit off to you. After all, why would an online casino offer you free spins and tokens if you haven't made a deposit or investment? The reason for this is that digital wagering houses are smart and they know that you might not have the finances this month but you may have them next month. And if you were to support an online casino, wouldn't it be the one that offered you free tokens when you were down? Digital casinos are thinking of the long game.Minimal Deposit Bonuses
Another option is the minimal deposit bonus. This is one that UK players can think about when they only have a small deposit amount. It's quite useful to search for these, as you might get a rather large reward to play with. Say you were able to invest 5 pounds, with a minimal deposit bonus, the site might surprise you and inform you of a credit to your account for 20 pounds instead, meaning that through using this bonus, you've just increased your account with an additional 15 pounds.Deposit Match Bonuses
This is another interesting casino bonus – the deposit match bonus. Now, don't get this one confused with the no deposit or minimal deposit bonus, just because it also has the word 'deposit' in it. It is actually very different.Here, you first have to make a deposit and then the online casino will reward you with a percentage amount. Many people find this one a tad tricky to comprehend, so using an example is worth it: Say you were to invest £100 into a game and the digital casino offered a 100% deposit match. This would mean that you would receive an additional £100 with which to play, essentially doubling your initial investment. The one aspect that is crucial to bear in mind with this bonus is the fact that each digital casino offers a different percentage amount. Some offer 50%, others offer 200% – try to find the highest percentage offer as this benefits you most.
Payment Method Bonuses
A lot of these bonuses are only possible thanks to advanced technology but there is one that is especially dependent on tech and that is the payment method bonus. Since technology has become so widespread, more and more payment options are cropping up. This is something that online casinos naturally noticed and want to take advantage of. Certain payment methods are more advantageous to the digital casino, such as being faster to process or lower in transaction fees. To encourage players to use these, the online casino houses now offer bonuses for players who can use specific online payment methods, such as online wallets or currencies.Referral Bonuses
Referral bonuses in online casinos are incentives that online casinos give their players for inviting others to join the platform. It's kind of like a 'thank you' for bringing someone in.How it works is pretty simple: when a referred friend signs up and meets certain conditions, both you (as the person who referred them and the friend you have) earn a bonus. This usually comes in the form of cash, free spins or sometimes even betting credits.
A bonus like this benefits both the casino and the player because the online wagering house gets new players without having to do a whole bunch of marketing and the players receive a promotional reward.
The one thing you have to remember with this one, and honestly, the rest mentioned above, is that bonuses usually have terms and wagering requirements, so as a player, you should review them carefully.