Casino Bonus Myths Debunked
Players in the UK now have hundreds of online casinos to choose from. As these casinos battle to control the market, they are using bonuses to attract new players and maintain their loyalty. However, gamblers are sometimes suspicious of bonuses that seem too good to be true. They might feel like they are being tricked into entering into a highly restrictive experience that will make it impossible to come away with any real money. The key myths that we deal with in this article include:
- Casino bonuses are designed to trick players
- Wagering requirements make casino bonuses impossible to withdraw
- Casino bonuses are only for new players
- You can’t win real money from casino bonuses
- Casino bonuses only benefit players with a big bankroll
- The RTP is lower when playing with a bonus
This article works to debunk these myths so you can be comfortable taking out bonuses on whatever platform you want to play on.
What Is A Casino Bonus?
Online casino bonuses are incentives to get you to play on their site. They can include free spins, free bets, and additional funds to your bankroll. These bonuses are designed to increase your access to the site. The most common bonuses you can expect to find in an online casino include the following:
- Welcome bonus.
- No Deposit Bonus
- Reload bonus.
- Free spins.
- Cashback bonus
We have collected the best casino bonuses on UKCasino. On our dedicated bonus page, you will find more information about casino promotions of all kinds.
Now that you understand what a bonus is, it is time to debunk key myths so you can properly engage with bonuses.
Casino Bonuses Are Designed To Trick Players
Some players see bonuses as a way for casinos to deceive new players into depositing money they might not be able to afford, with rewards that would make the unsuspecting gambler jump to get involved. However, there are many reasons that bonuses don’t really trick players as long as they remain vigilant while gambling.
Firstly, all reputable casinos have transparent and understandable terms and conditions under every bonus offer. You will be told clearly what wagering requirements, game restrictions, and withdrawal limits are in place. This allows you to make informed decisions to get the best gambling experience possible.
Secondly, using casino bonuses is entirely up to the player’s discretion. You are not forced to use them. If you decide a certain casino bonus is not right for you, you are entirely free to play on the website without using bonuses.
Finally, we need to consider what casino bonuses are on a deeper level. They are simply a marketing strategy to try and get players to use one site rather than another. This is becoming more prevalent due to the intensely crowded online gambling market. Bonuses are akin to a promotion run by any other business. It is no different from a clothing outlet running sales and discount events to try and get customers to buy as many new clothes from them as possible.
For these reasons, the notion that bonuses exist to trick players is a myth. They are a marketing strategy like any other, and it is entirely the player’s choice whether or not they use them.
Wagering Requirements Make Casino Bonuses Impossible To Withdraw
Some players are concerned when they read the terms and conditions surrounding a promotion. It is common to be worried that the restrictions have been intentionally designed so that you will struggle to reach the wagering requirements within the given time. You might be confused about how you can wager the bonus 30 or 40 times in just a couple of days. However, if you look more closely at this issue, you will see that the wagering requirements for reputable casinos are not something to be concerned about. Instead, they exist to make the gameplay fairer between you and the casino.
To begin, when analysing this myth, you need to make sure that you have a good enough understanding of what wagering requirements are and how they will impact your gambling experience. A wagering requirement specifies the number of times you must wager the bonus or the bonus and deposit amount together within a specific period. If you fail to meet this requirement, the bonus might not be valid.
There are several ways you can make it much easier to meet these requirements. Firstly, you need to be making large enough bets. Otherwise, it will take ages to wager the bonus amount. The online casino will specify the bet size allowed under the promotion, so if your goal is to meet wagering requirement quickly make sure to aim for the upper end.
You also need to read the terms and conditions properly, as this will tell you how playing certain games will contribute to the wagering requirements. It is common for specific slots to contribute 100% of the bet value to the wagering requirements, while live casino games might contribute substantially less.
Finally, you need to keep an eye out for the gradual release of bonus funds. Often, online casinos don’t wait for you to have completed the wagering requirements before they release the bonus amount into your account. Instead, this will occur at certain milestones, making it much easier to cash out from using a bonus.
Casino Bonuses Are Only For New Players
It is common to be concerned that an online casino will turn the money tap off once you are a paid-up member of their site. You might think your welcome bonus will be the last noteworthy bonus you can ever access. This is not true, as good casinos will continue offering you promotions throughout your experience on their website.
If you are a player that loves using bonuses, make sure that you look out for reload bonuses. These casino promotions are specifically designed for players making additional deposits beyond the welcome bonus and apply a percentage bonus on every deposit. This will reward your loyalty generously and greatly enhance your bankroll so you can keep playing as much as you want to on the site.
Even if you don’t make more deposits, you can still expect free spins to find their way into your account. Casinos use these to get players involved again if they are stepping away. It is perfectly fine to use these free spins as a way to have a more relaxed experience on the site.
Finally, in some cases, being a loyal player will give you access to even more promotions. If you meet the requirements, you might be invited to a casino VIP program. Members of these programs can usually access unique promotions and events and can get incredible experiences at an online casino.
It is worth remembering that it is not only new players that must fulfil wagering requirements. Make sure that you pay attention to the conditions so that you are able to make withdrawals.
You Can’t Win Real Money From Casino Bonuses
One of the best things about online casino bonuses is that they allow us to experience more of what the casino site has to offer. However, many players also want to be able to use their skills and luck to convert the bonuses into real cash. Because of this, concerns often emerge that the winnings from a bonus will only get you more free spins or credits to use in the casino environment.
However, this is fundamentally incorrect. Nearly every bonus gives you a clear pathway to earning real money. This is usually contingent on you fulfilling a range of wagering requirements, but once this is done, you will find it easy to withdraw any real money earnings you win. This is the case for bonuses, where you will get free money towards your bankroll and for free spins in the slots section of the online gambling site.
When assessing if a bonus will give you a good pathway to earning real money, you need to check if it is “cashable.” This means you can withdraw your winnings instantly once you have met the wagering requirements.
In some cases, you can even use bonuses to earn a vast amount of money if you are exceptionally lucky. This is the case if you can use the bonus for games with progressive jackpots with a very high top prize. Make sure that you properly read the terms and conditions of the bonus before you use it so you can see if the progressive jackpot games are available.
Casino Bonuses Only Benefit Players With A Big Bankroll
This myth implies that players with the biggest bankrolls are the only ones who will be able to get the full benefit of an online casino’s bonuses. This may seem like it makes sense because high-earning players are the main ones that online casinos will want to attract. Furthermore, bonuses often match the deposit size, so high-depositing players will enjoy a bigger bonus.
This is all true, but it does not mean you won’t get a good benefit if you are a lower depositing player. All players will get access to a welcome bonus, usually redeemable when you sign up and deposit a minimum of around £10. The exact welcome bonus will vary for each online casino, but you can typically access a generous amount of free spins and additional cash to buttress your bankroll, regardless of how much you can deposit.
No deposit bonuses are an even better bonus to look out for if you are a low bankroll player. These bonuses will give you free spins to try out the casino games without having to risk any of your real money. This risk-free introduction to online casinos will usually not last long, often being just a handful of free spins. However, it is a great place to start for new and less affluent players.
Therefore, if you are a player with a small bankroll, it is sensible to look out for an online casino with a low deposit minimum to access bonuses or offer no deposit so that you can take full advantage of everything the casino can offer.
The RTP Is Lower When Playing With A Bonus
Return to player (RTP) is the percentage of wagered bankroll that will be returned to players across a million spins or game rounds. Great online casinos will feature games with an RTP of 95% or higher. Some players are concerned that online casinos manipulate the RTP so that it is far higher during the bonus period before making it far lower when the player starts using their own money. If this were the case, this would be a deeply dishonest strategy from the casino.
However, this is illegal under nearly every regulatory body. To ensure fairness, the UK Gambling Commission regularly audits UK casinos to make sure that all games are fair and random. If a casino is found to be in breach of these rules, it can be fined hundreds of thousands or even millions. You can find out if an online casino has breached the rules before by finding them on the UKGC website. If a casino has been found to have unfair games, they might be manipulating the RTP of the games against the player. Reputable casinos will clearly display their licensing information which makes it very easy to find this information.
All reputable casinos will distance themselves from this unfair practice. All their games will be run by a random number generator (RNG). This means that the outcome of each spin is totally random and independent of the occurrences on the previous spins. Games that use an RNG cannot be influenced by whether or not you are playing with a bonus.
If you are particularly concerned about this, you can also see if the casino has ever commissioned the services of a third-party auditor. These testing laboratories run every game thousands of times and verify that the outcomes are consistent with an RNG and match the RTP that the casino claims you will get from the game.
Enhancing Your Online Gambling Experience With Bonuses
This article has debunked every myth about online casino bonuses you might have heard. We have shown how they are steeped in misconceptions about how bonuses work, why casinos use them, and the benefits they can offer players.
You have seen that they are not there to trick you but are ways for an online casino to invite you to use their platform with some bonus bankroll or free spins to get you started. Now that you understand that bonuses on reputable casinos are safe and fair, you can get started by signing up and redeeming the welcome bonus from the best online casino for you.
However you use bonuses, always remember to gamble responsibly. Great casinos come with fantastic offers. But no casino is perfect without responsible gambling features like deposit limits and self-exclusion. Make sure to check for these features before you commit your cash to any casino.
