What Is a Welcome Bonus?
A welcome bonus at an online casino is a type of bonus that’s offered to new players upon registration. It doesn’t matter what the casino offers, as long as the promotion is for new players who are just now registering for an account.
Naturally, this means that welcome bonuses come in many shapes and forms. We’ll talk about all the essential types of welcome casino bonuses, but know that many online casinos offer deposit bonuses above all else.
The critical thing to know here is that you’ll always have to register an account and provide the online casino with your personal information. In addition, you’ll likely have to verify your identity as well as your payment method. All of this is necessary as the online casinos have to respect gambling laws, and they need to ensure you are who you say you are.
Types of Welcome Bonuses
All the best online casino sites offer one or more of the same types of welcome bonuses. So, you should typically expect to get a deposit bonus, no deposit bonus, and a free spin offer. You can find these three types on almost all casino sites, especially those in Canada.
Often, you’ll be able to claim a deposit bonus, while in some other cases, you’ll get multiple bonuses as part of a welcome package deal. Such an offer usually includes both a deposit bonus and a few dozen free spins. In rarer cases, you’ll also get to claim a small no deposit bonus that gives you some bonus funds or free spins just for registering.
Deposit Match Bonus
A deposit bonus is always a deposit match bonus, which effectively means that the casino requires you to deposit a certain amount, and it will match it in return with bonus cash.
For example, a standard deposit match offer is a 100% bonus up to C$300.
Naturally, the percentage and the amount that’s covered will change from site to site. That way, you’ll be able to get a casino bonus of 50%, 100%, 200%, 300%, and as much as 400%. Additionally, it will cover different amounts, anywhere from C$100 to as much as C$2,000, or possibly even more.
It’s important to know that every deposit casino bonus comes with specific terms and, most importantly, particular wagering requirements. In general, you should expect wagering requirements of 30x or 40x, but we’ll cover that in more detail later on in the piece.
Bonus funds expire within 30 days in most cases, so you are required to use up the offer within that timeframe. All unused bonus funds will disappear if you don’t use them in the timeframe the casino has set.
Also, the bigger the bonus, the more deposits you’ll have to make. In other words, the welcome bonus will be split into several deposit bonuses, each awarding a specific amount.
200% Casino Bonuses
In most cases, players can hope to get a 100% casino bonus offer which effectively gives you bonus money in the same amount you’ve deposited. However, most players want to get a higher percentage as it will provide them with more bonus funds for free.
Unfortunately, the higher the percentage, the more demanding and less favourable the bonus terms are. In most cases, a 200% match bonus is usually the best welcome bonus as it gives you 200% of the money you deposit and generally favourable terms and wagering requirements.
No Deposit Bonus
The no deposit bonus is a favourite of many players today. It effectively gives you bonus funds or spins for free. The only requirement is that you register an account at the casino, and that’s it.
However, you need to be aware that this free sign-up bonus comes with stricter terms and requirements, and it usually awards a token amount compared to what you typically get with other welcome bonuses.
If the no deposit bonus awards money, it will usually be a tiny amount like C$10 or C$20. If it awards free spins, then it will be 20 to 50 free spins at the most.
As for the requirements, you’ll always be limited with the amount you can win using the bonus, in most cases C$100, and as always, you’ll most likely have to respect specific wagering requirements if you want to withdraw the winnings.
Free Spins
Besides deposit casino bonuses, free spins are the most common type of welcome bonus you can get today. A typical free spins bonus usually comes with several dozen free spins for specific online slots available on the site.
Free spin offers usually have lower wagering requirements and more manageable terms, but they typically last for only a day or up to seven days.
What’s more, it’s not uncommon for an online casino to combine this exciting bonus with a deposit promotion. For instance, Casino Lab has a welcome package that includes a 100% match bonus up to C$1,500 and 300 free spins for one of the most popular casino games at the moment – Reactoonz.
Best Slot Games for Free Spins
As previously stated, almost every free spins casino bonus out there comes with stipulations in regards to the games on which you can use the free spins.
In some cases, an online casino will let you use the spins on a couple of video slots, and in sporadic cases, you’ll get to use them on most slot games the casino offers.
However, in general, it will be one game, and the most common ones you’ll run into are Book of Dead, Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, and Thunderstruck II.
Book of Dead – The massively popular online slot game made by the famous Play’n GO has ten paylines, five reels, and three rows. The RTP is average, sitting at 96.21%, and the game features several bonus elements like expanding symbols.
Starburst – This 5×3 NetEnt slot is an icon in the world of online casinos. It’s a casual casino game with low volatility adored by many, thanks to its rewarding bonus features.
Gonzo’s Quest – This video slot also comes from NetEnt and uses a typical 5×3 gridline. However, it has medium to high volatility and as many as 20 paylines. The biggest attraction is the bonus round and various multipliers.
Thunderstruck II – Coming from the notable game developer Microgaming, Thunderstruck II offers 243 ways to win and a neat RTP of 96.65%. The best part is that the game features a fantastic jackpot of 2,400,000 coins.
How to Claim a Sign-up Bonus?
All the best online casino bonuses have easy claiming procedures where the casino only requires you to provide it with your personal information, bear a quick verification procedure, make a quick deposit, and that’s that. In other words, you need to create a casino account and make your initial deposit.
This system is practically the same in most online casinos and usually lasts 10 to 15 minutes from the time you visit the site until you start playing and having fun.
Here’s what you’ll usually need to do once you decide on the casino and its bonus:
- Visit the official website of the casino using our link if we have it.
- Click the Sign-Up or Register button to begin the registration procedure.
- Follow the instructions and input the personal details the casino requires. These are usually your name, address, email, desired password, etc.
- Verify your account with the email or SMS, depending on what the casino asks.
- Accept the welcome bonus if offered, or find it in the Promotions tab and claim it.
- Deposit the necessary amount or more. This is also when you’ll likely have to verify your identity and payment method.
- Once that’s done, and the deposit has passed, claim the bonus and start using it.
How to Calculate Your Bonus Funds?
As you’ve already seen, most bonuses are offered as match bonuses, where the casino states the percentage of the deposit it will cover and up to which amount. However, you’ll rarely see what that means in the exact bonus funds you’ll get, so you have to do the calculations independently.
They might seem complicated, but they are actually straightforward.
Let’s say you want to claim a welcome bonus offering a 100% match up to C$200. You’ll likely have to deposit at least C$10, but it will be much better to deposit more because the casino will match that amount. So, in this case, if you deposit C$100, you’ll get C$100 in cash bonuses. In other words, your account will have a total of C$200 in it.
However, since you can get up to C$200, it means you can deposit as much as C$200 to get an additional C$200 for free.
It’s as simple as that, and if the casino offers a higher match bonus, you’ll get even more. For example, if you claim a 200% welcome bonus and deposit C$100, you’ll get a bonus amount of C$200, for a total of C$300.
Now, here’s a tip for claiming an excellent welcome bonus. Make sure that the bonus comes with a wagering requirement of 30 times or even lower if possible. This means that you’ll have to wager your bonus winnings only 30 times before you get to withdraw them. Also, check the terms to ensure that most video slot games contribute 100% toward the wagering requirement. The games that contribute less should be avoided until you’ve completed the requirements.
Best Online Casino Bonuses
The best online casino bonus is always hard to find. You need to get the right combination of a high reward, low wagering requirement, and favourable bonus terms. And as expected, this is not easy. You will have to scour the web and compare several best online casinos you find.
However, we at The Slot Buzz wanted to make this easier for our Canadian readers. We’ve done the research, so you don’t have to. We’ve checked the sites, compared the bonuses, and selected the ones that are just the right offers for every dedicated casino player.
So, let’s take a closer look at the sites with the best casino bonus offers.
Skol Casino
Skol Casino is a new online casino with a massive selection of both slots and table games. It boasts a library of over 1,500 slots as well as numerous live casino games in its dedicated live casino.
Most importantly, it has some of the most exciting casino bonuses on the Canadian market, including a great welcome bonus. You can claim a 100% match bonus up to C$1,300 and 250 free spins for the Immortal Romance slot.
LeoVegas Casino
LeoVegas is a notable online casino with exquisite casino reviews from countless Canadian players. It boasts a massive selection of online slot machines, live dealer games, and other titles like video poker and blackjack games.
Most important of all, if you’re looking for a lot of free bonus money, you’ll love its welcome offer. It covers up to C$1,000 and 200 free spins for the Book of Dead slot.
Casino Planet
Casino Planet comes to us from the famous company Genesis Global Ltd that boasts some of the most popular online casinos on the Canadian market. The casino has more than 1,000 quality slot titles, live chat support, and a great mobile casino.
The welcome bonus is also an interesting one, as it comes with a 100% match bonus up to C$1,500 and 200 free spins for Book of Dead.
Casino Lab
We already mentioned Casino Lab, and we didn’t do it without reason. It’s one of the top online casinos for Canadians with many games, diverse payment methods, and more.
The welcome bonus is also a compelling one. It’s a package of a 100% match bonus up to C$1,500 and 300 free spins for the slot title Reactoonz. Like most other bonuses, it is divided into four deposits, with the first one coming with all the deposit free spins, so you won’t have to wait for several days to get and use all of them.
Terms and Conditions of Welcome Bonuses
Every welcome bonus comes with certain terms and conditions and a specific wagering requirement. Naturally, all players hate these, but they are necessary for the casino, as that’s the only way to ensure players do not abuse their generosity.
There are always many different terms and conditions, but let’s take at the most important ones that will help you determine if a bonus is a good one.
Wagering Requirements
Claiming casino bonuses is simple, but completing the wagering requirements never is. That’s because they represent the number of times you need to wager the bonus amount before you get to withdraw the winnings.
The best requirements are the lowest possible, but as that’s rarely likely (except for free spins that rarely require players to wager them as much as the bonus amounts), you should aim for 30 to 40 times.
To understand what these requirements mean, here’s a simple example. If the wagering requirement is 30 times and the bonus money you receive is C$200, that means you’ll need to wager 30 x C$200 = C$6,000 before you can withdraw your winnings.
Bonus Expiry Date
The bonus expiry date is a simple bonus term as it only tells you when the bonus will expire, or in other words, disappear entirely from your balance.
Most casinos will tell you how many days you have to use the bonus before it expires — typically 30 days. Naturally, this is for the bonus amount, while deposit spins usually last less, from 24 hours to seven days.
Minimum Deposit
The minimum deposit amount tells you how much money you need to deposit to get the bonus. Most casinos will require you to deposit at least C$10 or maybe C$20, rarely more than that.
However, remember that it’s much better to deposit a lot more, as the casino will match your deposit, so the more you deposit, the more bonus money you’ll get.
Allocated Slot Games for Bonus Spins
Almost every online casino with free spins offers requires you to play them in specific games. We’ve already talked about this, and the game you’ll have to play typically differs from casino to casino, but they can also be the same, especially if the casinos come from the same company.
In some cases, when the welcome package is split into several deposits, each could reward you with a specific number of free spins for a different slot title.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are online casino bonuses worth it?
Yes, of course. As long as they come with a decent wagering requirement and favourable terms, they are good. This goes for all types of casino bonuses: casino sign-up bonuses, loyalty bonuses, reload bonuses, or some other casino bonus offers.
Do Canadians get the best casino bonuses?
They do. Of course, this is not a given, but it’s reasonably common for casinos to have the best offers for their Canadian player base. What’s more, they’ll usually offer that bonus only to Canadian players and no one else.
Do I get the same welcome bonus on my phone?
Yes, of course. In almost all cases, there is no difference between the mobile casino bonus and the desktop bonus. They are the same offer that you get to view and claim on either device.
