Bonuses are one of the most appealing things about online casinos. Almost every gambling website offers at least one of them, but the truth is that they are not the same. One thing that many of these promotions have in common is specific terms and conditions that you must meet to actually benefit from them.

We are discussing wagering requirements, game contributions, expiration dates, and more. Understanding how to clear casino bonus offers will help you evaluate these deals. We invite you to read our guide to clearing casino bonuses for more information.

Understand how casino bonuses work

As we already mentioned, casino bonuses provide an excellent opportunity to boost your balance. To get the most out of them, you must understand the mathematics behind casino bonuses – or, simply put, how they work.

First of all, let's note that there's more than one type of casino bonus out there, including no deposit bonuses, deposit bonuses, and free spins. Although they have several unique traits, they also share a few things.

Probably the most crucial thing that will help you grasp the mechanics of online casino bonuses is the wagering (playthrough) requirements. These represent a multiplier value applied to the bonus, highlighting the number of times you must wager the bonus amount (sometimes the deposit amount is also included) before you can withdraw your winnings.

This makes sense because, without such a mechanism, you could simply claim the bonus and withdraw the money to your bank account without actually playing any games.

The best way to learn about the wagering requirements is through examples.

EXAMPLE 1:

Let's say you have found a welcome bonus offer promising a 100% match deposit bonus with a wagering requirement of 35x, and you deposited $100 and got a $100 bonus. This means you will get $100 in bonus money, and you must wager $3,500 (35 x $100) to get the winnings based on this promotion.

EXAMPLE 2:

Sometimes, the playthrough requirement includes the deposited money. So, suppose there's a 100% match deposit bonus with a 20x wagering requirement on the bonus plus deposit, and you deposited $100 and got a $100 bonus. In that case, you'll have to wager $4,000 (20 x $200) to get a chance to withdraw the funds.

EXAMPLE 3:

Free spin bonuses also come with playthrough requirements, but these apply to the winnings only. A free spin bonus may be 30 free spins on a selected slot that comes with a wagering requirement of 40x your winnings. Let's say you get lucky and win $400 from your free spins. You'll have to wager 40 x $400 or $16,000 to cash out all your winnings.

Remember that there are other things to take into account when learning more about how to clear casino bonus offers. For instance, we have the game contribution – not every casino game equally contributes to the wagering requirements.

Things to consider when playing with a bonus

Before creating or following any bonus clearing strategies, you must ensure that you have considered all things affecting the deal.

For starters, we have expiration dates. You should know that most offers are available for a limited time. Some bonuses expire fast, and you only have a short time to meet the playthrough requirements. These aren't good deals if you hope to clear your bonus in time.

Another thing you should consider is the betting limitations. Unlike regular gameplay, where you can place any bet within the game's minimum and maximum limits, only bets within a particular range are allowed when playing with a bonus.

Typically, casinos set the maximum bet limit between $0.5 and $5. If you place a higher bet, the casino can take away your bonus and void any winnings. That's why we recommend you always check the bonus terms and conditions.

Even though online casinos often have hundreds of games belonging to various exciting categories, not all titles are of value to players using a bonus. As noted above, some games are allowed, and others don't contribute to the requirements.

We have already discussed the wagering requirements above, but we must mention them because they are crucial for clearing casino bonuses. It's best to look for offers that require wagering your bonus 20 to 40 times before getting an opportunity to withdraw the winnings. Remember that we're talking about deals that include the bonus amount only. If the deposit amount is considered, you should look for lower values.

Beware of banned practices

Let's start by noting that we don't agree with many of the practices that are banned at online casinos. These promotions are beneficial for the sites and the players, so no one should abuse them.

For example, welcome bonuses are some of the most popular features of online casinos. Some players create multiple accounts so they can use these bonuses. This practice is strictly forbidden and gets you banned from all gambling sites.

Some players will also try to withdraw the funds without meeting the wagering requirements or use the same bonus more than once if they detect a glitch in the system. Once again, these things are possible, but we advise you to avoid them because they give casinos the right to ban your account.

Finally, we must mention low-risk and no-risk wagering, which is placing bets that have a guaranteed return. Casino operators often ban such practices, and as soon as they notice you, they will void your bonus and close your account.

EXAMPLE

An example of no-risk wagering would be placing $10 on red and $10 on black in roulette. After the session, you'll likely end up with the same bankroll, but you'll have cleared some bonus funds. As we said, we don't recommend you do this because it never ends well.

Tips on clearing bonuses

Now that you know the basics, it's time to share some clearing casino bonuses tips and tricks:

• Check the bonus terms and conditions
• Always opt for trusted online casinos with positive reviews
• Look for bonuses that don't expire too fast
• Choose promotions that don't have too many restricted games
• Play the allowed games with the highest RTP and lowest house edge
• Focus on bonus deals with reasonable wagering requirements
• If possible, claim no-wager bonuses
• Check the maximum amount you can win
• Don't abuse the bonuses
• Don't join a casino just for its attractive bonus