Casino Bonuses: How They Work?

If you’ve been playing slots, table and card games or Slingo for a while, you’ll probably know all about the different types of bonuses and promotions you can get when you play casino games online.

For those who are a bit new to this kind of gaming online, this guide will give you a breakdown of some of the most common bonuses and promotions you can find. We also explain how they work and what types of offers to look out for at an online casino.

What are they?

Casino bonuses and promotions are offered to players to encourage them to play, reward them for playing, and extend their bankroll. But while bonuses and promotions offer a nice bit of extra game time, they shouldn’t ever be relied upon as your main source of funds. They’re just quite fun and add to the experience of playing on a particular site.

Some of the most popular ones include sign-up bonuses, welcome bonuses, deposit bonuses, and weekly offers and competitions. Depending on the site you’re playing at, there could be many other promotions, too.

How do they work?

To activate these kinds of promotions, there will be certain criteria. For example, you can only use a welcome or sign-up bonus once and only if you have never played at the site before.

Deposit bonuses also require certain actions. For example, you might be asked to deposit a certain amount of money to be eligible for a particular matching or multiplied bonus or reward. It all depends on the particular promotion and its “terms and conditions” (often abbreviated to “T&Cs”, or “Ts and Cs”).

Casino sites will also offer regular competitions and prizes, often focused on a certain game or in line with seasonal or holiday trends.

What to look out for?

When you play online casino games, it can be a bit overwhelming to understand all of the different kinds of promotions and what their accompanying terms and conditions mean.

To help you get a better idea of what to look out for, we’ve listed some of the most common ones below, with a brief explanation.

Welcome bonuses

As the name suggests, this bonus is a welcome offer that can only be used once – in other words, when you sign up to play. Think of it as a little bit of extra credit to get you started! For example, this could involve a £20 bonus when you deposit £10, so a double welcome bonus. Be aware, though, that the terms of such bonuses can often limit you to only playing certain types of games, although they can also come with some free spins! Note that the T&Cs for such offers also often include a “wagering requirement”, which means you need to wager a certain amount before you can claim any winnings you made with the original bonus.

Deposit bonuses

Similar to the welcome bonus above, this type of promotion will reward you with an amount when you deposit a certain amount into your casino account, but deposit bonuses aren’t limited to the first time you play or when you sign up. They are more of an “evergreen” type of offer, really. Keep in mind that deposit offers also often come with minimum wagering requirements, so be sure to read those T&Cs before you dive in so you know what you’re getting!

Competitions

To keep things exciting, apart from welcome and deposit bonuses, a casino might also offer a weekly competition, where players can enter by depositing a certain amount over a period of time, and stand a chance to win a prize.

Think of this as a kind of mini-game, which could involve spinning a wheel, just like you would when you play live casino games! All you need to do is deposit the minimum amount and then click “play” on the relevant tab at the right time to take a spin or any other action required. They’re another fun add-on, all of which keeps things light and entertaining!

Note that many of these promotions will also need you to opt-in, and come with terms and conditions that you must fully understand before you can play.

Game-specific bonuses

Apart from all of the different bonuses you can get from playing at a site in general, there are also many game-specific bonus features to look forward to, especially if you play online slots games.

Some of these include special, in-game rounds called “pick me” bonuses, where you’ll be taken to a different screen and have the option to pick from certain symbols to land a jackpot or another prize.

Other features might include free-spins rounds, which allow you a certain number of “spins”, without having to tap into your own credits; these free goes can help to extend your bankroll.

Look out for regular bonuses and promotions at Mecca Games

Whether you choose to play slot games or you’re eager to land a particular Slingo bonus, you can find all kinds of casino bonuses and promotional offers at Mecca Games.

Once you register, you also have the option to sign up for regular email updates, so you can be kept up to speed with all of our latest promotions. Come and have some fun playing the games you love with us!