How do casino bonuses work?

In the last decade, the online casino market has grown like never before. But what is the key to success? On the one hand, the very digitalisation of society makes this form of entertainment more attractive than land-based casinos, while technological advances regularly improve the features offered by online platforms.

But if there is one thing that has driven the popularisation of online casinos, it is the use of bonuses as a marketing strategy. Below, we'll look at what they are, what benefits they bring to online casinos and what types of bonuses exist.

What are casino bonuses and what are they for?

As we said, casino bonuses are nothing more than a marketing strategy, in this case, to attract new customers. Bonuses can also be used to retain existing customers or to reward them for their loyalty. Thus, online casinos offer some sort of bonus to achieve this goal. Specifically, they usually offer a certain amount of money or credit that players can use to gamble on the platform.

How do casino bonuses work?

There are many types of casino bonuses, but they all have the same goal: to get players, new or old, to bet on the platform and not look elsewhere for alternatives. Bonuses are meant to encourage users to keep betting money, so casinos are looking to make their own profit with them.

Although it may vary from casino to casino or from bonus type to bonus type, in general, the way bonuses work is very simple: the player receives that certain amount of money mentioned above in their account and can invest it in their next bet. However, often that money or credit is tied to another condition: the player will have to make some kind of transaction first in order to benefit from the reward offered by the casino.

The most popular types of casino bonuses

It would be impossible to summarise all the types of casino bonuses that exist here, but we will explain the most common ones below:

• Welcome bonus: The welcome bonus is that reward that online casinos offer to new users who have just joined the platform. In order to attract new customers, this bonus is often promoted as an attraction and usually consists of a percentage of the first deposit.
• Loyalty bonus: One way of thanking existing customers is to give some advantage to users who have been playing at the casino for some time. Loyalty programmes often reward players with points for each wager, which they can then exchange for other bonuses, free spins on a slot machine or even cash.
• Referral bonus: Another way to reward customers is if they prove their loyalty by referring a friend to the casino. The bonus is usually received just by entering the email address of the person or persons to whom you want to recommend the service. However, sometimes it is not paid out until the friend signs up to the platform.
• Deposit and no deposit bonuses: The former refers to that bonus that players receive after making their first deposit. Online casinos usually match that first deposit so that the player can invest it in their bets. The no deposit bonus, on the other hand, is the bonus that casinos give even if no deposit has been made and usually comes in the form of cash or free spins.
• High roller bonus: High rollers, or high rollers, can benefit from this casino bonus, which rewards them for investing high amounts of money on the platform.
• Cashback bonus: Players have the possibility to win back some of their lost money with this bonus. At the end of a game, when things have not gone quite right, the player can accept this bonus and the casino will deposit it to their account. This, again, serves to please the customer, who will most likely decide to continue gambling.
• Seasonal offers: As is the case with online shops, casinos also offer sales and these come in the form of bonuses. Seasonal promotions, moreover, are usually related to the holiday that is being celebrated, whether it is Christmas or Valentine's Day.

Casino bonuses, the big draw

Casino bonuses have proven to be an effective marketing tool that operators use to attract new players and build customer loyalty. It is one of the reasons behind the recent growth of online gambling platforms. It is also one of the clear advantages that online casinos have over traditional gaming halls, which do not usually offer bonuses.