Guide to Online Casino Bonus Rules

This guide helps you understand what casino bonus rules exist and how they work. Plus there are resources for more detailed explanations. (Image by icetrayimages794410 on Vecteezy)

Learn every bonus rule there is attached to online casino bonuses. You can call this your ultimate index to online casino bonus terms and conditions.

This short and easy-to-understand guide will help you become the master of online slot and table game bonus deals.

Once you have mastered each rule, you will have the right knowledge to choose casino bonus deals that offer you the best value for money.

Why we created this all-in-one bonus rules guide

The idea of this article was to tell Casinoplusbonus readers what not to do when using bonus money bets. At the same time, we want you to understand all the rules so you don’t choose a bonus with unfair rules.

About Bonus Rules

When you claim an online casino bonus, there are always terms and conditions. These are effectively the bonus rules.

Following these rules to the letter is the only way you can successfully convert a bonus into real money. Not to scare you, but if you break these rules, casinos can refuse to pay bonus money to real money conversions.

The problem is these rules can be confusing, especially if you are new to bonuses. And, when you are not sure about how a bonus rule works, mistakes can lead to bonus abuse.

Don’t worry, though. Although all these rules can feel overwhelming, avoiding bonus mistakes is easier than you might think, and this guide is the best place to start.

In the table below, we have listed every bonus rule we could think of. Each one comes with a link to a more detailed guide about the bonus rule covered to help you master how to use it to gain value for your money when choosing an online casino bonus deal.

Online Casino Bonus Rules Directory

How Will These Bonus Rules Guides Help You? Resource For More In-Detail Reading

This guide makes sure that when you convert your bonus into real money, the casino cannot deny you a real money balance.

How to Avoid Bonus Mistakes

Almost all online casinos restrict the maximum amount you can bet while your bonus is active. This guide makes sure you never bet over this amount.

Casino Bonus Game Weights Explained

Almost all online casinos restrict the maximum amount you can bet while your bonus is active. This guide makes sure you never bet over this amount.

Maximum Bonus Bet Rule Explained

I am surprised we made a guide for this bonus rule. Nonetheless, it is helpful to understand how to spot bonus deals that don’t give you enough time to convert your bonus.

What is Casino Bonus Expiry?

The number one guide. We saved the best till the last. To convert your bonus into real money, you’ll need to understand precisely how bonus wagering works.

What are Casino Bonus Wagering Requirements?

The most common casino bonus rule used is called a non-sticky bonus. Rarely will you come across a sticky bonus, but just in case you do, we have a guide that explains this bonus rule in full.

Non-Sticky vs. Sticky Bonus Explained

How to Avoid Bonus Mistakes

The most important point we want to make is that you need to avoid making bonus mistakes. Hence, we have added this section to this guide.

If you have already read the table above, then you will see we’ve already created a guide covering how to avoid bonus mistakes. While that article does not go into as much detail covering how to avoid making mistakes, we want to highlight this topic to encourage you to read our ‘How to Avoid Bonus Mistakes’ guide.

The guide will help you avoid some of the most simple bonus mistakes people make. Just to give you an idea of how important this guide is, we have even included a table accompanying this section to highlight some of the most common mistakes players complain about making.

You will learn how players try to trick bonuses using guaranteed bets only to discover their tricks were against the bonus rules. You will also read how players make honest mistakes that you will never make so long as you read our ‘How to Avoid Bonus Mistakes’ guide.

The Key Bonus Rules to Follow to Avoid Bonus Abuse

Rule Explanation
Max Bonus Bet If you bet over the maximum bonus bet, the casino will not convert bonus money to real money.
Game Weights If you bet on game with 0x wagering contribution, the casino will not convert your bonus money.
Guaranteed Wins If you try to guarantee wins like betting on red and black on roulette, betting all 37 numbers, or betting on player and banker on baccarat, this guarantees you play through the wagering requirement. Yet, after review, the casino will refuse to convert your bonus.
Multi- Accounting This is a rule so often broken, there is dedicated section explaining why you should never multi-account.

Multi-Accounting

Say no to multi-accounting

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Some players try to create multiple accounts with the same casinos to claim bonuses multiple times. This is usually to claim a no-deposit bonus or large welcome bonus more than once.

However, this is a tactic that will not work. IT equipment at online casinos is sophisticated enough to know if you’ve connected via the same device or IP address more than once.

The other issue you will face is using the same name. If you sign up for an account with different email addresses but the same name, this tactic will not work either.

Finally comes the crunch points. Say you have created multiple accounts and eventually convert a bonus into real money. How will you get past the KYC checks in place? You need to pass these checks before you are able to withdraw from an online casino.

The morale of the story: Multi-accounting on the same online casino is not worth the time or effort. Casinos are wise to this tactic and very rarely can players pull of this trick.

Understand and Follow the Rules Adds Value and Entertainment

To sum up, there are always rules to follow no matter which bonus or promotion you claim. Some promotions come with rules that are easier to follow than others, such as software provider network promotions.

When you play a software provider leaderboard tournament or prize drop promotion, they typically come with 0x wagering, and there are usually only three rules to follow.

  1. To qualify, make sure you stake an amount equal to or over the minimum bet amount required.
  2. Make sure you play games that qualify for the promotions.
  3. Never multi-account.

However, when you claim deposit match bonuses or win bonus money from free spins, the rules can become more complex.

  • You have to consider the wagering requirement to ensure you are getting a fair deal.
  • You should always bet less than the maximum amount allowed while bonus money is active.
  • You should always avoid playing games on which bets do not count towards wagering.
  • You should never try to trick the casino by placing multiple bets that guarantee you a win.

The other key rule you need to understand to ensure you get maximum value from your bonuses is to look at the wagering requirements to ensure they are fair, which means giving you at least a chance of converting the bonus into real money. Another important rule is the bonus expiry because if the casino sets this too low, you may not have enough time to play through the wagering requirement.

Knowing the rules makes for a happier gaming experience: By knowing how bonus rules work, you can avoid the frustrations many player experience when casinos refuse to convert bonuses to real money due to bonus abuse. Therefore, when you know the rules, you get more value, you avoid bonus mistakes, and this all makes for a happier online gambling experience!

FAQ

What is bonus abuse?

Bonus abuse can be one of several mistakes. It is multi-accounting, guaranteeing a winning bet when using bonus money to play table games or simply making a bonus mistake like betting more than the maximum bet allowed while your bonus is active.

Is bonus abuse the same as a bonus mistake?

Yes. Although you may make an honest mistake when betting using your bonus, the casino still calls this a bonus mistake. For example, if you bet on a game with 0x wagering, believing it is contributing to your wagering, then you convert your bonus into real money, and you’ll have a shock when the casino refuses your conversion.

Which bonus rules are the most essential to follow to avoid bonus abuse?

The main rules most players slip on are:

  1. Betting more than the maximum bonus bet.
  2. Playing on games that contribute 0% towards wagering.

Avoid both of these mistakes, and you are as good as on your way to becoming a master of bonuses!

Why is understanding bonus expiry an important bonus rule?

The quick answer is that you can avoid bonus deals that are not worth claiming because the bonus expiry time is too short.

Most bonus deals are what we call non-sticky. They use your real money balance first, and then your bonus money only comes into play if you lose your real money balance. In many ways, you can call the bonus insurance. However, if your bonus expiry is 3 days and you lose your real money balance after 2 days, you only have 1 day to convert your bonus into real money, which is unfair and almost impossible to achieve.

Why are wagering requirements so important when claiming casino bonuses?

Choosing the correct wagering requirement will improve your chance of converting your bonus into real money. If wagering requirements are too high, then the bonus usually has no value.

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