There’s no question that the arena of online casinos continues to shatter expectations as well as financial records. Thanks to impressive technological leaps, the ability to play our favorite and enduring casino games at a moment’s notice is too much temptation to pass up. However, right alongside the impressive catalog of games are the amazing online casino bonuses.
Just as online casino games have gone through evolutions, so have online casino bonuses. This guide goes through the steps of how we got to this amazing point of today’s fantastic online casino bonuses.
| Bonus | Free | Experience |
| No-deposit | Yes | All |
| Welcome bonus | No | All |
| Free spins | Depends on the bonus | All |
| Cashback | No | All |
| Reload | No | All |
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The Purpose of Online Casino Bonuses
Any casino bonus helps players win real money or, in the case of social casino bonuses, higher gift card boosters or other perks. Regardless of the player’s skill level, it is greatly recommended that players consider online casinos because, in many cases, they are free. Even if the online bonuses aren’t free, just having these additional bonus funds available greatly works to build up the bankroll to keep the player engaged. The more engaged the player, the more likely the player will continue making deposits to keep the online casino profitable.
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The Rise to Greatness for Online Casino Bonuses
When online casinos first made their debut in our living rooms in 1994, they got off to a slow start. One of the reasons for the slow start was the lack of technology, especially with the painfully slow dial-up modem. Also, most casino players were still used to playing in person, including hot spots like Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
To help break through the ice, the first wave of online casinos introduced the concept of online casino bonuses. Before this, most retail casinos didn’t offer many bonuses, if any at all. At best, these land-based casinos had a loyalty rewards program for those who make frequent or more substantial bets.
With the concept of the welcome bonus, the steady membership for online casinos began to build, predominantly in offshore online casinos. Although the early online casino bonuses were limited, they at least set the tone for evolution to take hold.
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Enter the Modern-Day Bonuses: Total Dominance
As technology improved, so did the caliber of online casino bonuses. With broadband internet, more traditional casino players began joining these sites in droves. Also, with the official move to HTML5 technology, the stability of the casino games greatly improved. Throw in much sharper graphics and plenty of in-game bonuses; online casinos had to up their game to get new members to join their ranks.
With the rise of crypto casinos, online casino bonuses went through a massive evolution. Besides the general welcome bonus, the idea of the crypto booster promotions came into play to get members to use the currency. And with the rise of the American online casino scene in 2012, the abundant and diverse casino bonuses that we all know and love came online.
While American online casinos didn’t necessarily create all the new bonuses, they did enhance and improve the existing ones. They certainly worked to create the no-deposit bonus. With the chance of getting free money to play games for free and win real money, online casinos in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania took off immediately. As an added wrinkle, these sites also added the second-chance welcome bonus alternative. Instead of getting all the bonus money upfront to keep members engaged, these sites offer a fixed amount of refund credits.
With the model perfected, come 2020, social casinos were able to explode and continue to explode at unbelievable levels. To outshine the three real money American online casinos, all the leading social casinos offer a sweepstakes casino no deposit bonus. Beyond that, social casinos also pioneered the daily login challenges. It doesn’t get simpler than logging into your social casino account to pick up free gold and sweepstakes coins. Throw in the innovative social media promotions, and you have a slam dunk for playing with today’s online casino bonuses.
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Choosing the Right Online Casino Bonus
The two biggest factors to consider regarding online casino bonuses are the expiration date and the wagering requirements. The great part about playing at social casinos is that all the bonus wagering requirements are only a one-time playthrough. For real money, online casino bonuses can become an adventure with wagering requirements. Great ones can range between 5x and 10x, while some astronomical ones can top 30x.
