Best Online Casino Bonuses 2021

Casino bonuses are getting bigger and better. This industry is constantly growing and in the last few years it has come on leaps and bounds.

That means there is more money in this industry than there has ever been before, and as the casinos profit from all of that extra cash, many of them are looking to give a little back to the players. Of course, their motives are not entirely altruistic, and they can benefit from these bonuses just as much as you can. However, that doesn’t need to be the case.

Top Sites that Offer the Best Casino Bonuses in 2021

If you choose wisely, shop around and play carefully, then you can make a tidy profit from casino bonuses. The casinos might not like you for it, but there’s nothing they can do to stop you, and it’s about time someone got one over on the house. 

As well as linking to the very best bonuses and the sites that offer them, in this article we’ll also study those bonuses in more detail. There are many different types of casino bonus, and they work in many different ways. If you have ever felt confused about these and have been put off because of that confusion, then this guide should go someway to making your life easier.

Casino bonuses are widespread and you will find them on most sites. However, some are better than others, and some are simply not worth your time. This guide will help you to understand more about bonuses and to know what you are getting, and we have also compiled a comprehensive list of the best casino bonuses around, which will make that task even easier.

You can actually play in any of the below casino games, get great bonus value and earn real cash:

On this list you will see the many different bonuses offered by many different casinos, and you can then select the one that works best for you. You should also remember that all of these casinos are different, with different parent companies and different platforms.

Therefore, there is nothing to stop you from joining up to more than one of them. Simply signup, pickup the bonus and play. If you lose it all, then just head for another casino. If you choose carefully, you can play through hundreds of dollars without spending a penny.

Obviously, online casinos don’t appreciate this practice, but there’s nothing they can do to stop it, and there are many gamblers out there making a profit this way.

Our list of casino bonuses, and the casinos that offer them, can be found on our Casino Table.

Why do Casinos Offer Bonuses?

You have probably noticed that a lot of casinos look alike. They use very similar layouts, and many of them also seem to offer the same games.

This is because they license their software from one of a few developers, the most notable of which are Microgaming, Playtech and Realtime Gaming.

For a subscription fee (and other costs) these developers provide that casino with all they need, including slot machines, table games, poker rooms, bingo rooms and even sports betting software. Once they have licensed one of the major providers, the casino will then look towards one of the smaller, cheaper providers.

These include Williams Interactive, IGT, Net Entertainment and BetSoft. All of these create games that the casino for real money then uses to complement the ones they already have.

However, no matter how many developers they turn to, the end product will not be 100% unique. And when you consider that most banking options are also the same, that they all have mobile compatibility, and that they are all secure, like Paypal for casinos or even casinos offering bitcoin payments, there is very little to differentiate one casino from the next. Except, of course, from the bonuses they offer.

Casinos know that the only way to standout from the crowd is to offer enticing new member bonuses. These will also serve to attract new players.

Of course, all casinos, even the most popular ones and the ones that already have a good name, offer bonuses, so new casinos and unpopular casinos often have to offer very generous bonuses in order to counteract this.

They’re not in the business of giving money away for free though. The hope is that by enticing you in with a bonus, you will stay, deposit and generate some profit for the casino once that bonus has gone. Gambling is a highly lucrative industry and in the long-run the house aways wins, so whilst some players might get lucky, turning that bonus into a lot of real cash, the majority will not.

If one player takes a $100 free bonus and turns it into $1,000 before withdrawing and never returning, you might think that it would have a hugely negative effect on the casino and their finances.

However, for every 1 person that does this, there are many more that will immediately lose that $100 free bonus, before depositing and losing thousands more. 

As the saying goes, the house always wins. Even when they are giving away free money.

Types of Online Casino Bonus

There are many different types of bonuses, and these are offered to different types of players. Which casino you join, which game you play, and how much you stake will determine your bonus and what you get out of it. It is therefore crucial to understand what’s on offer, and to know when you are faced with an impressive, once-in-a-lifetime bonus, and when you are being offered something that hundreds of other sites have been offering for years.

After all, a casino will always do their best to convince you that what they are offering is better than what anyone else has ever offered, but as you may have guessed, that isn’t always the case.

There is no direct way to compare one bonus against another, but below we have listed all of the bonuses you will find on online casinos, with a little info on their benefits, terms and more:

Casino Welcome Bonus

 

This bonus is there to welcome you into the casino, and it can take many forms. Some welcome bonuses offer a combination of many other bonuses (all discussed below), and the amounts they offer will differ considerably from one casino to the next. The only way to get this bonus is to create a new account at the casino, which means they are not available to current or past members. Some users have created new accounts and used different email addresses and credit cards to acquire these bonuses more than once, but this is against their Terms and Conditions, and if they find out they are not obliged to pay you the bonus and may suspend your account.

Casino Sign-Up Bonus

 

This bonus is credited to your account as soon as you sign-up. It can take a number of forms, but to get it you simply need to register your details with the online casino. This can involve confirming email addresses and providing payment details, but the specifics differ from casino to casino. As with the welcome bonus, you need to be a new member to qualify for this bonus, and if you have joined at any point in the past then you might be rejected. 

Free Spins Casino Bonus

 

When offered to new members, these bonuses are typically used in conjunction with another bonus, adding weight to that bonus and giving players that little bit extra. Simply put, they give you a fixed number of free spins that you can use on most (or all) of the casino’s slot machines. Those spins are set at a predetermined stake (often between $0.10 to $0.50) per spin, although this amount is usually hidden away in the Terms and Conditions. These bonuses are also rolled out during the promotion of a new slot machine, and then offered to all loyal players in order to tempt them into playing that slot machine.

No Deposit Casino Bonus

 

This bonus is very popular with small-stake players. It allows them to pick-up some free cash without even making a deposit, and in some cases without even registering their payment details. The amounts are rarely more than $20 (the casino doesn’t want to give away too much free cash) which means that these bonuses offer very little to high stake players. If you’re happy gambling with this amount though, and if you get excited at the prospect of playing with someone else’s money, then it’s ideal. Bear in mind that you can’t withdraw that money until you have registered in full (including your payment details) and until you have played through it several times. 

Casino Reload Bonus

 

Just because you’ve made a deposit, picked up a bonus and then spent that bonus, doesn’t mean there is nothing else on the table for you. Some casinos offer a reload bonus, which essentially gives you another shot at a bonus. These come in several forms, but typically the casino will “reload” your deposit once it has been spent, and in most cases this bonus comes directly after the new member bonus.

High Roller Casino Bonus

 

Many bonuses, including the “no deposit” bonus mentioned above, simply don’t do anything for high-rollers. There are casinos that cater for these players though, offering higher bonuses and the chance to pickup a lot more cash. Of course, you need to deposit and play with a lot more money in order to get this, and in many cases the casino will ask you to prove that you are a high-roller. This proof is done by simply depositing and playing with a large amount of money over an extended period, after which they will probably get in touch with you to offer some extra cash.

Online Casino Cash-back

Some casinos will pay you a percentage of your losses back. This is more common in offline casinos than it is in online casinos, but it can still be found across the board. This percentage rarely goes above 30% for long-term cash-back schemes, but it can go higher than this for short-term bonuses. In most cases, cash-back schemes are not listed on the site or the promotions page, and they need to be discussed with the casino directly. This is only really possible if you are a high-roller and if you intend to spend a lot of money. If this is the case, then contact the promotions department in advance and let them know how much you plan to deposit, how much you plan to spend (per hand, per day, etc.,) before asking whether they can offer you any form of cash-back. Let them know that if they do not, then you will look elsewhere. This trick is not particularly well known in the online world but it has worked in offline casinos for many decades, and if you spend enough money, and can entice the casino with that spend, then it will also work in the online world.

Deposit Match Bonus

 

This is perhaps the most popular new member bonus, and one that has been in use for a number of years. The casino will give you a bonus based on a percentage of your deposit. This is often 100%, but sometimes it can be lower, and other times it can be as high as 200%. For a 100% matched bonus, it means that if you deposit $100, then you’ll get $200 to play with. Many casinos offer multi-tiered matched bonuses, which means that your first deposit, second deposit and even third deposit will all qualify for a matched bonus. Although in these cases it is rare for all of those bonuses to be 100%, and the play-through rates are usually quite high. This is one of the best bonuses around for mid to high-stake players, and if you choose carefully you can find multi-tiered matched bonuses that also offer free spins, loyalty programs and more. That’s because whilst they are very generous for the player, casinos also get a lot of out this bonus, as the player needs to deposit a substantial amount in order to receive a similar amount.

Loyalty Bonus

 

Loyalty bonuses can come in many forms, but by nature they are only offered to current members, and in some cases only to those who have been members for some time. The most common form of loyalty bonus is the Loyalty Scheme, whereby players unlock points every time they play, before converting these points into cash and/or prizes when they have a certain number of them. The better schemes have a multi-level system, and the more points you earn, the higher you climb and the more points you will be able to earn in the future. These schemes also offer an extensive list of prizes, from simple cash-back, to VIP sporting tickets, hotel rooms, holidays, free gifts and much more. These are not as common as they should be on online casinos, but they can be found on the better ones, and they are also very common on poker sites. 

Casino Bonus FAQ

It pays to understand casino bonuses, because only then can you get the most out of them. Below are a number of frequently asked questions concerning casino bonuses:

Are There any Restrictions on my Bonus?

A number of restrictions apply, but it depends on the bonus and the casino. All bonuses will come with a play-though rate. This is the amount of times that you need to risk that bonus before you can withdraw it, and it is there purely to stop players from joining and then instantly withdrawing.

The play-through rate is often higher on the more generous bonuses, although this isn’t always true.

Most of the time, although not always, casino bonuses are only available to new members, and as mentioned above there are also some bonuses available to loyal members. However, casinos tend to reserve the biggest bonuses for new members, doing all they can to attract more players to the site.

How Can I Get the Casino Deposit Bonus?

To get the bonus, just follow the Terms and Conditions. These will be linked to underneath the bonus, and they will tell you all that you need to know in order to unlock the bonus. Most of the time you will need to sign-up and make a deposit, but this isn’t always true and it depends entirely on the bonus, as well as on the casino.

Some bonuses will require you to access the site — and even download the software — via your mobile device, and others will only be accessible through a desktop browser.

Most of the time, it is difficult to get a bonus if you go directly to the casino website. In their eyes, if you have typed in the URL of the casino then you are ready to join and give them your business, and there is therefore no need to entice you.

That’s why most online casinos (and most gambling sites in general) will only advertise bonuses through affiliates. To get these, you need to browse through links on affiliate websites (like this one) or find promo codes advertised in newspapers, magazines and even on television. 

Whatever you do and however you access the bonus, you should always make sure that you pick one up when you join a new online casino, because you are missing out on something that is widely available if you do not.

Do all Casinos Offer Bonuses?

Bonuses are very common in this industry, as they are used to differentiate one casino from another, and to draw players in. If a casino was to ignore them, then the number of new players signing up to that casino would drop significantly.

If you do happen to stumble upon a casino that does not offer a bonus, then move on, because there are many more out there that do offer them.

The more gimmicky a casino is, the less chance you have of finding a bonus. Basically, if a casino can attract new players by offering software, setups or gimmicks that other casinos have, then they don’t need to go out of their way to throw money at new players.

However, for casinos that use generic setups and license software from the likes of Playtech and Microgaming, there is nothing new to offer so they will use bonuses to draw new players in.

Conclusion

Online casinos are involved in a constant battle to offer more bonuses and bigger bonuses than their rivals, with the players being the ones who go on to benefit the most from these. Of course, you need to play smart to get the most out of these bonuses.

Don’t go for a matched deposit bonus if you’re only going to deposit $10, you’d be better off with a no deposit bonus or even a free spins bonus. Similarly, don’t go for a no deposit bonus if you’re a high roller looking to deposit thousands of dollars.

In that case, you would be much better off shopping around for a loyalty scheme that rewards high-stake gambling, as well as a 100% matched deposit bonus that has a high maximum limit.

Once you have joined the site, claimed your bonus and worked your way through it, then you need to decide if you have any reason to stick around. Is there a loyalty scheme on offer? Does the online casino offer regular loyalty bonuses?

If the answer to these questions and more is “no”, then you should contemplate leaving the casino and searching for another casino that offers a big bonus. You can repeat this cycle until you find a casino hat you’re happy to stick with, or until you’ve played on all of the thousands of online casinos out there.

That might take some time, but at least you will have fun doing it.