The number of people playing online casino games today is not measured in millions, it is measured in billions. Moving casinos online has proved to be a phenomenal success worldwide.
The convenience, the flexibility, and the accessibility have opened what was previously a niche activity to vast new audiences. Online casino players range from one-time dabblers, tempted by ads or offers, to those treating it as a professional occupation.
As the number of players has grown, so has the number of providers, and an incredibly competitive marketplace has formed. As a result, casino and slot brands are constantly competing to entice customers to play with the most tempting offers.
What most players don’t realise, however, is it is possible to make these offers work for you. There are never any win guarantees in online gaming, but there are simple techniques that can improve the odds.
1. Use all the offers
There are thousands of offers out there, all of them are different, and you can take advantage of them all. Some providers might stipulate a choice of offers in some cases but there are usually no such restrictions in place.
Deposit matches, free spins, reload offers, bonus offers – you can benefit from every single one of them. There is nothing to be gained from skipping an offer, you’re just reducing the value for money you are getting.
2. No, really, use all the offers
It’s absolutely understandable for players to discover or choose a favourite game and want to stick to it. Even if it’s not a specific game, many players develop brand loyalty to a certain preferred provider.
Of course, this is exactly what the casino wants you to do, become attached and keep feeding the same game. The smart thing to do, however, is to shop around, and to keep shopping around.
A welcome bonus from one provider will have a limit to how much it can be redeemed for. Once that limit is reached, why wouldn’t you move to another provider and take their bonus too?
3. Read the small print
Not all, but a great many online casino offers come with a standard catch, you can’t withdraw winnings right away. Wagering requirements are a stipulation that any win from bonus credit must be re-risked several times over.
For instance, £100 free credit with a 20x wagering requirement would necessitate £2000 of money staked before you could withdraw. These requirements vary hugely and can sometimes add up to vast amounts of ongoing play before winnings can be claimed.
By checking these terms and conditions before playing, gamers can assess the relative value of each against likely eventual winnings. What may appear the best offer at face value could ultimately ask for much higher investment in comparison to others.
4. Again, really, read the small print
Wagering requirements aren’t the only hidden condition to be found in the small print of online casino offers. Though most deposit matches or free spins can be used on any of a provider’s games, that isn’t always true.
Some can only be used on specific games, or at specific times, so playing unaware risks wasting the offer. As with any purchase or offer, providers are legally required to advise of all terms and conditions, so read them.
5. Keep up to date
As with terms and conditions, knowledge is power and you can only take advantage of what you know about. Many welcome offers are heavily advertised by the provider, but others can be harder to discover.
Dozens of websites and communities exist making it easier for casino players to keep on top of offers. Some are time-sensitive, some require referral links or offer codes, so doing your research can really yield benefits.
Similarly, enabling notifications on your apps or signing up to mailing lists means you can stay informed from the source. We all want to reduce disruptions in our lives, but why turn away news of something potentially beneficial to us?
6. Go all in
Many offers involve the casino matching a deposit, whether as a welcome bonus or for a loyal or returning player. These get bigger the more you deposit, e.g. deposit £100 get £100 free, deposit £200 get £200 free, etc.
Providing you can afford the risk, the biggest advantage is gained from the biggest deposit. The more you deposit, the more free stake, the more chances to win, or at least the longer your play.
7. Do the maths
This one gets a bit complicated so we’re not actually going to do the maths, but it’s a big one. All online games and offers, statistically, have an EV – which is shorthand for Expected Value.
EV is the amount, calculated over many many simulations, each deposit is likely to yield from each game. By using an online EV calculator, you can uncover the mathematical odds of a win in each individual circumstance.
As I have said, there are no guarantees in casinos and, on a long enough scale, the house always wins. By following these few simple pieces of advice, however, you can make the most of all the bonuses and deals.
The other factor to bear in mind is not all the benefits of offers come in terms of win potential. At their most basic, what every offer does is provide you with increased and risk reduced playing time.
This can be a huge boost for players looking to find their feet and develop their skills in new games. It can also enable those not wanting to deposit funds to enjoy the thrill of online casino without the risk.
We all know that online casino bonuses and deals are, at their core, marketing offers designed to encourage spending. However, with a full understanding of how they work, it is possible for us to make the most of them.
