What are Online Casino Bonus Codes and how are they best used?

Casino bonus codes

Everyone knows what online casinos are, but not everyone knows about the casino bonuses they offer. The purpose of this article is to educate you on the topic of online casino bonus codes.

In this article we will:
• Explain what an online bonus code is
• Explain what welcome bonuses are
• Explain how to find special codes
• Explain why bonus codes are often superior to standard welcome bonuses
• Provide examples of specific online bonus codes
• Compare standard welcome offers to specific online bonus codes

What is an online casino bonus code?

An online casino bonus code is a standard marketing tool used by online casinos. These codes are created by online casinos to attract additional customers to their websites.

When a new customer makes a first deposit at an online casino, the casino will match a certain amount of the deposit with “bonus funds”. These bonus funds can typically be wagered on all manner of games offered by the casino such as slots, blackjack, roulette, live dealer games, etc.

These bonus funds come with terms and conditions and cannot be immediately withdrawn, otherwise the casino would go broke giving out free money! A player must first make wagers in the online casino in a process known as “clearing the bonus” with a “rollover” or “play-through” requirement before bonus funds are eligible for withdrawal.

Where can I find Casino bonus codes?

Sometimes codes are generic, and posted for everyone to use on the casino’s own websites. These codes are also often sent out in a casino’s email newsletters. Other times a casino may opt to post their codes on social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit.

Other times, an online casino may use online marketing firms, called affiliate websites, to advertise and distribute their special bonus codes. Casinoadvisor.eu is one of these distribution channels for example.

These codes offered by affiliates often provide special incentives to customers who use them versus standard welcome bonuses that a customer would get if said customer simply visited an online casino website directly and created an account.

Why should I use an online casino’s bonus code?

These codes are great for customers because the special perks are greater than most standard casino offers. Some of the common advantages bonus codes offer are:

  • larger bonus amounts
  • bonuses that are easier to clear with less rollover requirements
  • increased matching percentages
  • reduced minimum deposits
  • free spins on slot machines
  • some combination or even all of the above

Now that we have covered what an online bonus code is, and why a person would want to use one, lets look at some examples of how their benefits.

Examples of Bonus Code Benefits

For example, person A might visit Casino X and recieve a Welcome Bonus that is a 100% match of whatever is deposited, up to $1,000, with a rollover requirement of 50x. This means that if this person deposits $100, they will get a $100 bonus to play at the casino with, and are eligible to withdraw any of the bonus money left over once the person has wagered $5,000 in total.

However, a good bonus code might offer a 200% match of the deposit amount, with a $2,000 maximum, and a rollover requirement of 40x.

When one compares these two hypothetical offers, one can clearly see the benefits of using a bonus code. Lets look at the same customer visiting Casino X, but using this bonus code instead.

Person A deposits $100 and receives a $200 bonus. That bonus clears at 40x. This player needs to wager only $4,000 to earn a bonus amount of $200. Essentially the bonus was doubled and it took less wagering and risk in order to earn and withdraw the bonus amount. This is exactly why we would want to utilize online casino bonus codes, because they are superior offers.

Here is a visual to help you understand the concept:

CodePercent MatchMax BonusRollover
No Code-Standard offer100%$1,00050x
Bonus Code200%$2,00040x

It is plain to see that utilizing any bonus codes offered by online casinos has advantages. With the extra money from a bonus code you can:

  • have more funds to wager with
  • play for longer with those funds
  • have a larger chance of clearing bonuses
  • withdraw bonus money more frequently once cleared

Real-World Comparison of Standard Offer vs a Bonus Code Offer

One good example of online bonus codes being used to maximize player value is a bonus code offered by Cafe Casino. This US-friendly online casino has a standard player offer of:

  • 250% match
  • $1,500 maximum
  • 40x rollover requirement

This is a fairly standard offer is even more attractive when one uses a specific Cafe Casino bonus code however. Using code CCVIP, which we found using a Google search for “Cafe Casino bonus codes“, a player basically doubles their bonus:

  • 250% match
  • $3,000 maximum deposit bonus
  • 40x rollover

In this real world example the percentage match and the rollover requirement are identical, but the maxiumum bonus amount has DOUBLED. This is a bonus that is geared towards high-rollers and VIP players who can deposit larger sums of money, but there are many other options out there.

CodePercent MatchMax BonusRollover
no code used250%$1,50040x
CCVIP Bonus Code250%$3,00040x

More examples of Online Casino Bonus Codes

Casinoadvisor has an extensive list of casino bonuses for you to choose from. Our top 3 picks are

1

100% up to €200 & 100 Free Spins

100%
TOTAL SCORE
Play! Play!
Terms & conditions apply
18+, Terms & conditions apply, click here for the specific terms & conditions of Mr. Play. Please play responsibly, www.gamblingtherapy.org
2

100% up to €500 & 200 Free Spins

90%
TOTAL SCORE
Play! Play!
Terms & conditions apply
18+, Terms & conditions apply, click here for the specific terms & conditions of Casino Friday. Please play responsibly, www.gamblingtherapy.org
3

Welcome package: €1.000 & 100 Free Spins

70%
TOTAL SCORE
Play! Play!
Terms & conditions apply
18+, Terms & conditions apply, click here for the specific terms & conditions of Jonny Jackpot. Please play responsibly, www.gamblingtherapy.org

Other Bonus Considerations

As mentioned earlier in this article, online casinos are not in the business of giving out free money. They protect themselves by using carefully crafted “Terms and Conditions” to their bonus codes.

Typically these conditions look something like this:

• Rollover or play-through requirement added so players cannot immediately withdraw bonus funds
• Bonus abuse clauses to limit players to one bonus per account holder or house-hold
• Minimum deposit amounts before bonuses are activated
• Maximum deposit amounts so that high-rollers don’t clean the casino out on a hot-streak

Players should carefully read the terms and conditions of all welcome bonuses, bonus codes, and other offers provided by online casinos and affiliate websites. In this way, the player knows exactly how much money they need to wager in order to unlock their full bonus, and thus, be eligible to withdraw it.

Other concerns are that some casinos will not allow players to withdraw their deposited funds until a bonus is cleared or the bonus funds are exhausted. This information will be included in the T&C, so be sure to read them!

By Filip Mishevski

As a person that has been involved in the gambling industry for over 5 years, Filip knows all the tricks and trades of online casinos and casino games. He’s here to provide you with the best content and help you have a fun gaming experience. His specialities include online slots, gambling regulations, casino game strategies, bonuses and promotions and much more.