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The pros and cons of game-specific and generic casino bonuses

Public Group active 1 year, 10 months ago

When it comes to online casinos, competition is incredibly high. You’ll know that just by browsing through our website. With so many operators competing for your custom, welcome bonuses are the number-one way to entice you to sign-up and get spinning and dealing.

Broad-based welcome bonuses are the most common sign-up incentives for new players at most online casinos. They are designed to attract a wide spectrum of customers, spanning all four corners of the globe – where legalized, of course. The number-one benefit of a general welcome bonus with an online casino is that you get to play your favorite casino games for longer. In fact, the addition of bonus funds into your account increases your probability of winning. Free spins or bonus money give you more chances to profit, even though the concept of wagering requirements means the increased probability is usually a tiny percentage difference.

Typical generic welcome bonuses
General sign-up offers at online casinos come in many different shapes and sizes. First and foremost, there is the matched deposit bonus, which incentivizes new customers for making an initial real-money deposit. Many online casinos will commit to matching your first real-money deposit in bonus funds. This is known as a 100% deposit bonus. For example, if you deposit $50, you will receive an additional $50 in bonus funds as part of the welcome promotion. It’s important to understand that most deposit bonuses will come with a minimum deposit requirement. Be sure to read the small print, but the minimum deposit needed to trigger the bonus funds is usually $10.

Some deposit bonuses have multiple layers attached to them, allowing new customers to continue to receive bonus funds for their second, third and sometimes fourth real-money deposits. These are known as reload bonuses, encouraging new players to play more consistently at their new chosen casino and reap longer term rewards of bonus funds or free spins.

One of the most lucrative and in-demand welcome bonuses among online casino players is the no deposit welcome bonus. New customers that sign-up can receive free bonus funds to play slots or table games without having to deposit a cent of your own hard-earned money. Some no deposit bonuses will consist of bonus funds, while other packages will contain free spins on predetermined slot games. The best-case scenario is that you will be able to keep 100% of any winnings from your allotted free spins. If not, your winnings may be subject to wagering requirements, which will involve rolling over your winnings a set number of times before it can be withdrawn as cold, hard cash.

Whichever generic welcome bonus takes your fancy, be sure to read the small print to ensure that your deposit method is valid with your chosen casino. Some operators frown upon people using e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller and opt to minimize their use on-site by removing them as an acceptable deposit option for matched deposit bonuses.

Game-specific welcome bonuses
Instead of offering general welcome bonuses available for use across an online casino’s entire library of games, some operators prefer to design game-specific bonuses for new customers. These packages are designed to encourage players to give new games a try and maintain their focus on a particular type of casino gaming.
You will find game-specific sign-up bonuses reserved exclusively for slots in the form of free spins. It’s also common to find game-specific sign-up packages for classic casino table games like roulette and blackjack, giving you free chips to wager on even-money bets. The advent of live dealer casino gaming has also ramped up the interest in exclusive live casino welcome bonuses, giving players the chance to experience the most engaging and immersive form of online casino gameplay with minimal risk. 888casino is one of the fastest-growing Canadian online casino sites, running around 40 live dealer tables, spanning blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and gameshow-style titles like Dream Catcher. It has invested heavily in specific live casino bonuses, with daily opportunities to win bonus funds on their roulette and blackjack tables.

Why game-specific casino bonuses work
With a shift towards game-specific casino bonuses for new customers, what are the reasons for brands to steer players towards certain casino game categories?

Help players engage directly with the biggest slot jackpotsSlot-specific welcome bonuses are a great way to steer new customers towards the winning possibilities in jackpot slots, with bonuses designed for play on slot titles with the biggest progressive jackpot payouts. Of course, these progressive slots are just as lucrative for the casinos as they can be for players, given the exceptionally rare occurrence of them being won.

Connect new players to the best iGaming developersThis is a particularly big benefit for online casinos with partnerships with multiple award-winning iGaming developers. Sites that have a bulging library of online slots from big names like Microgaming, NetEnt and Playtech will naturally want to steer new customers to these immersive video slots using slot-specific bonuses. Helping new players experience the enjoyment of state-of-the-art slot gaming, that’s periodically tested for fair gaming by third-party organisations like eCOGRA, is one way of turning casino newbies into loyal customers and brand advocates.

Give new sign-ups a flavor of casino games they have little experience ofAs well as connecting new players to industry-leading iGaming software, game-specific welcome bonuses also introduce customers to new variants of classic casino games they’ve never played before. By broadening your horizons, online casinos know that they are more likely to retain you as a valued, long-term customer.

Experienced players can get specialist bonuses for games they enjoyAt the other end of the spectrum, seasoned casino players will look towards game-specific welcome bonuses as the perfect opportunity to maximize their bankroll to play the games they know best. Experienced blackjack players will prefer blackjack-specific bonuses to optimize their strategy at the blackjack tables.

The reality is that generic and game-specific welcome bonuses both serve positive purposes for new customers at online casinos. When used in tandem, they help sites to realize the potential of up-and-coming slot and table game variants and give players a more wholesome casino experience.