Casino Bonuses

How do you choose the best casino deposit bonus? There are literally thousands of online casino sites, and all of them are working hard to gain you as a customer. This results in some great offers, as they all compete for your loyalty, but it can also be a headache as you try to figure out what bonuses best fit your bankroll and play style. We have noted some of the best casino deposit bonus offers for Canadian players on the chart below. We have also provided a good bit of information regarding things to consider when deciding what casino deposit bonus is best for you.

Deposit Percentage Match vs. Maximum Bonus

Casino deposit bonus matches and maximum bonuses vary a lot from site to site. Some sites offer huge matching percentages, as high as 500%. Other online casinos offer welcome packages that boast deposit bonuses of $2000 or $3000. Which one you choose depends on your bankroll.

If you have a lower bankroll, look for higher percentage matches. A 100% match doesn't do you a ton of good if you are depositing $50. On the other hand, if you can find a 200% or 300% match, then your bonus jumps to 2 or 3 times what you are depositing.

If you are a high roller, on the other hand, then your biggest concern is biggest maximum match. It would be nice to find 300% up to $3000, but generally speaking, the large match bonuses are going to be in the 100% range. That being said, if you are depositing hundreds or thousands of dollars, then the 100% matches with the big maximum bonus cap, will generally be a better fit.

Casino Welcome Packages

Welcome packages are usually the online casinos largest dollar value promotion, and they flash this all over their home page as well as promotion pages. A welcome package usually combines deposit matches on a series of deposits. Example: 100% match on your first 10 deposits, up to $5000! - So the ad is screaming "$5000 free", but the reality is, it's a simple 100% match on your first deposit, and unless you are a loyal player there with a large bankroll, you will never complete the whole welcome package.

Small bankroll casino players might want to do a bit more searching to find a high deposit match percentage and not be swayed by the eye popping $5000 or $10,000 welcome package offers.

On the other hand, big bankroll players, and players who like to make one site their home and take advantage of the perks that loyalty can bring, might want to seriously consider welcome packages that reward multiple deposits, and being a longer term customer at that specific online casino.

Wager Requirements

Deposit bonus wagering requirements or 'playthrough' requirements are an important and often overlooked portion, buried in the terms and conditions. When accepting a bonus, you are accepting the terms and conditions of that bonus, and that includes the wagering requirements. Most casinos will require you to "roll the deposit + bonus over" a certain amount of times, generally ranging from 10x to 20x, before you can withdraw. So if you deposited $100 and got a 100% matching bonus of $100, and had a roll over requirement of 15x, then you would need to make wagers equal to $200 x 15 = $3000. It might seem like a lot, but in reality, a wager requirement of 15x goes by pretty fast, unless you are just incredibly unlucky or are betting large enough amounts that you can lose your entire roll in just a few bets.

Wager requirements are a safety feature for the casino, to make sure that players do not abuse the bonuses and that even though they are giving away thousands or even millions of dollars in bonuses and promotions, they will still be profitable in the long term.

One last note, make sure to check which games count towards the wagering requirements. Some games, like blackjack, that have a very small house edge, will not count 100% towards clearing your bonus play through requirement. Often times they will only count 25% or none at all. If a game only counts as 25%, then every $1 you wager, only .25 goes towards the overall wagering requirement.

Play Bonuses vs. Cashable Bonuses

The vast majority of online casino deposit bonuses, fall under the "play" category. They are used to extend your bankroll and give you a chance to win more money, but you can't cash them out. For example, if you got a $100 bonus, and it was a 'play' bonus, then the $100 is deducted from your balance when you make your next cash out. Let's say you deposit $100 and get a $100 bonus and run it up to a $500 balance with a few nice slots scores. When you are ready to cashout, it would be $500 balance, minus the $100 bonus dollars, comes to $400 that you get to bring home.

Cashable bonuses are rare. They are tempting though, because if you are able to meet the wager requirements, you get to cash out the entire balance. In the example above, that would have meant an additional $100 to bring home and spend.

So which is better? They are actually pretty even when you weigh pros and cons. The cashable bonuses are nice, but wager requirements tend to be higher and the bonus match percentage and total bonus tends to be lower. Play bonuses are usually much higher percentage matches and larger bonuses overall , and they can give you a seriously large bankroll to kick off your account. The big balance allows for larger wagers, and you can build a big stack of chips if you hit a hot streak. It just hurts when they deduct the bonus money at cash out.

Just make a point to know which bonus you have, so you can style your play accordingly.

Specific Game Bonuses

Most casinos will offer a variety of first deposit and reload bonuses that are based on a single type of game. Slot bonuses are very common and very popular. They feature some of the largest percentage matches and biggest maximum bonus values. The wager requirements are only met by playing those particular games, usually, so keep that in mind. If you are really in love with a particular casino game, especially the common ones like slots, blackjack or video poker, then dig around the casino's site a bit and see what you can find in the promotions. You might be able to find a bonus that is given for your favorite game and be a good bit larger than the usual deposit and reload offers that hit your inbox.

Specific Deposit Method Bonuses

When you make a deposit to an online casino, it costs the casino money, in the form of fees that the casino pays to the money processor that you use. For that reason, many online casinos will offer an extra bonus on deposits made through specific methods like Moneybookers or another e-wallet. By doing so, they are reducing their processing fees, which is great for them, and at the same time giving you more money to wager, which is great for you.

These specific deposit method bonuses are almost always "stackable", as in they are added to other deposit bonuses you are receiving. They usually will add 10% or more to your balance. Since ewallets like Moneybookers are very easy to setup and are almost universally accepted, not to mention giving you more control over your gaming bank roll, you should seriously consider setting up an account. It can mean hundreds of extra bonus dollars if you play a good bit.

Online Casino Reload Bonuses

With spam filters these days, many online casino emails go directly to your junk box. It would be to your benefit to make sure the online casinos you frequent, are on your accepted emails list. Practically every online casino worth its salt, offer regular promotions and reload bonuses. If you are missing your promotion emails, then you are missing out on a lot of free chips. The casinos will obviously want to hit you with reload emails if you bust out, but you will also get a number of offers, even when you have a good bit of cash in the account.

Reload bonuses come with the usual terms and conditions, play through requirements and specific game requirements, so look at the bonus a little closer to make sure it's worth your time.

With all of the offers available, you should rarely, if ever, make a deposit to an online casino without getting a bonus on your deposit. If there are no offers showing, contact the VIP support, and see if they can make an offer specifically to your account.

VIP Rewards

Though the VIP program is not going reward small bankroll players as much as the high rollers, it's always worth taking a look at. Most online casinos have their program setup so that you are earning comp points with each wager, and you can cash those comp points in for bonuses or other prizes. If you are a high roller or a very loyal month to month customer, then the VIP program should be one of the bigger factors in your decision to join a particular online casino, or not.

As noted previously, online casino brands compete furiously for the players' business, so make sure the perks do not stop after the first deposit. A VIP contact and solid rewards program can add a lot of value to your online casino experience.