Online casinos have been gradually growing ever since their invention in the mid-90s. Gamblers today love online casinos because of their convenience, enabling them to gamble wherever they are as long as they have a computing device and an internet connection. Some online casino games first pioneered at online casinos include online poker, slots, and blackjack.
The rise in the number of 1 dollar deposit casinos, especially in the last decade, has led to aggressive competition in the industry. As the competition got stiffer, casino brands had to attract more customers and retain the old ones. One of the common ways most Internet gambling sites attracts more users is by rewarding them with generous bonuses.
During the early days of online casinos (the late 90s to early 2000s), only a few bonuses existed, including free spins, match bonuses, and other forms of loyalty bonuses. However, as more players joined the industry, online casinos had to develop other bonuses to attract new players and retain the old ones.
One of the reasons for the growth in the online casino industry was the invention of smartphones and faster internet that made it possible for players to play online casino games from anywhere. The rise in mobile gaming and the user of mobile devices between 2010 and today has further escalated the growth of the entire online casino industry.
This growth has forced online casinos to be more generous when it comes to rewarding players with bonuses.
Examples of bonuses online gambling websites offer
· No deposit welcome bonus:
Several online casinos give new players a welcome bonus even before they make any deposit to the casino. These welcome bonuses are mainly aimed at attracting new players to the casino. The assumption is; when the players get a good experience with the online games at that casino, they will likely be enticed to deposit real cash to continue getting this experience. The no deposit welcome bonuses for casinos with well-built websites and games have helped them gain more users.
· Referral bonus:
This is given to registered members of casino websites who invite their colleagues to join. Members are given a referral code or link that the new players they have invited can use while signing up, and in return, they earn a bonus. This marketing strategy has been successful for online casinos and players because it is a win-win for both parties.
· Birthday bonuses:
When you visit any online gambling sites or mobile casinos today, one of the popular bonuses you will find is the birthday bonus. This bonus is given to a registered member, either on their actual birthday or during their birth month. Even though it comes only once a year, Internet gambling sites players love this bonus because it doesn’t require playing any online gambling sites or depositing money to win it.
· Deposit bonuses:
This bonus is given to registered members of online poker, sports betting, and other kinds of online gambling sites whenever they deposit money into their wallets. It is usually calculated as a percentage of the amount that a user deposits. The main aim of this bonus is to encourage players to deposit more money to the online casino. Deposit bonuses may not directly attract many new players, but they retain the old ones pretty quickly.
· High roller bonuses:
These are bonuses given to players who make massive deposits to play casino games. The wagering requirements for getting this bonus include betting a minimum of $500. Online gambling platforms invented this bonus to encourage their players to deposit more.
There are several other bonuses that online casinos offer to their player. Still, the above are the popular ones you will find at almost every online casino on the internet. These bonuses are available at poker sites, online sports betting sites, and several other types of online gaming sites.
Why do online casinos offer players bonuses?
Besides the competition in this industry, online gambling platforms offer bonuses to their players for several other reasons. The common reasons behind online casino bonuses include;
· It eases the process of joining for new players
Some players may be hesitant to join an online casino because of the minimum deposit they have to deposit to their wallets before they start playing. For many players, this is a caveat, especially if they don’t have prior experience in online gambling. However, with the no deposit bonuses, new players can try out games without taking any risk.
· It entices players to play for longer hours:
Most of the time, when a player is given an in-game bonus, they will likely continue playing till the bonus is used up. Sometimes they even deposit more money to continue getting the thrill. In the long run, the online casino will benefit when players spend more time on their website.
· To retain existing members:
Everyone loves freebies, so if an online casino offers its registered members bonuses like the free spins, birthday bonus, and deposit bonus, they will likely come back the next day, which could eventually make them loyal to the online casino.
· To give back to the players:
Online casinos don’t want to look like they are always taking money from their members, so offering players bonuses is a sign of giving back to loyal members. Giving back to customers and the community is a practice in almost every industry, so online casinos do it by giving players bonuses.
· Bonuses increase the userbase of online casinos:
One of the bonuses that have contributed significantly to the growth in the userbase of casinos is the referral bonus. Referral bonuses have been used by businesses in several industries to grow their clientele, so online casinos have also adopted it as one of the ways to grow their userbase.
Are bonuses at online casinos legitimate?
When you visit most online casino websites, one of the burners or sliders you will find on their homepage will be telling you about their welcome bonus. Some even promise up to a 200% bonus if you sign up and make your first deposit. However, several online casino players, especially those new to gambling, are sceptical of these bonuses.
The legitimacy of these bonuses usually depends on the authenticity of the online casino. If an online casino is authentic, they will usually give players these bonuses as long they meet all the required conditions to win these bonuses. The next question one will ask is, “how to do you differentiate an authentic online casino from a non-authentic one?”
With so many scams on the internet today, it is easy to fall for these enticing Ads of “200% welcome bonus” without doing due diligence about the online casino. To determine if an online casino is authentic, here are some of the things you need to look at;
· Responsiveness of customer support: Any authentic online casino will always prioritize its customers by promptly responding to their queries. So, before you trust any online casino (especially the non-popular ones), you could start by interacting with their support team to determine how long they take and how well they respond to your messages.
· The game providers: Most online casino platforms do not develop the games you find on their websites. They usually partner with several online casino software developers who provide them with these games. Before you trust an online casino, it is best to check out its different game sections to find out the software providers they work with. Top online casino software providers like Evolution Gaming, Playtech, Microgaming, and NetEnt work with authentic casino brands. So, if you find any of the top-rated online casino software providers, chances are high you are dealing with a genuine online casino.
· Deposit options: Most fake online casinos use crypto as their primary and only depositing option now that we have cryptocurrencies. It doesn’t mean that all online casino platforms with crypto as one of the payment methods are fake; most of them are legitimate. However, one of the indicators of illegitimate online casinos is not integrating some of the popular payment platforms like PayPal and Stripe.
· Look at the licenses the casino has: The reason online casinos acquire licenses is to verify that the services they offer have been approved and tested by the regulators that grant licenses. You should only trust online casinos that are licensed by some of the most trusted iGaming regulators. Besides approving authenticity, these regulators also test the games offered by the online casinos to ensure they meet the minimum fairness standards.
Closing thoughts
Bonuses have been around since the early days of online casinos in the late 90s and early 2000s. The popular bonuses back then included free spins for slot machine games and loyalty bonuses. However, as the competition in the industry got stiffer, other forms of bonuses emerged as online casinos were looking for ways of attracting new players to their platforms.
With the rise in mobile gaming, we expect competition in the online casino business to even get stiffer in the coming years. This is an advantage to the gamers because more competition means better betting odds and bonuses. After all, these two are the significant tools that online casinos use to attract more users to their platforms.
