One of the attractive pieces of the casino puzzle is the type of bonuses that are offered. New and returning players get to benefit from several initiatives, including free spins, cashback, and the like.
Depending on the bookmaker and whatever promotions may be at play, you may not even need to do anything special to have these bonuses come your way. Alternatively, there may be a requirement, and it is likely going to be well explained.
Below is a bit of information aimed at getting you a bit more familiar with the concept.
Relevance of Bonus Codes
As a player, bonus codes are relevant to help save you a bit on your bets. While new player bonuses tend to be on the larger side, the ones that crop up more frequently for the existing player base don’t often offer life changing discounts.
On the bookmaker side, the codes are meant to increase the appeal and serve as a point of marketing. After all, the more players that try their luck in a casino, the more the bookmakers stand to gain.
Different Bonus Code Use Cases
The idea here is to have a quick look at how the different casino bonus code use cases play out. Players, affiliates, and the casinos themselves use them.
Players
Typically, either the casino directly offers the codes to the players or a partner that the casino may be working with does. Whenever deposits are being made, their code phrase is entered, and whatever bonus is linked to it is granted.
Branding is a big part of this, and bookmakers may want to keep things interesting with naming conventions, so the name “bonus code” may not be used.
Instead, you may hear coupon codes, promotional codes, sign up codes, etc. Of course, the sign-up ones are usually slightly different, but the rest are just different names describing the same thing.
Affiliates
Affiliates get bonus codes from casinos. As is the case with other industries that work with affiliates, casinos allow partners to get a commission for bringing in customers.
Typically, the affiliate has a brand that it is trying to build. This could be a business, a blog, etc. The expectation is that the partner’s platform can be used as a source of traffic for bookmakers.
On the flip side, as word begins to get out about the kind of content that the affiliate is putting out and the associated bonuses, there is a rise in popularity on that end as well.
To sweeten the pot, casinos often offer codes with exclusive bonuses through their affiliates. This encourages potential customers to visit partners, which still results in more business for the casino anyways.
Casinos
As indicated before, bonus codes from casinos are often used as a retention tool. Additionally, there is the business marketing side of things where campaigns, other promotional ideas, and customer interest can be tracked.
Doing so helps the casino to be more targeted in its approach to pulling clients in.
Typical Bonuses
What are some of the bonus types that you’re likely to find in a casino setting?
No Deposit
Typically, if you’re going to be getting a bonus, you must make a deposit first. After all, a casino becomes a lot less profitable if it’s just giving away free money. However, no deposit bonuses go against that trend.
These tend to be present at registration time and are automatically handed over once a sign up is complete. It may mean you have cash credits, free spins, etc. It’s always a good idea to pay attention to the conditions associated with these offers.
Deposit
Deposit bonuses are way more common than their no deposit counterparts. The idea here is straightforward. When you deposit a certain amount, the casino matches it to a percentage. This proportion can go all the way up to a 100% match.
The way cash outs work is also another crucial difference here. With no deposit bonuses, you can withdraw your winnings only. However, this type lets you cash out the entire amount, including what you earned as a bonus.
Free Spins
Free spins can be associated with the deposit or non-deposit category. Nevertheless, they are exclusive to slot type games, and allow you to generate winnings without having to pay the typical amount for a round of the game.
Cash Back
A cashback bonus offers you a portion of your losses but sometimes there are conditions associated with getting this bonus, while in other cases, they seem to be offered after doing nothing. These are usually given to new players to motivate them to return after having experienced losses for the first time.
A Dip in Popularity
There was an era during which bonus codes were incredibly popular in the casino world. However, that’s not the situation today. You can certainly still find them directly on casino websites, through affiliates, etc.
However, their implementation and use have certainly declined, especially since certain player offers have been streamlined in other ways.
Bookmakers to Consider
Betting via a bookmaker is a sign of trust. Some are less than reputable, and you stand to lose quite a bit by working with them. Therefore, it helps to have an idea of which ones you should keep on your radar. Some of your top options include:
- 888Sport
- Betfred
- MrGreen
- William Hill
Conclusion
While bonus codes no longer have the popularity they once did, they’re still an integral part of the gaming world. People are simply more willing to do things when they are incentivized, and casino gaming simply maintains that trend.
Players, affiliates, and casinos all benefits from their implementation. However, bettors are often advised to go through affiliates as the offers they provide are usually exclusive and have some value-added component.
Regardless of which code you are going to be using and where it comes from, always pay attention to the associated conditions of use. If not, you may find that a code doesn’t work for you as you had intended, or you may be putting yourself in breach of terms.