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The Best Online Casino Bonuses For South African Players
So you’re keen to start playing your favourite casino games online, but like any newcomer, you are still nervous to fully part ways with your own hard-earned money, at least not until you are 100% certain that you are playing online at the best online casino right? Thankfully, this is one of the many reasons why Online Casino Bonuses exist. For the many online casinos, offering bonuses to players presents the perfect hook to help stand out amongst the competition, for players, the online casino bonus is the perfect opportunity to test and experience a new online casino without having to deposit your own money.
Here at the Casino Club our bread and butter is to bring you an always updated list of the latest Online Casinos currently available and accessible to South African players, but that is by no means all we do, we strive to bring you everything online casino related in between as well, that includes the Best Online Casino bonuses.
As players ourselves we know that you want to spend less time sifting and filtering, and more time actually playing online, that’s exactly why we have a designated team solely responsible for scouring the web in search of the biggest, best, and latest online Casino bonuses.
Our team identifies, reviews, and summarises the most important details regarding each and every online casino bonus, we then package this into bite-sized, easy-to-digest formats so you can spend less time reading and more time actually playing.
For any new players looking to get into the wonderful world of online casinos, you may or may not have come across words such as “Welcome Bonuses”, “Casino Bonus”, “No Deposit Bonus”, and “Deposit Bonuses”, if you have not heard of these terms before, don’t stress, you have come to the right place. These bonus-related terms play a pivotal part in the online casino world, and when understood correctly can elevate your online playing experience to new heights. This page is dedicated to giving you all the information you need to maximise the benefits of the online casino bonus.
What Is An Online Casino Bonus?
The very best way to understand anything is to start at the very top, in this case, that means explaining the blanket term “Online Casino Bonuses“, once you feel like you have the general term “bonuses” understood, we can then help you unpack the many different types of online casino bonuses you are likely to come across.
Simply put, Bonuses are a type of reward/incentive that can be offered to both new and existing players by an Online Casino, interestingly enough, Bonuses are by no means mandatory, meaning that an online casino is not required by any regulations to provide, or make available a bonus to players of any kind. No two bonuses will be the same, and bonuses will 100% differ from online casino to online casino, so it’s important to find the best ones suited to your specific playing needs.
Why Do Online Casino Bonuses Exist?
There are two sides to this question, although not entirely isolated, on the one hand, we have the online casinos themselves, their main reasoning behind offering bonuses is to firstly help stand out against high levels of competition in the hopes of attracting new players to their offering, additionally, bonuses serve the purpose of allowing an online casino to reward and try to retain loyal players with ongoing benefits and incentives.
The other hand holds the needs of the players themselves, you guys, for players, bonuses are a key way to try out a new online casino, or casino game, without having to deposit your own funds beforehand, this could be in the form of free casino game spins or even cash credits.
Bonuses also bring with them great opportunities to play more with less, especially those bonuses that give you a percentage boost on your initial deposit, the deposit bonus will often give you as much as 100% extra on top of your initial deposit amount, meaning that you will have far more to play with than originally planned.
Key Components To Any Online Casino Bonus
As you know our team of iGaming experts are constantly on the lookout for the biggest and best online casino bonuses for you, as part of their review process there are several key components that they always keep a look out for and note before claiming or recommending any bonus, knowing what these are beforehand will help you master the art of claiming the best online casino bonuses for you.
1. The Type Of Bonus
The very first component we believe you should take note of is the type of bonus on offer, is it a Welcome Bonus, a Deposit Bonus, a No Deposit Bonus, or Cashback Bonus. The reason why this is so important is that it will firstly determine whether you qualify for the bonus or not i.e. some bonuses are valid to new players only whilst others are intended for existing players.
Secondly, the type of bonus will also dictate how the bonus is claimed, for example, if you have a deposit bonus you will first need to make a deposit of your own real money funds before it can be activated, whilst a no deposit bonus requires you to simply sign-up in order for it to be activated.
Understanding what type of bonus is on offer will help you decide whether it is right for you and therefore worth claiming. Online Casinos will clearly mark what type of bonus it is on offer.
2. Wagering Requirements
The second thing you want to look out for in any online casino bonus is something called the bonus wager requirement, also represented as WR. The WR is essentially the number of times that the bonus amount needs to be played before any winnings from that bonus can be withdrawn.
For example, if a bonus comes with a wagering requirement of 30X, this means that you need to wager the amount of your deposit, say R50, x 30 = R1,500 before you can claim any of your winnings. If you do not wager the amount of R1,500 in value you will not be abe to withdrawal any of your winnings.
Wagering requirements were introduced to help prevent money laundering and fraud, it prohibits players from claiming bonuses and immediately withdrawing without ever playing. Wagering requirements will vary from bonus to bonus, and from casino to casino so make sure you are aware of a bonuses wagering requirement before claiming to avoid any frustration when looking to cash out later on
3. Minimum & Maximum Bonus Values
With every bonus, particularly the Deposit Bonus which requires you to first make a deposit of your own real money funds before your bonus can be activiated, it is very important that you know what the minimum deposit amount is to claim the available bonus. The Minimum deposit amount will usually be dictated by the deposit payment method you make use of rather than the bonus itself, some deposit methods have lower minimum deposit amounts than others, these amounts are normally clearly stated upfront when you are looking to deposit.
Similarly, when it comes to the maximum bonus amount this will again generally be in the case of a deposit bonus, how you will identify the maximum bonus amount is by the xx% up to Rxx, the “up to” amount mentioned will be the maximum amount you can deposit for the bonus to be applicable, if you deposit more than this amount the bonus will not longer be valid for you to claim.
4. Bonus Expiration
Most bonuses come with a specific life span or period in which they are valid. Make sure that you are aware of the bonus expiry date before you claim to avoid the bonus expirying before you can make use of it. The period that the bonus is valid for will be clearly indicated in the bonus terms and conditions.
5. The Games Contributing To The Bonus
The final sense check to any online casino bonus is to ensure you are aware which online casino games contribute to that specific bonus. Online casino will often tie a certain category, such as slots or table games, or even go as far as dictating the actual slot game titles you can use your bonus against.
The reason why it is so important to know which games are applicable to the bonus is so that you can ensure that those games on offer are ones that you actaully enjoy playing, or at least are ones you have been wanting to try, there is no point claiming a bonus that is only applicable to slots if your favourite games are not included in the list of contributing titles. Again the casino games that contribute to the bonus will be clearly noted in the bonus terms and conditions for you to see before claiming.
Advantages Of Online Casino Bonuses For Players
- A great way to help encourage and convert land-based casino players to begin playing online
- Allows you the chance to trial and experience an online casino without having to deposit any or considerable amounts of your own real money beforehand
- Online casinos will often offer Free spin bonuses that encourage players to play and experience newly launched Casino Games and slots
- Give you a much-needed credit boost when you don’t have significant funds to deposit.
Who Qualifies For An Online Casino Bonus?
When it comes to qualifying for an online casino bonus this is really just dependent on the type, or level of casino player that you are, i.e. a new player who is joining an online casino for the first time will qualify for different online casino bonuses to that of an existing or long time casino player.
If you happen to be an existing player, online casino bonuses will generally be dependent on the types of games that you play, as well as how many times you play, based on your online activity, the online casino will provide ongoing bonuses specifically tailored to your playing needs, often you will also receive bonuses to trial the launch of a new casino game or software.
Qualifying For An Online Casino Bonus As A New Player
Below are some of the general bonus requirements you are most likely to come across as a new player.
- You must be 18 years of age or older
- You will need to successfully create a free online casino account with the particular online casino you would like to play at.
- More often than not you will need your newly created profile FICA verified i.e. Confirming your identity through your ID or driver’s license.
- You are allowed to have an existing account with another online casino
- Bonuses cannot be transferred
Types Of Online Casino Bonuses
As mentioned, there are many different types of online casino bonuses out there, each coming with their own specific purpose. Below is a brief introduction to the online casino bonuses you are likely to come across when playing online.
1. The No Deposit Bonus
No-Deposit bonuses are probably the most attractive and sought-after bonuses available simply due to the fact that they require absolutely no initial real money deposit by the player in order for them to be claimed or activated, hence the name, No Deposit. No Deposit Bonuses will often be aimed at new players and will more often than not come in the form of a Welcome Bonus or Sign-Up Bonus.
No Deposit bonuses are fantastic for any new player who is looking to begin playing online or even a new player that is ready to play online but unsure of the online casino they would like to create an account with. A new casino player can claim their no-deposit bonus, in which case they will then receive complimentary credits to experience a particular casino offering or set of casino games without needing to make their own real money deposit first.
2. The Deposit Bonus
Deposit bonuses are slightly different to that of the no deposit bonus but still very valuable in the right situations. The deposit bonus differs slightly in that it simply requires you as the player to first make a real money deposit using your own funds with the online casino before the bonus can be activated.
Deposit bonuses work on what is known as a percentage match basis, meaning that for every amount you deposit the casino will match that deposit with a specific percentage amount, usually 100%, 200%, or in some cases as much as 300%. For example, if the deposit bonus is a 100% bonus up to R5,000, this means that if you deposit R500, the online casino will add an extra R500 to your account.
When it comes to the deposit bonus, they normally carry with them a maximum deposit amount. You will normally see something along the lines of 100% up to ZARxxx or 200% up to ZARxxx. What this means is that the deposit bonus is only valid up to that specific deposit amount, so if you deposit higher than that amount the bonus will not be activated.
3. Free Spins
Generally attached to a deposit or no deposit bonus and aimed predominantly at new players looking to join an online casino, free spins are exactly as their name implies, they allow players the opportunity to play an online casino game without having to use their real money funds or credits.
Free spins have long been used by online casinos as a way to, firstly, entice and encourage new players to join, or alternatively a way to promote a newly launched casino game, usually a new slot game. Players will receive a set number of free spin credits added to their account for a specific casino slot game when they either create a free players account with an online casino (No Deposit), or alternatively once they make the minimum deposit of their own real money funds (Deposit).
4. The Cashback Bonus
Online casinos sometimes offer what is known as a cashback bonus, as its name implies the Cashback bonus is exactly that, cash back given to the player that may have lost, this “Cashback” can come in the form of either real cash, bonus funds, or free spins. The cashback bonus works very simply in that the player would begin playing online at the casino using their own real money funds, if the Cashback bonus is claimed, should the player lose whilst playing the online casino will give back some of the losses. The amount and way in which your money will be returned will depend on the bonus as well as the online casino you may be playing with.
Cashback bonuses are a fantastic opportunity for you to take a bit more of a risk with the piece of mind knowing that if you lose you will receive a portion of your losses back.
