The online casino world is a very competitive one. New online casinos are still emerging every year and all of them need a concept to make it in the shark tank that is the iGaming industry or be swallowed up whole.
Smaller bonuses, easier wagering requirements
Some online casinos offer huge sums for welcome bonuses. New players might be able to get several hundred Euros on top of their own deposit. Even several thousand Euros are not unheard of. The temptation to take up the offer for what is essentially free money is not to be underestimated. But the terms and conditions can be unforgiving and playthrough requirements tend to make it nearly impossible to actually claim the bonus or any winnings from it in the end.
At least, that’s how it used to be. More and more online casinos seem to take a new approach. They offer smaller amounts of money or higher percentages in return for the first deposit, which makes it easier to free up the bonus and enjoy the winnings after all requirements have been met. After all, wagering €100 the average of 35 times means that you have to wager €3,500 before you can hope to claim the bonus and its winnings.
Whereas getting a €50 bonus with a wagering requirement of 25 times sounds a lot less daunting. Wagering €1,250 is doable, right?
The obvious appeal for new players is that they do get some extra cash to play with and decide whether or not they like a particular casino. They’re also provided with the hope that they may indeed be able to meet the playthrough requirements and get a little reward in the end.
Free spins without wagering
Other online casinos offer free spins instead of huge bonuses. Considering that most online casinos offer a huge amount of slot games and that those are the main draw to begin with, handing out free spins makes sense. But even these tend to come with wagering requirements. A free spin offer usually means that any winnings derived from the free spins will need to be wagered as well.
But some casinos decided to do away with wagering requirements for free spins. One prominent example is, of course, Guts Casino. Whilst players never get large numbers of free spins and earning free spins can require quite a bit of advanced wagering, at least once you have them you won’t need to worry about wagering the winnings as well.
More casinos are now taking this approach, which players definitely consider to be an attractive one.
The need to remain competitive
Almost all online casinos regularly update their terms and conditions and their bonus offers. Nowadays new offers seem to reflect the changes in what players are looking for. Only complete newbies can still be tempted by large sums. More seasoned casino visitors know what to look out for, which includes the option to opt out of a bonus.
The smart choice for online casinos is offering competitive bonuses that won’t put the casino at a disadvantage, but that will also allow a player to feel like a winner in the end.