No Deposit Bonus
The most common form of the online casino bonus is that the player deposits a certain amount in his casino account and then the online casino offers a corresponding amount to the player for the purposes of wagering. Such bonuses are known as deposit bonuses. However many online casinos are today offering no deposit bonuses, which are bonuses offered without the player having to make any deposits. Such bonuses are more attractive.
No Deposit Welcome Bonus
This is the simplest form of the no deposit bonus. The player is given an amount as soon as he signs up and can wager on any of the casino games with this bonus. These bonuses are usually smaller than the deposit bonuses and the prime objective is that the player familiarizes himself with the casino before investing his own funds.
Free Play Welcome Bonus
The free play welcome bonus is given to new players who have just registered at an online casino. In this bonus players are given a certain amount by the online casino to wager over a given time period. This wagering is usually done at a special casino with a limited number of games, often including pokies.
The objective is that the player ends up with the balance that is greater than the starting balance. If he manages to do so then he is allowed to keep a part of the excess subject to certain limits. A typical free play welcome bonus would operate as follows. The player would be given $500 to wager with over 1 hour. Any amount that he ends up with over $520 would be his to keep subject to a limit of $100.
Since the player has not made any deposit in order to be given this benefit this bonus is a no deposit bonus. Different online casinos may specify different conditions for the free play welcome bonus and therefore players should check these out before they start wagering.
This type of bonus is not to be confused with free play casino games, as unlike playing with fun money, the player has a chance to win actual cash if they win using their no deposit bonus.
Cash Back Bonus
Online casino games are games of chance. Therefore while some players may win there are other players who will lose. The players who lose may be tempted to discontinue wagering. In order to prevent this from happening and to partly compensate the losses of players online casinos offer a cash back bonus. This is a no deposit bonus because players are not required to make any deposit. They are simply refunded a percentage of the loss made by them.
There are certain factors about this bonus that players should keep in mind. The first is that there is an upper limit to the cashback bonus. Even if the percentage of the loss results in a higher value the cash back bonus will not be allowed to exceed the upper limit. The cash back bonus is given on the net loss made by the player. If the player loses $300 and wins $100 then the cashback bonus will apply it on $200 and not on $300. Some online casinos offer the cash back bonus only to VIP players, who are high rollers. Other online casinos offer the cash back bonus only on certain days of the week. Players should realize that the cash back bonus is a benefit given to them and not their right.
Refer A Friend Bonus
Another type of no deposit bonus is the Refer a Friend bonus. This bonus is given to existing players by the online casino when they refer their friends to the casino and the friends sign up with the casino. Usually the bonuses given as a fixed amount per friend referred. Most online casinos allow players to refer as many friends as they are able to. However some online casinos limit the number of friends referred in a month.
In order to prevent abuse of the Refer a Friend bonus, the bonuses are disbursed to the player only after the referred friend makes a deposit and wagers a minimum amount at the online casino. If this condition is not imposed players will refer friends and claim the bonuses without the friends having wagered at the casino. In such a case the casino will be put to loss. It needs to be pointed out that the friend is entitled to the deposit bonus and other benefits on his deposit and therefore as far as the player is concerned this bonus is a no deposit bonus for him.
