It doesn’t matter whether you join a conventional fiat currency casino or a leading BTC casino site – every online casino worth its salt offers a welcome bonus for players. Of course, the nature of these bonuses varies wildly. Some are worth many BTC, and others are worth a handful of free spins. Some span multiple deposits, and some are no deposit deals. Ultimately, what you get will vary.
You are more than likely familiar with welcome bonuses. After all, each Bitcoin casino goes to great lengths to explain them, primarily to lure you into joining them. This is not as sinister as it seems. For players who have only just started to invest in and bet with bitcoins and helping hand to bolster their balance is no bad thing – assuming the bonus comes with fair terms and conditions. We’ll look at those shortly, but first, let us cut through the myriad of bonuses out there.
Most Bitcoin casinos worth their salt will offer you one of four potential welcome bonuses. Here is what you can expect to see and how each of them works:
A typical cash match deposit bonus is designed to give you a sum of BTC (or mBTC) depending on the amount you deposit. In most cases, this will be percentage-based. For instance, a 100% bonus worth up to 1 BTC means that the casino will double whatever you deposit up to 1 BTC. A 200% bonus would triple it, and so on. Some welcome bonuses may extend beyond the first deposit, too, and span the first several deposits you make. These are known as welcome packages.
Some Bitcoin casinos prefer to offer free spin deposit bonuses instead. With these offers, you will need to make a minimum deposit (the exact sum is listed in the bonus’ general terms and conditions), to claim several free spins. These may be valid on a single game, a selection of games, or more games, but they will always be Bitcoin slots.
Sometimes, a Bitcoin casino may opt to offer a no deposit bonus instead of a deposit bonus. As its name suggests, this Bitcoin welcome bonus gives you either free spins or a small cash bonus for use on selected games. In most cases, the sum afforded to new players will be small, but this is acceptable given that you have nothing to lose (no risk to your own money).
The best types of bonuses are arguably those that deliver both cash and free spins. These do occur at BTC casinos and aren’t to be sniffed at. In many cases, you won’t be looking at as many free spins or as much BTC as you would with a conventional cash or free spin welcome bonus, but the ability to claim both with a single deposit is advantageous as it gives you the best of both worlds.
In most cases, you can expect to see a few strings attached. It is rare to see BTC casinos (or any casinos for that matter) offer bonuses without any terms and conditions. It is important to pay closer attention to detail for some of them than others. Let us walk you through:
Arguably the most important aspect of any welcome bonuses’ terms and conditions are the wagering requirements attached to it. These detail how many times you’re going to need to wager your bonus (or winnings) before you can withdraw anything you win with them. For instance, if you claim a 10 mBTC bonus with 20x wagering requirements, you’re going to need to wager 10 mBTC twenty times before you can withdraw. Free spin bonuses don’t typically require you to wager the bonus sum, but rather anything you win with them. The rollover requirement attached to free spin Bitcoin welcome bonuses tends to be lower, at around the 10x mark in most cases.
Unless you plan on claiming a no deposit bonus, you will almost certainly need to deposit to claim your bonus. The terms and conditions page should detail a minimum deposit limit. This is the sum you will need to pop into your account to claim a Bitcoin casino welcome bonus. It should be worth the equivalent of $20 to $50 in Bitcoin.
All bonuses will come with time limitations. In many cases, these refer to the amount of time you must clear the wagering requirements before the bonus (and anything you’ve won with it) becomes null and void. Anything from two weeks to a month is not uncommon here.
It would be great if you could wager your Bitcoin welcome bonuses on every game going, especially live dealer and progressive jackpot slots. However, that isn’t likely to be the case. In many cases, you are going to be limited to what you can wager your bonus on. Free spins may only be valid on selected games, and cash bonuses may have limits on how much you can spend per spin or hand.
Casino bonuses will usually come with a maximum win or a withdrawal cap. This isn’t true of all Bitcoin casino welcome bonuses, but you should pour over the terms and conditions to ensure that any maximum win and withdrawal caps in place are reasonable.
Did you know that some bitcoin welcome bonuses aren’t the same for everyone? The value of any offer in one part of the world may differ from that in another. Moreover, players in some countries can’t claim free spins or only use their bonuses on various games that differ from their counterparts elsewhere. Checking the regional availability of BTC welcome packages is advised before you begin playing.
In most cases, you will get your Bitcoin casino welcome bonus in a lump sum. However, at some casinos, they pay out the bonus in installments. This is known as sticky/non-sticky. Any gradually unlocked bonus (when you wager specific amounts) should come with no wagering requirements, as you have theoretically already met them to unlock your bonus.
Now that you know a bit about the types of Bitcoin casino welcome bonuses out there, it is time to look at how you claim them. Here are the four most common ways to activate BTC bonuses for first-time depositors…
Most Bitcoin casino welcome bonuses will be triggered automatically when you make your first deposit. These should immediately arrive in your account within minutes of registering and depositing.
BTC casinos with plenty of responsible gambling tools don’t want to pester you with bonuses that might alter how you would normally bet. For this reason, they may require you to opt-in for a welcome bonus. This essentially involves ticking a box or confirming via a button present at the casino.
Using promotional bonus codes is another way that a Bitcoin casino user may “activate” a bonus. This is, again, another way of opting for a BTC welcome bonus. Promo codes can typically be found on a casino’s promotions page via a newsletter, e-mail, or our casino reviews. Once you have one, head to the cashier page and enter it into the relevant box when you deposit to claim your Bitcoin bonus.
It is important to note that you are under no obligation to claim a bonus. By choosing not to opt-in or enter promo codes, you can avoid claiming bonuses. You have the right to opt out, even at BTC casinos where the welcome bonus is automatically triggered. Simply contact customer support and tell them you want them to rescind the offer (before you use it).
In most cases, bonus funds will be added to your bonus balance. Some BTC casinos add your bonus funds to your account balance. Either way, it is worth noting that most casinos will tend to use your funds first, followed by your bonus funds. Free spins are always played first. If you have free spins to use, simply open the game you want to play (assuming it is eligible) and start spinning to see the counter start dropping.
You shouldn’t just claim any old Bitcoin casino welcome bonus. There are so many different options out there that you’re spoiled for choice. We suggest only claiming the best Bitcoin casino bonuses (you can find them via our casino reviews). Here are a few prerequisites we’d suggest looking for in the best Bitcoin casino welcome deals:
If in doubt, scroll up and re-read the points already mentioned to be sure that you are claiming trusted, fair, and prosperous Bitcoin casino welcome bonuses.
We always want to help where we can, so if you have questions about welcome bonuses at Bitcoin casinos, let’s see how we can help…
No. There are a few BTC casinos out there that don’t require you to open accounts, and so these naturally don’t have welcome bonuses. These are rare, though. Most casinos offer bonuses.
All the best bitcoin casino sites will allow you to claim your bonus in BTC and wager on games using bitcoin. A handful of sites don’t convert your BTC deposits into USD of fiat currencies for gameplay, but most at least permit deposits in BTC.
A typical casino welcome bonus is valid for one deposit – namely, your first one. Welcome packages usually span several deposits and may include free spins to boot.
Absolutely. Either opt-out or don’t enter promo codes when required to shun a welcome bonus. If the bonus is automatically triggered, just contact your BTC casino’s customer support team to have them cancel it.
In most cases, you won’t have fulfilled the wagering requirements. You will need to do this before you can cash out any winnings you’ve acquired. If you have completed these requirements, there is a chance you are trying to withdraw more than your casino. Either way, we’d contact your bitcoin casino’s support team for a more definitive answer.