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Imagine walking into a casino with C$100 in your pocket and then being handed another C$100 bill by the casino staff. Seems unimaginable right? A casino that gives away free money? That'll be the day. Well with online casino bonuses that's the reality players face every time they open a new account.
Welcome bonuses, or sign-up bonuses, at casinos online in Canada are just like finding free money - if you know where to look. But thankfully, at OnlineGambling.ca we've done the hard work for our readers. Personally testing out each bonus to make sure the reality lives up to expectation.
With our recommended top casino online bonuses Canadians will:
And when it comes to the best bonus online in June 2018 there's one site our team would recommend Canadian players strongly consider - Jackpot City.
It can be understandably hard for players to get their heads around the idea of a casino bonus. After all, a casino proactively giving away their own money for free doesn't sound very legit. But, we can assure you, at the right casinos online in 2018, these free money offers are 100% real and trustworthy.
The best way to think about a casino bonus is as a perk with purchase. You've opened an account at the casino site. And as a way of saying thanks the casino is offering you a little gift for choosing them. This is why bonuses at casinos online are often referred to as welcome bonuses or sign-up bonuses. Because this nature of bonus specifically benefits new account holders only.
So the next time you land on a casino home page and you see a pop-up offering you free cash, don't run the other way. So long as the casino is one our team have played at and recommend, the offer you see advertised is as good as its word.
Playthrough requirements are something that go hand in hand with online casino bonuses in 2018.
A playthrough is the conditions that a player has to make for the full bonus, and any winnings generated, to stick. Playthroughs differ from one casino to another. And basically dictate the amount of times you have to playthrough (see where the name comes from) the bonus cash. Before you can withdraw the winnings you accumulate. Playthroughs are normally game-specific, and usually favour slots.
So it's important to check that you can redeem the bonus cash against the casino games you love to play. They also have a limited time frame - usually within the first 30 days of signing up to a casino site and claiming the bonus offer. You can find the playthrough requirement in the bonus T&Cs so make sure to read up on these before accepting a bonus offer.
Every internet gambling bonus is different. With some, the web casino matches your Canadian currency deposit by a certain percentage the first time you open an account. However, your subsequent deposits don't necessarily qualify for extra bonuses. But other Canadian gambling online sign-up bonuses credit your account each time you add cash over the course of your first several deposits. For example, some casino deposit bonuses will hand you 100% on your first deposit, 50% on your second deposit, and 25% on your third and fourth deposits. The total is 200%, but it's spread out over a number of deposits so you can keep earning extra bankroll each time you fund your account.
It's important to know whether your chosen game will be eligible for the bonus. So whether you enjoy faro, keno, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, poker or video poker, make sure you check the T&Cs first.
Online casino bonuses come in a few different varieties. Some are unique to new casino members only. Others benefit existing loyal players. Here's our quick reference guide to the different online casino bonuses you'll encounter in Canada:
A deposit match bonus is a common welcome bonus. It's reserved exclusively to new players at the casino. And can only be claimed when a player is ready to make their first real money deposit to the cashier. A deposit match bonus is an offer to match the deposit you yourself make by a set percentage. Usually 100% (effectively doubling the amount of cash you have to play with in your bankroll).
A deposit free bonus, otherwise called a no deposit bonus, is a free bonus players can collect - without having to first invest any of their own money into the casino. These types of offer again are typically reserved for new casino members. And normally take the form of free spins to play with on select slots games. Or in some cases the opportunity to place a low value free sports bet for free. Normally around C$10.
This bonus offer does exactly what it says on the tin. It rewards you not with free cash, but with free slots spins to use instead. Sometimes these spins can be collected without having to make a real money deposit upfront first. Other times they can be linked to a deposit match bonus offer that requires you to top-up your account with cash to qualify. The more money you deposit normally results in a higher amount of free spins to use.
A welcome bonus or, as it's also commonly referred to, a sign-up bonus is a bonus that rewards new casino account holders. It's the casinos way of thanking their newest members for choosing to sign-up with them instead of the competition. These bonuses often promise free cash to play with when you make your first deposit. But can also provide players with free spins to use on slots games too.
Some casino sites in 2018 offer exclusive rewards to existing account holders who bring in new members. When someone you've introduced to the casino signs-up, the casino will reward you for the recommendation accordingly. Refer a friend bonuses work by sharing a link, which your friends can use to open up an account. This way the casino can track the referral back to you and reward your recommendation in kind.
One way casinos online today aim to attract new members and hold on to existing ones is by offering a loyalty bonus scheme. These clubs typically award points to players for activity on the casino site itself. Such as making a deposit, playing select games, and in some cases even withdrawing your cash. Once players have collected a set level of points they'll be able to redeem these for a range of casino bonus prizes.
A reload bonus is aimed at players who've already deposited real cash previously (so are therefore no longer eligible for a welcome bonus). However, casino competition is fierce in 2018. So to stop their players straying to a rival site, casinos offer existing members the option of a reload bonus as a one-time offer. Which rewards you with more free cash to play with every once in a while.
Bonuses are a product of the online gambling industry. And something that land locked gamblers won't have experienced when visiting a casino in person before. If you're not convinced about switching your real money betting from on land to online. This bonus comparison chart might just sway you and make you think twice about where you invest your Canadian dollars in 2018.
| Online | Offline | |
|---|---|---|
Sign-up |
Opening an account online takes minutes to do. |
Land-based casino membership is a little more long-winded. There's I.D checks to perform and in some cases credit checks to incur too. |
Welcome Offer |
Online casinos welcome you with deposit match offers that reward free cash to play with. |
A free cash hand out at a Canadian casino on land? Yeah right! There's no additional perks to becoming a member of a land-based casino in 2018. |
Loyalty |
At casinos online players will clock up points for activity such as making a deposit, wagering a stake and even taking out their cash. |
At land based casinos you might get the odd free drink if you can find a seat at a table but earning rewards for cashing in your chips? Not an option here. |
Free Spins |
Free spins are a frequent occurrence at the top casinos online in 2018 with players also able to keep the winnings they make. |
There's no such thing as playing for free and making money at a casino on land in Canada. |
Refer a Friend |
Online casinos value their members and are grateful for the business they bring in. |
Land casinos aren't so forthcoming with member loyalty. |
Payouts |
Gambling online actually makes more financial sense. The overheads are lower so internet casinos are able to offer higher payout rates than land-based ones in 2018. |
With fixed costs and rents to pay land based casinos need to make their money back. |
If you're new to the world of internet gambling bonuses for Canadians, pay attention.
If you think a 100% betting bonus on your first deposit means that depositing C$200 will get you a total of C$400, think again. Actual cash bonuses at online casinos are extremely rare. They were offered by a handful of sites at the start of the casino online boom, but today's gaming bonuses are a lot more restrictive.
With typical Canadian online gambling sign-up bonuses, your money is paid in pending casino cash and released in increments - usually C$5 or so. That means that while your original deposit is available to play with right away, the casino match bonus is put in a separate account. To convert the bonus money into real money and move it into your real account, you need to wager a certain amount of money playing real money online casino games.
Financial wagering requirements aren't the only thing you need to pay attention to when taking advantage of gambling bonuses online at CA casinos on desktop or mobile. Some bonuses for Canucks will only be released when you play certain games. When you make a payment to your account, check out the terms and conditions of the bonus code you're entering and note the games the bonus is applicable to. Some deals only work for online slots, others only for table games, and a few internet gambling welcome bonuses work for all casino games. Just make sure you know what you're getting into before you ante up.
Make sure you use a gambling welcome bonus code online that works for casino players in Canada
Before you access your savings account and make a decision to deposit to a site, make sure the online casino bonus being offered applies to Canadians. Many online casino bonuses are intended exclusively for US or European players, so even though the bonus code you enter might work, the funds won't get released into your real money account. Instead, make sure you use a gambling welcome bonus code online that works for casino players in Canada.
Why waste precious online gambling hours trying to track down the best bonus offers? That's precisely what we're here for. So we've saved you the time and the trouble by testing out the welcome bonuses our top rated casinos are offering. To weed out the mediocre offers from the truly sensational ones you can't afford to pass up.
Our team are all expert players at casinos online so we know what a good bonus deal looks like. From the deposit match offer to the playthrough requirements. When we rate a bonus we really do take the whole picture into account. So you can be confident knowing you're getting the most bang for your buck.
Ready to give it a go for yourself? Just click on any of our top links to download the free online casino software to get started. Within minutes we guarantee you'll be enjoying the best internet gambling bonuses you've ever seen.
When people read about online gambling bonuses that appear to be giving them money for nothing, they're often very sceptical. In fact, that's exactly what casinos bonuses are but there are a few bits of small print that mean they're not quite the incredible deal they appear to be.
Before a bonus can be claimed, players must meet certain wagering requirements. We'll explain how they work below but, in a nutshell, this means that players must gamble a certain amount of money before they can get access to the money.
When players make a deposit with an online gambling site on desktop or mobile they're sometimes rewarded with a bonus to the value, or a portion of the value, of that deposit. For example, let's say that a player deposits C$100 and receives a 100% matched bonus of C$100.
Before a player can withdraw the bonus, they must wager their deposit plus the bonus (C$200) multiplied by a certain figure. This figure varies from casino to casino, but will often be around the value of 20. This means that players must wager C$4,000 before they get their bonus.
Most deposit bonuses, particularly those that offer the best deals, are designed for new players and won't be available to long-time Canadian players. However, there are other bonuses that are designed for those who have played with a casino before.
Usually known as reload bonuses, these offers are designed to encourage repeat play and loyalty to a casino. They're unlikely to be as good a deal as the first deposit bonus a player makes, but can still be pretty tempting.
In the example given above, where a player has to wager C$4,000, it might not seem like it's worth it just to get C$100. But remember that this sum is what must be wagered, not the amount that must be lost. Because many casino games have odds that are close to 50/50 it's quite possible to hit your wagering requirements while breaking even, or even making some money, and claiming your bonus as pure profit.
Of course, that's a best-case scenario but gambling bonuses online are still worth having even if you've lost some money as they can cushion the blow and help to replenish your bankroll. If you quit before you meet the wagering requirements it's no big deal but, if you reach them, you get some money for nothing. Either way, they're absolutely worth having.
We've got listings of all the top casinos we've found that accept Canadian players. You can also find information about the bonuses they're offering. Stick with any of those casinos and you'll be just fine. If you stray away from our site, be wary of any deals that appear too good to be true - this may be a sign that the casino has small print in place that makes it impossible for players to claim or that the casino is disreputable.
Most casino bonuses online are fairly similar, with only minor differences. This is the case because as soon as one web casino introduces a better deal for new players, all of its competitors rush to match that offer so they don't lose their customers.
