The world of online casinos has become a vast industry in the last few years. There are mobile devices in more pockets than ever, and this new market has opened the doors to a vast array of new ways to bet online. 

With so many online casinos flooding the web, competition between different platforms is fierce. One common practice that casinos implement to attract new customers is welcome bonuses. Everybody loves getting something for free, and casinos are using the lure of free bonuses to snatch bettors away from their rivals.

The welcome bonuses are extremely attractive, and nearly every casino offers something for their new players. There are so many different offers, and some of them appear too good to be true. Before you decide to register with an online casino to claim your free prize, there are a few things you should know about casino welcome bonuses. 

There are many of them

Because so many people are gambling online, there are many different types of players, different play styles, and preferred games. Some players bet small amounts for fun; others are playing high stakes games with the sole purpose of making large gains. 

To cater to this diverse range of playing styles and motives, casinos have a variety of bonuses. Some casinos will offer a certain amount of free slot machine spins when you sign up, some will match the amount of money you deposit, and others will give free playing money just for signing up. It is always worth shopping around and finding which offer best suits your budget and playing style. Some of the most popular welcome bonuses can be found at Manekineko Casino, here they break down offers from popular Japanese casinos like Vera & John.

They have wagering requirements

Free money and spins are a great incentive to get people signed up to a particular casino. But nothing in life comes for free, and as is often the case with free gifts, welcome bonuses usually come with strings attached.

These strings often come in the form of wagering requirements. In order to withdraw the money you were given for free or any winnings you made from free spins, you must match the conditions tied to your welcome bonus. Wager requirements come in many different forms, so $100 free from one online casino may not be the same as $100 free from another casino. 

A common requirement is that you must bet the bonus money a certain amount of times before you can withdraw it. For example, if you are given $10, you may be required to bet that amount ten times - $100 worth of bets. If you are given free spins, you may have to spend your winnings on a certain amount of paid spins before you can claim it. Shopping around to find the lowest wager requirements can make an enormous difference to how much of your bonus you get to keep. 

They offer many benefits

Welcome bonuses offer many benefits. The obvious benefit is that you are maximizing the value of whatever initial deposit you place, meaning you can play for longer and potentially win more money. 

They are also a great way of trying out different online casinos for free. You can use your free money or spins to get used to the layouts, game styles, and aesthetics of the website without having to spend money. This allows users to try out many different platforms without breaking the bank. 

Don’t bonus hunt

With so many offers out there, many players bonus hunt – they sign up to multiple online casinos to take advantage of as many welcome bonuses as possible. While this seems like a great idea, casinos put measures in place to stop this practice. Some different casino brands are operated by the same parent company, and if they find out you are bonus hunting they can ban your accounts and prevent you from accessing your winnings. Creating multiple e-mail addresses to repeatedly claim the same bonus from one casino can also result in a ban. Even casinos owned by different companies are known to share data to try and weed out the bonus hunters.