Welcome Offers and Match Deposits
I have lumped these two together because they are often one and the same thing. Players who join a new casino are offered generous match deposits to encourage them to deposit more. The cynic in me would argue that this is to encourage them to deposit higher from the get go, so they are familiar with it and have no qualms about making large deposits in future, but I have no way to prove that.
A match deposit offer means that if you make a deposit (minimum is usually €10, maximum can go up to €1,000, or even higher), the Casino will match that deposit. This could be a 100% match, meaning a €100 deposit will result in a €100 bonus being added (giving the player a total balance of €200). If it was a 400% match, then that €100 deposit is matched with a €400 bonus, giving player a total balance of €500 and so on.
The objective is to give the player more money in their account so that they can play for longer and at a higher stake than usual, should they so wish.
While it seems like a good deal for the player, you should be very careful about reading the Terms & Conditions of these types of offers. There can be all sorts of strange T&Cs that you need to follow, such as max wagering per spin, limited lists of eligible games and even games that contribute different percentages to the wagering.
Before you decided to use one of these types of bonuses, make sure you are fully clear about all T&Cs requirements. I myself have been caught out once before (but never again!) by them. And even if you are a seasoned Casino player and you’re very familiar with these types of T&Cs, you might find a new T&C buried somewhere in the small print that you’ve never seen before. Sometimes it’s just easier to play with your own cash, rather than getting tied into T&Cs.
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Cash back or Bonus back
These are fairly straightforward. The operator might just offer you money back over a certain period. The amount you qualify for will depend on either how much you’ve wagered (sometimes known as rake back) or how much you’ve lost. The casino will then award your money back either as cash or in the form of a bonus.
Again, it’s really important to familiarise yourself with all the T&Cs before you enter into any of these promotions.
An important distinction should be made between cash and bonus money. The easiest way to look at it is that cash is withdrawable – in other words you don’t need to do anything with it, it’s just cash money that you can do whatever you like with. You can instantly withdraw it back to your wallet or you can play games with it. If you are awarded bonus money, then this is almost certainly not withdrawable until you have met the various T&Cs. It could mean that you just need to wager through the money one time, but again you need to be fully clear on what you need to do before you engage in these types of offers / promotions.