With such an influx of online casinos in the marketplace, the brands are working hard to attract Aussie players and keep them playing. Many casino brands will opt for a big welcome bonus to hook in players and get them to sign up and make a deposit. These can take many forms ranging from free spins for the latest pokie game or a huge deposit match or even wager free cashback on your losses.
To help you unlock the best casino bonuses and rewards, we test out the offers from every casino we feature, uncovering all of the terms and conditions you should be aware of and much more. Before you start playing, take a look at our casino bonus guide so you are fully armed with all of the info you need on the available types of bonuses! This will place you a step ahead of the game in the hunt for the best Australian online casinos.
Match Bonus Offers
This is one of the most common bonus offers we come across at Australian casino sites. You will usually see them described as 100% bonus up to $X. This effectively means that the casino will double your first deposit up to a set value.
If you were to deposit $20, the casino would give you $20 in bonus funds giving you a total of $40 to spend at the casino. Match bonus offers are a great way to boost your bankroll so you can play even more games for your money. But be aware of the associated terms and conditions before you sign up. We’ll get on to that in more detail in a second.
Match bonuses can take many forms with a different percentage applied depending on the offer. The opening first deposit bonus often tends to offer the bigger percentage match. In some cases as much as 200% or 300%. The maximum bonus amount will also differ between casinos and bonuses. As part of a welcome package, many casino sites will offer players a series of match bonus offers over your first few deposits. Once again, make sure you are aware of any t cs before you opt into any casino offers.
Free Spins
Free spins are a hugely popular way for players to try out the latest pokies or sample a game or two at a new online casino. Australia based players will find these offers in abundance and great fun if you know where you can find the best deals. Like match bonuses, free spins bonuses can differ greatly and not all are what they first appear.
20 Free Spins at one casino might be totally different to 20 Free Spins offered at another online casino. Australia casino sites are legislated and regulated to ensure that brands aren’t offering misleading promotions. But knowing what to look for yourself is always a good idea. 20 Free Spins valued at 10c with 60x wagering are not going to be as useful to you as 20 Free Spins valued at 20c with 30x wagering. Remember the lower the wagering requirements are the better chance of you winning something at the end.
You may also want to check which games your free spins can be used on. Some might be for a brand new pokie game or in other cases, you may get a choice of games to play them on. Free spins are a great way to get to know a casino and also a new game. However, you will typically need to make a minimum deposit before you can collect your spins unless they are no deposit free spins which we will cover in the next section…
No Deposit Bonuses
No Deposit Bonuses are worth looking out for. These offers allow you to collect a cash bonus or even free spins just for registering. You won’t need to deposit any cash to claim these types of bonus, but there will always be some terms to meet before you can even think of cashing out.
No Deposit Free Spins will award a set number of free spins on a specific pokie game or choice of games. These are ideal for trying out the game and also the casino site before you make any cash commitment. Occasionally, you can even win from these kinds of offers but the odds are not usually stacked in favour of the player.
No deposit spins often have the highest wagering requirements which require you to turn over your winnings a number of times before you can cash out. If you manage to do that and still have something left at the end, you are doing well! There may be a maximum stake size in place and a cap on winnings so check the Ts and cs before you sign up.
No Deposit Bonuses that take the form of free cash or casino credit is an offer you will come across but they are not as common as no deposit free spin offers. The free cash is a fantastic way to try out a new casino brand as you will be able to pick and choose which games you use it on. Find out first which games you can play with your money as often it may be restricted to pokies. Again, there will typically be some steep wagering terms in place.
Wager Free Bonuses
The best bonuses available for online gambling fans are wager free bonuses where you get to keep your winnings. With more Australian casinos joining the scramble to grab the attention of players they have had to up their game significantly when it comes to welcome bonuses and ongoing offers. One way in which we are seeing this done is by creating wager free rewards and bonuses.
The deals available are often structured in the same way as the match bonus and free spins offers we have described above, but with a big difference. Your winnings are yours to keep! But before you jump right in, let us draw your attention yet again to those terms and conditions. Before you play, find out how much you need to deposit before you can collect your winnings, what’s the maximum you can win etc. Even the best online casino bonuses have a catch, it’s up to you to find out what it is.
Our job is to share with you as much information as we can about our featured Australian online casinos. However, even though we endeavour to clearly state the terms, these can change without warning so please make sure you do your own due diligence too.
Cashback
Cashback is a good way to get something back from your chosen casino in repayment for your loyalty. These are actually one of our favourite bonuses, as in many cases, winnings are credited as real money so you can take it out or save it for your next online gambling session as you wish.
Cashback is typically a fairly small percentage between 1- 10% which is based on your net losses for a set period of time. The cashback is calculated and then credited to your casino account. If it’s credited as real money, then you can withdraw it or use it on the casino’s games or pokies wager free.
We are always looking for Australian online casinos offering cashback, so make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on hearing about them.
Loyalty Points
Casinos may also offer loyalty or comp points as part of their welcome bonuses. These are a great way to kick start you on their VIP program with more points often meaning bigger perks and rewards. Some loyalty programme rewards can include faster withdrawals, greater cashback, birthday bonuses and more. While you typically have to spend a lot, if you are planning on sticking with a particular casino brand for the long haul, they can be very worthwhile.
Bonus Terms and Conditions
There are very few things in life that come to us for free and casino bonuses certainly aren’t amongst them. Casinos want to win your business and will fight tooth and nail to get your attention with bigger and better bonuses than the next casino site. They can look all so tempting with offers of free spins, and unlimited cashback, but before you proceed, take a good long look at the terms and wagering requirements attached to the casino offer you are interested in.
We are all guilty of skipping over the small print, but when it comes to online casino bonuses, this is a time you don’t want to gloss over the important bits. It could mean the difference between getting your winnings and ending up many dollars down and feeling disappointed and out of pocket.
One of the main things to look out for is the wagering requirements of the bonus offer. The terms should state how many times you need to play through your bonus money or free spins winnings before you get to cash out. Don’t wait too long either as often there will be a time limit on completing your wagering. Certain games may contribute differently towards wagering with pokies tending to offer a higher percentage contribution. Live casino games typically won’t count at all so don’t waste your time there.
For free spins, find out what game they can be played on and the value of the spins. For bonus money, what is the maximum you’ll get and how much do you need to deposit to collect the bonus offer? Check the details of the offer carefully to avoid any disappointment later on. It will also tell you whether the bonus is a good deal or not and what your chances of winning any real money from it are.