US Online Casino Welcome Bonuses

Online casino bonuses play an integral in the marketing efforts of nearly all online gambling sites in the USA.

Casino deposit bonuses and other signup promotions offer customers cash or site credit that can be used to play online casino games and win money in exchange for signing up for an account and making a first deposit.

There is a lot to know when it comes to extracting maximum value from online casino bonuses, but we break it all down in simple terms.

Below, we list the best casino bonuses, explain how we rank them, describe different types of bonus offers, and discuss some of the pitfalls to avoid.

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All discussion on this page relates strictly to legal online casinos in the USA. We do not promote unlicensed offshore gambling sites, nor do we recommend players do business with such operations.

Offshore online casinos are completely unregulated and can be especially nefarious when it comes to welcome bonuses.

By contrast, licensed online casinos are subject to strict regulations and truthful advertising laws that ensure customers are treated fairly.

Casino Bonus Codes

Licensed USA casinos use online casino bonus codes extensively to track marketing efforts. In most cases, they are not required and the latest promotions are automatically applied to players accounts, even if they leave the casino promo code field blank.

Sometimes, casino bonus codes unlock exclusive promotions during the registration or deposit process.

Casino bonus codes are requested either during registration or on the deposit page in a field labeled “bonus code,” “promo code,” or “referral code.”

Entering a valid code at this stage helps operators track marketing spend.

Occasionally, online casinos release exclusive promo codes that qualify customers to receive an enhanced welcome bonus, usually bigger than the publicly advertised bonus.

However, in most cases, it actually doesn’t matter if casino bonus codes are entered at all; most casinos give the same welcome bonus to all customers automatically.

Why do online casino sites use bonus codes if the offer is automatically credited?

As mentioned, online casino bonus codes are used for marketing purposes. The concept signup codes unlocking special offers provides a sense of exclusivity and also helps the casino track its various marketing campaigns.

For example, a casino operator might advertise one bonus code on radio ads, a different code on TV ads, and yet another on online ads even though all three codes give customers exactly the same bonus.

Still, if a customer has a casino bonus code, it is best to enter it to ensure the player receives the best bonus possible. All casino bonus codes listed at BettingUSA.com are up-to-date and help gamblers claim healthy welcome bonuses.

BetMGM Casino Bonus Code

BetRivers Casino Bonus Code

Caesars Palace Online Casino Promo Code

DraftKings Casino Promo Code

FanDuel Casino Promo Code

Borgata Casino Bonus Code

State Specific Casino Offers

• Connecticut Casino Bonuses
• Michigan Casino Bonuses
• New Jersey Casino Bonuses
• Pennsylvania Casino Bonuses
• Rhode Island Casino Bonuses
• West Virginia Casino Bonuses

Finding The Best Online Casino Bonuses

Identifying the best casino bonuses involves much more than simply looking for those that offer the most money. All online casino bonuses come with terms and conditions that significantly impact the true value of any particular offer.

Comparing Expected Value Of Online Casino Bonuses

Online casino bonuses almost always have wagering requirements attached to promotions, also known as rollover or “play through”.

Essentially, most gambling bonuses require players to wager a certain amount of money before a withdrawal may be made.

For example, casino deposit bonuses with a 10x rollover means players must wager 10 times the amount of the bonus before withdrawing.

A $100 bonus with a 10x rollover would require the player to place $1,000 worth of wagers on slots or other games to clear the bonus for withdrawal.

Clearing online casino bonuses exposes players to the house advantage built into every game.

If a gambler must place a total of $1,000 worth of wagers and does so by playing an online slot with a 95% return-to-player percentage (RTP), that player is expected to lose roughly $50 on average.

To put that another way, the expected value of wagering $1,000 on a 95% RTP game is -$50 ($1,000 x .05).

Note that expected value is merely a theoretical expression.

Anything can happen over the short term, and rarely will a player lose exactly $50 in this scenario. Even so, expected value is an accurate means of comparing the latest casino bonuses to one another.

Comparing Two Example Casino Welcome Bonuses

Imagine comparing the casino welcome bonuses offered by two competing operators:

• Bonus A offers new customers $100 in return for depositing and comes with a 10x rollover.
• Bonus B offers new customers $200 but comes with a 20x rollover.

Now, imagine playing a 95% RTP slot to clear both bonuses. We can quickly compare the expected value of each bonus offer to decide which one is truly the better deal.

Clearing Bonus A would require $1,000 worth of wagers.

Doing so on a 95% slot game would yield an expected value of -$50. Subtract that from the original casino bonus amount and we can see Bonus A is worth $50 from an expected value standpoint.

Now, let’s evaluate Bonus B.

This casino deposit bonus is worth $200 but comes with twice the rollover requirements. Clearing this bonus would require the player to place a total of $4,000 worth of wagers.

Clearing this casino bonus by playing a game with 95% RTP would yield an expected value of -$200 ($4,000 x 0.05). Subtract that from the original bonus amount and we see Bonus B is the expected value is actually just breakeven.

By running this quick comparison, we find that Bonus A is the better deal despite only offering $100 in bonus funds.

Bonus B looked better at the outset, but we can see that the higher casino bonus wagering requirements offset the difference.

Other Factors To Consider

Moving beyond expected value, there are several other factors we can take into consideration when ranking the best online casino bonuses.

Among those are other terms and conditions, such as:

• Whether a casino match deposit bonus is withdrawable
• If the casino only issues the bonus as site credit
• The types of games that players can play to to clear the bonus
• The match rate percentage
• How long players have to clear the bonus before it expires.

Example: blackjack bonuses and online craps bonuses are exceedingly rare. In contrast, online slots bonuses are almost always included in online casino signup offers.

Most online casino sites only count a small percentage of every blackjack wager towards bonus wagering requirements.

Fortunately, blackjack is a low house advantage game and many casino deposit bonuses can be successfully cleared with blackjack if players use proper playing strategy.

Taking all these factors into consideration provides a clear picture of how valuable each online casino bonus truly is.

Online casinos are required by law to advertise truthfully, but marketing never tells the whole story. Understanding expected value and being aware of the terms and conditions attached to every offer goes a long way in ranking the best bonuses.

Types Of Casino Bonuses

The legal US online gambling industry is always innovating, but there are a few types of casino bonuses that are commonly offered to players. Below we explain the differences and how each type of offer works:

Casino Deposit Bonuses

Casino deposit bonuses for new customers are the first offer most gamblers are greeted with upon visiting the websites of licensed online casinos in the USA.

The typical deposit bonus is a simple proposal: the online casino promises to boost the new customer’s bankroll in return for signing up and funding their account with real money.

Casino deposit bonuses are meant to encourage customers to sign up and are often issued as a percentage match rate to incentivize making a larger first deposit.

For example, a 100% deposit bonus matches the player’s first deposit dollar for dollar. If the new player deposits $100, the casino adds $100 in bonus funds. Similarly, a 200% bonus would give that player an extra $200 on top of a $100 deposit.

The bigger the match rate, the bigger the bonus.

No-Deposit Casino Bonuses

No-deposit casino bonuses are exactly what the name implies. New customers need only sign up for an account, and the casino gives the player bonus credits that can be used to play real money games with no deposit necessary.

No-deposit bonuses are generally a good deal, but nearly all no-deposit gambling bonuses come with one or more of the following caveats:

• Bonus funds are usually issued as site credit and cannot be withdrawn. Winnings may be withdrawn, but the bonus itself is rarely withdrawable.
• A deposit is usually required to withdraw any winnings.
• The bonus and any winnings obtained by wagering the bonus may be subject to a rollover. Usually, the rollover on no-deposit bonuses is nominal (in the range of 1x to 5x).

Casino Reload Bonuses

Casino reload bonuses are nearly identical to welcome bonuses but are offered to existing players as an incentive to make a deposit.

Sometimes, online casinos offer reload bonuses to all players, and other times, operators send targeted e-mails with custom offers to reactivate dormant players.

Like new customer offers, casino reload bonuses usually come with wagering requirements before a withdrawal is permitted. Reload bonuses at online casino sites tend to have a lower match percentage rate, but that is not always the case.

Free Slots Spins Bonuses

Free spins on online slots games are frequently offered by many legal US casino sites. Free slots spins promotions are usually short-term offers to customers as an incentive to make a deposit or play a certain game.

For example, one casino might offer 10 free online slots spins on a specific game to all customers who make a deposit of at least $10 within the next five days.

Another casino might offer all players one free spin of the $1,000,000 slot machine every day upon logging in for a small but risk-free chance at winning a massive jackpot.

Note: It’s important to know whether or not any winnings obtained by free spins are immediately withdrawable or if those winnings must first be cleared by meeting certain wagering requirements.

Leaderboard Bonuses

Leaderboard bonuses and player races incentivize high volume players. Usually, casino leaderboard promotions are structured so the players who wager the most money on a certain “featured game” over a fixed time period receive bonuses or free slots spins.

For example, one online casino in New Jersey recently held a month-long race in which players earned leaderboard points for making deposits and placing wagers. The promotion awarded $60,000 in total prizes to the top 500 leaderboard players, including a $10,000 free play bonus for the first-place winner.

Refer-A-Friend Bonuses

Word-of-mouth marketing is highly effective, and many online casino sites are willing to pay customers to refer their friends.

A typical refer-a-friend casino bonus is claimed by visiting the “refer-a-friend” tab and inputting the e-mails of any friends who may be interested in signing up and playing.

In most cases, the referrer and the new player both receive a referral bonus in addition to any standard new customer offers.

For example, a casino might offer the existing customer and the new customer $50 each in bonus money.

There is almost a qualification that must be met for both players to earn casino referral bonuses. This might be the new customer having to make a first deposit of at least $25 or wagering at least $25 before receiving the refer-a-friend bonus.

Loss Refund Guarantee

Loss refund bonuses at online casinos are rare but often quite valuable when found. A loss refund offer promises to cover a new customer’s losses up to a certain amount if luck doesn’t go their way.

Tropicana Casino and Virgin Casino in New Jersey are two prime examples of casinos with this type of welcome offer.

Rather than giving new customers a sign-up bonus that must be cleared, both online casino sites refund players with real money (up to $100) if they lose money after one week of play.

The best part is that both casino refund offers are issued as withdrawable cash, not as bonus money.

How Online Casino Bonuses Work

The basic idea behind online casino bonuses is to give gamblers an incentive to sign up, make a deposit, or play a certain game. Online casinos are willing to spend money upfront on bonus offers in return for signing up new players, some of whom will become regular customers.

How Do Casino Bonuses Make Economic Sense?

The economics behind casino bonus offers vary depending on how the promotions are structured and operators’ goals.

Online casinos in the USA may put a lighthearted face on their customer-facing operations, but the companies are quite analytic. They know the average value of every new depositing customer and target promotional spend towards attracting new players.

Additionally, the US online casino market is becoming increasingly competitive. Some online casino operators are willing to accept short-term losses to gain market share.

Finally, many casino bonuses come with terms and conditions that partially reduce the true value provided to customers.

For example, casino welcome bonuses with high wagering requirements require customers to place $X worth of wagers prior to withdrawing.

Since the house usually wins over the long run, many customers will lose some (or all) of the bonus money back to the casino over the course of clearing their bonuses.

This is why it is critical to read through the terms and conditions of every casino promotional offer.

Tip: Some casino signup bonuses look good at first but come with high wagering requirements. Look for online casino bonuses with low wagering requirements because they almost always offer more value.

Casino Bonus Clearing Requirements Explained

Clearing requirements, also known as “the rollover,” are important to understand. Most US casino bonuses come with clearing requirements that must be met in order to withdraw the bonus money and any winnings obtained by wagering the bonus.

It is not uncommon to read through the terms and conditions of a casino bonus offer and find that the promotion comes with a 10x, 20x, or even higher rollover. This means the bonus must be “rolled over” or “played through” many times before withdrawing.

For example, a 10x rollover on a $200 bonus would require the player to place $2,000 worth of wagers in order to withdraw the original bonus and any winnings.

Likewise, a 20x rollover on that same bonus would require the player to place $4,000 worth of wagers.

The amount of rollover attached to online casino promotions has a direct impact on the value of a bonus.

If a customer is choosing between two bonuses that are identical other than one having a 10x rollover and the other having a 20x rollover, the bonus with the lower rollover is always a better choice.

Casino Bonus Terms and Conditions

Even the best casino bonuses come with terms and conditions that players should understand prior to taking up any promo offer.

Rollover requirements, withdrawal restrictions, and eligibility clauses all play a role in defining which casino bonuses are worth taking and offers that are best avoided.

• Rollover Requirements: Casino bonus rollover requirements require players to place a minimum amount of wagers to release a bonus and any winnings for withdrawal.
• Sticky vs. Cashable Bonuses: Sticky bonuses cannot be withdrawn and are instead issued as site credit. Money won with sticky bonuses may be cashed out, but the bonus itself “sticks” with the casino. Cashable bonuses tend to be smaller but more appealing because the bonus money and winnings may be withdrawn.
• Time limits: All casino bonuses have an expiration date. Players should also note any time limits regarding how long they have to clear a bonus for withdrawal.
• Eligibility: A combination of state and federal laws require eligible customers at online casinos to be physically located within state lines and at least 21 years old to claim bonuses (including no-deposit bonuses).
• Verified Customers Only: State regulations require legal online gambling sites to verify the identity of each customer. This includes (at a minimum) providing the last four of one’s social security number, address, phone number and e-mail.

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