Whilst the world of online gaming offers a wide variety of gambling experiences, it is a highly competitive market in which companies vie with each other to attract new clients. Competition almost always benefits the customer, and, in this case, new customers are wooed with a variety of bonuses, sign-up offers and rewards by gambling companies keen to increase their client base.
The player who is looking to join a new online gambling platform will be offered a variety of inducements and to help decide which are the most beneficial, we have compiled this guide to help find the best deals.
What is a sign-up offer?
Sign-up offers provide a bonus when you sign-up as a new customer to an online gambling site. As the company wants to encourage you to gamble with cash, sign-up offers are mostly only awarded when you make a cash deposit.
There are different types of offers available:
Refund of the first bet
Many online gambling companies will reimburse you if your first bet does not win. There are often limits to how much of your bet is reimbursed with some companies offering only a £10 refund whereas other sites offer larger refunds. A minimum deposit is required to become eligible for these offers so it is important to make sure that you are comparing minimum deposits and refund amounts when selecting a new gaming site.
Free bets
Another type of sign-up offer is to be given a number of free bets when you place your first bet. For example, some companies say that once you have made a £10 bet, you will be rewarded with free bets totaling £30. Others reduce the first bet size that triggers free bets, so again, it makes sense to shop around the different gaming companies to find the best free bet deal as well as ensure that you like the games or gambling being offered.
Deposit multiplier
Another form of sign-up offer is multiplying the first deposit to increase the amount of money available to the player. Once the player has registered as a new customer with a gambling site and made a cash deposit, the company will automatically boost that deposit.
The amounts of deposit boosting vary from company to company, but a few offer a 100% boost up to a limit of £100. Other companies may be less generous, but there are some good deals available when you shop around.
Free trials and demo games
Companies offering a free trial of their digital product is a well-established marketing tactic. After all, how can you see if a product meets your needs, if you can’t try it first? Online gambling companies are keen to attract new customers, and many will offer a free trial period to allow them to try it out, and hopefully enjoy the gaming experience so much that they become active players.
A search on Google for online gambling free trial brings up thousands of results for companies offering a variety of free trials and demo games. To make it easy for players to play the demo games, many companies do not require the potential new player to download any apps or software to their PC or mobile device.
To reduce customer acquisition friction even further, gambling sites often don’t even require the new players to register before trialing the games, and definitely don’t require the logging of a credit card or deposit of gambling funds.
For a player who is eager to explore the huge range of games and gaming experiences that are now available, being able to trial games before committing to a particular platform or company, is a huge benefit. It is also fun to have the opportunity to experiment and to experience the latest advances in online gambling.
Another benefit of playing a demo game is that you are not betting with cash, so the games are risk free. You can also get a feel about the gameplay, although many betting games are based around standard bets such as slots or poker.
No Deposit Bonuses
As you can see from the sign up offers, most companies only award a bonus once the player makes his first cash deposit. This is to encourage players to make that all important cash commitment and increases the likelihood of them staying with that site, rather than flitting between competitor companies.
There are several gambling sites which give you a no deposit bonus that allow you to bet that cash in live games without getting your credit card out. For example, 888Casino.com has a promotional offer, which only applies to new customers, that gives you £88 for free to bet in selected slot and table games. The good news is that you keep any winnings that you make with that casino bonus.
Rounding up
It is an exciting time to play the odds via the huge choice of online gambling sites. As the market is so competitive, many sites try and entice new players to their games by offer a range of offers, bonuses and free demos.
There are a huge variety of sign-up offers available, ranging from free bets to deposit multipliers, so it really pays to shop around for the best deals. The gameplay is important, of course, as you must enjoy the experience that each company provides, however by playing free games and comparing promotions, you can see which site is the best for you.