Online Casino Bonuses in Canada 2023
“Let’s give you free money to double your bankroll!”
You’d never hear this walking into a bank, but when it comes to online casinos it’s completely normal. Casinos compete fiercely for new players, which means they love to hand out extra money to you to lure you in.
These bonuses are usually offered to you in the form of free money, free games or cash back.
What Are Online Casino Bonuses?
- Welcome bonus
- Match-up bonuses
- No deposit bonus
- Reload bonus
- Cashback
- Free spins bonus
There are many different types of casino bonuses. Match-up bonuses are common, but you will find plenty of other kinds of promotions too.
Welcome bonus
A welcome bonus, also known sign-up bonus or a first time deposit bonus, is usually the most generous of all the offers found at online casinos. PartyCasino, for example, doubles your first real money deposit up to $500. You’ll also get 120 free real money spins on their exclusive slot game Melon Madness Deluxe.
The sites want to make a great first impression and will all it can to get you through its virtual doors. As such, a welcome bonus is a great way to enjoy free money and free games.
No deposit bonus
These work in a similar way to a welcome bonus except that they don’t require that you make a real money deposit. After you sign up with the online casino, your account will be credited with casino credits. You can use the money to test-drive the games and software.
At LeoVegas, you’ll get 22 no-deposit real spins on highly popular slot game Book of Dead. After that, there’s up to $1000 extra cash and 100 more extra spins in deposit bonuses.
Canadians are in luck since online casinos love us. LeoVegas’ welcome offer is one of the best in business.
Reload bonuses
It’s not only new players who enjoy bonuses. Once you’ve redeemed your welcome packages, the casino will do everything it can to make sure that you make more deposits and stick to the site.
You’ll therefore be offered reload bonuses that, again, differ from site to site. Some may be offered on a weekly basis, some only once a month.
Cashbacks
Cashback bonuses are exactly as their name implies – the chance to get cash back on your gaming action.
A 10% cashback offer, for example, means that if you lose $50 at the casino, you’ll be credited with $5 back into your account. This is a great way to take the sting out of gaming sessions that don’t go as well as you planned.
Free spins
Free spins are a particularly attractive type of a bonus: You get to play a great game (you can bet that the casino chooses its best game for the spins) for free for a few rounds.
How the winnings of free spins are handled varies. Some casinos consider winnings extra bonuses, which have playthrough requirements. Some, most importantly Guts Casino, state that whatever you win is yours and you can do whatever you want with the money.
Understanding Bonus Match-up Percentages
100% 1st deposit bonus up to $300 & 100 free spins
What do these numbers mean?
Most casino bonuses consists of two numbers: match-up percentage and maximum bonus. For example, a typical bonus could be 100% up to $300.
The maximum bonus amount is exactly what it sounds like. It tells you how much you can get. You can get less if you want to. You might also get other benefits, free spins in this example, coming in with your extra cash.
So, in this case, the casino is going to match-up your first real money deposit with 100%. So if you deposit $100, the casino is going to give you another $100 and you have doubled the money you can play with (your $100 + casino’s $100 = $200 to spend).
What Are Wagering Requirements?
Casino bonuses never come without certain terms and conditions. Most often they state what you need to do before you can get a payout.
Players don’t always pay attention to the terms and conditions and are surprised that bonuses come with strings attached. However, if you think about it, it’s clear that there has to be some kind of limits in place: if casinos just handed out free $100 bills, they’d be bankrupt in a hurry.
One of the key terms of a casino bonus is its wagering (playthrough) requirement.
Wagering requirement specifies how many times you have to wager the bonus before you are able to withdraw it from your account. If you see 20x for example, you will know that you are required to wager the bonus amount twenty times before you can withdraw your winnings.
For a $200 bonus 20x playthrough would be 20*$200 = $4000. This may seem like a lot, but all the bets you make are included. So for example, if you play with $50 and win some, lose some, you’ll find out that during your session you actually bet hundreds of dollars – not just $50.
Which Are the Best Games for Fulfilling Play-through Requirements?
Not all casino games count equally towards play-through or withdraw requirements.
Some casinos will exclude certain games from counting towards play-through requirements altogether. Games excluded are typically the ones with very low house edges, so games like blackjack and video poker.
Some games might not be excluded, but they can count only part of the bet towards wagering requirements. For example any bet made in roulette could contribute 10% of its value towards wagering limits, so a $10 bet would contribute $1. This policy is common at popular Playtech and Microgaming casinos.
By far the best games to play towards meeting wagering requirements are slot machines.
Slots count 100% towards wagering requirements pretty much always. Slots are also good in the sense that you wager a surprising amount of money when you play them. If you pull out $10 CAD and play $1 rounds, you probably end up wagering anywhere between $30 – $100, because you keep getting small wins which you then wager again.
Slot games are a safe choice for bonus wagering. In addition, they are damn funny.
Casino Bonus Tips
- Familiarize yourself with the different types of casino bonuses available in the industry before signing up. You want to make sure that you understand the difference between a welcome bonus, a reload bonus, a no-deposit bonus, cashbacks and everything in between.
- Read the terms and conditions of any casino bonus you are thinking of redeeming. It’s no use signing up for a bonus that requires you make a $100 deposit, for example, if you only have $50 to wager with. Make sure that you understand the wagering requirements so that you’re not surprised with playthrough demands.
- If you’re not sure about certain aspects of a casino bonus, don’t hesitate to contact customer support. Most online casinos catering to Canadian players have 24/7 support available to answer any questions or queries about bonuses, as well as games, payment methods and other issues.
Q&A
Do I need a casino bonus code?
Most of the top Canadian online casinos don’t require a bonus code. There are two top-tier casinos that are still using bonus codes. You’ll find both PartyCasino’s and 888 Casino’s current bonus codes from their respective reviews.
Can I get bonuses for online live casinos?
Live casino bonuses are very rare. There’s, however, one premium Canadian online casino with a spectacular bonus also for live dealer games such as blackjack, roulette and baccarat.
At LeoVegas, instead of their regular welcome package, you can choose to get up to $500 welcome bonus to use in their award-winning live casino. This live dealer bonus money has a 50x wagering requirement.
Are there bonuses for Microgaming slot games?
There sure are. Microgaming is one of the most popular casino software providers in Canada and there are multiple casinos with excellent offers on Microgaming slots. Check out our list of the best Microgaming casinos and bonuses for more information.
Can I get bonuses for mobile gambling as well?
Yes, you definitely can. Most online casinos offer same – or even better – bonuses for mobile gamers. Not all the Canadian mobile casinos, however, are equal.
Because of mobile invasion, some casinos are lagging behind while others have taken a leap forward. Check out the best Canadian mobile casinos and bonuses.
The Best Casino Bonus in Canada March 2023
If you’re going to choose just one online casino, make it LeoVegas. There are bigger bonuses around moneywise, but Leo’s offer is the most attractive as a whole.
First, you can try out the site for free with their 22 no-deposit free spins. The best value, however, is in deposit bonuses, especially the first one is unmissable. Deposit $50 and you’ll get $150 to play with AND 50 more real spins!
In total, Leo has a whopping $1000 & 122 free spins in bonuses. You just can’t go wrong with that.
