Along with free spins, cash match bonuses are the most frequently used casino bonus. They provide you with the opportunity to boost your bankroll ‘on the house’, increasing your chances of winning and prolonging your online casino session. By their very nature, cash match bonuses are a form of deposit bonus because the value of the bonus is directly attached to a payment you make to your casino account. Let’s find out more about this exciting type of online casino bonus.
Cash match bonuses are sometimes simply referred to as ‘deposit bonuses’ or even ‘cash bonuses’ but shouldn’t be confused with ‘no deposit free cash’. They are expressed as percentages, so you will often see promotions advertising a ‘100% bonus’ or ‘50% bonus’. But what exactly does the percentage mean?
It refers to a percentage of a deposit you are required to make if you want to receive the cash match bonus. Convert the percentage into a cash figure, and that’s the amount of bonus money you’ll receive. It’s probably best explained by a couple of examples.
So for example one, let’s imagine you have been offered a ‘100% bonus with your first deposit at a casino’. You’re pretty keen to pick up your bonus so decide to make your first payment to the casino and deposit £50 in total. As the offer entitles you to a ‘100% bonus’, you’ll receive 100% of your deposited amount in bonus cash. So that’s another £50, leaving you with a total pot of £100 to play with.
For our second example, you have seen a juicy offer promising a ‘200% bonus with your next deposit’. To calculate what this means in reality, simply double the value of your deposit and then add the two figures together. So if you deposit £50 this time, you will receive £100 in further bonus making a total of £150. Or to summarise in more simple terms, you essentially triple the value of your payment.
The examples above represent cash match bonuses in their simplest form, but there are a few other points to be bear in mind. Most commonly, there will be a ‘maximum amount’ of bonus cash you can gain from a cash match bonus promotion. This means that the majority of offers will be described as a ‘100% bonus up to £100’ for example. In this case, if you deposit £100 or less, then your deposit amount will be doubled. However, if you deposit, for example, £200 then you will still only receive £100 in bonus cash, effectively leaving you with a 50% bonus.
Maximum bonus amounts are imposed to decrease an online casino’s susceptibility to bonus abuse. However, the maximum amount of any cash match deposit bonus varies hugely from casino to casino and offer to offer. The information will also be clearly stated so just check the terms of a deal before you make your deposit. Some casinos will even offer deposit bonuses with no ceiling at all, allowing high rollers to pick up the full percentage of a cash match bonus no matter how big their payment.
A 200% bonus will only be offered by the most generous and best online casinos. You will typically find these as part of weighty welcome bonuses packages that reward your first deposit handsomely. As we mentioned earlier, a 200% bonus essentially allows you to triple the value of your first deposit, so you have thrice the funds for thrice the fun. You won’t see the around too often, but we’ll do our best to find you the most juicy 200% cash match bonuses in the gaming world.
A lot of online casinos will provide a 100% bonus with a first deposit – it’s one of the most common treats around. Some may even go further and offer additional 100% bonuses with subsequent deposits to encourage players to stick around for longer. 100% bonuses really do represent a ‘cash match’ as online casinos that offer them are committing to matching the value you of your deposit and then adding the amount to your account as bonus cash, effectively doubling your funds. They often come with free spins bundles and you’ll find loads of them on our casino bonuses page.
You will regularly see promotions promising 50% bonuses. To calculate the bonus amount you’ll receive when you take advantage of this sort of deposit bonus, take the value of your deposit, halve it and then add it on to your deposit. So if you deposit £50 to trigger a 50% bonus, you will receive £25 extra, leaving you with £75 to play with in total. 50% bonuses are common reload bonuses and often form part of recurring or ad hoc promotions at the best online casinos.
You won’t be short on choice if you are looking for a cash match deposit bonus. They are widely available at numerous online casinos that will dish them out as welcome offers, reload bonuses, recurring weekly bonuses, loyalty rewards or ad hoc treats:
• Deposit Bonuses with Welcome Bonus Packages – Nearly every casino will give you some form of percentage cash bonus when you make your first deposit as a new player. The overall package may feature other treats such as free spins too.
• Reload Bonuses – If you’ve used up all your funds, online casinos may encourage you to ‘top up’ by offering a cash bonus when you reload your account. Sometimes, these feature as part of wider welcome bonus packages. For example, you might receive a 100% bonus with your 1st deposit, then a 50% bonus with your second deposit (or first reload) and another 100% bonus with your third deposit (or second reload).
• Recurring Bonus Schemes – Some online casinos implement regular weekday bonus schemes, which give you the opportunity to pocket some extra treats on a recurring basis. Deposit bonuses usually feature heavily, so you might be able to activate a 30% bonus if you make a deposit on any given Tuesday (for example).
• Ad hoc offers – All the best online casinos have significant campaign managers who implement ad hoc offers giving players the chance to grab some freebies. Check your inbox, have a peek at promotions pages or look out for our Preferred Online Casinos updates because it’s a safe bet that cash match deposit bonuses will pop up regularly.
• Loyalty rewards – Casinos come up with all sorts of elaborate schemes to reward devoted players for sticking around, including boosted and personalised bonuses. Cash match bonuses frequently form part of these loyalty offers so if you find a favourite online casino, stick with them and wait until they start spoiling you!
Online casinos can provide you with the option to ‘opt out’ of cash match offers when you make a deposit. They can do this in a number of ways. The most obvious is the use of bonus codes, which you have to enter when making a deposit if you wish to receive the bonus. However, bonus codes aren’t as widely employed as they once were so some sites might just provide a button you can click to opt out of the promotion before you deposit, or give you the option to ‘activate’ the bonus (or otherwise) afterwards. Failing that, you can always contact customer service after you’ve made your deposit to ask them to remove the bonus money.
But under what circumstances would you want to opt out of a cash match deposit bonus? Some players might choose to do so because they find the terms of an offer a little complicated. They might want to play entirely with their own money if there are wagering requirements attached to the bonus so they can access all winnings at once. Terms and conditions differ from casino to casino, which can be off putting for some. However, for the vast majority of players, cash match bonuses are a great chance to extend your playing time without using anymore of your own cash. That’s a pretty irresistible opportunity!