Everyone wants to be able to get something for nothing. That’s especially true of online casino gaming. The industry has made the most of special offers and bonuses in several ways. And that’s been key to its success. In a competitive and perhaps even crowded landscape, any operator looking to prove worth its salt will use offers to stand out amongst the crowd.
When it comes to bonuses, though, not all are created equal. Different kinds of bonuses have different qualification requirements.
There are welcome bonuses open to new players, and there are those that reward regular players, such as cashback offers. However, it’s often not considered how the games that the bonuses are for can create differences. So how do poker bonuses compare with those for slots?
What Are Online Poker Bonuses?
As mentioned, there are several different kinds of bonuses that a casino might offer. More often than not, though, bonuses are presented as free credit to be used on a specific game or any of those on the casino’s site.
As the name suggests, a poker bonus would entail credit available to be used on the site’s poker offerings. These will usually be split into two different types. These are deposit and no-deposit bonuses.
Deposit Bonuses
This kind of bonus is based on a player making a qualifying deposit into their account. More often than not, there will be a minimum amount that they must pay.
They will then be given credit either in the form of a set amount of free bets that they can use or a percentage of their deposit up to a certain amount. The latter is known as a deposit match bonus. Usually, a cap will be in place, limiting how much players can receive in free credit.
No-Deposit Bonuses
As you can likely work out, these bonuses don’t require a player to make a qualifying deposit in order to receive free credit. Instead, this will often be a no-strings-attached deal where a player will receive the bonus as long as they log in to their account in the offer period. They will often be less valuable than those that require a deposit, given that they’re free for the player.
Slot Game Offers
Much like poker, slots are a popular option when it comes to offering bonuses. Similarly, these will be either deposits or no-deposit. The latter will usually be in the form of a small number of free spins, and you can view these as something of a trial of the games.
While the maximum win will likely be relatively low, it gives players a chance to try a game before having to stake their own money on it. Despite these fundamental similarities, there is one major way that poker and slot bonuses are ultimately dissimilar.
Popularity
This is where the two different bonus types differ. While there is no doubt that poker bonuses are popular, they can’t match the roaring success of their slot counterparts. In terms of popularity, no deposit spins for slots are claimed 3 times more than online casino poker bonuses, according to the latest free spins index.
The key to that success is undoubtedly the ease of using free spins. You don’t have to be an expert at any game or know rules or strategies in order to use the bonus. Instead, it offers more of a pick-up-and-play gaming style.
So, free spins appeal to veteran players and newcomers alike, widening the potential pool of users. This means that the audience will likely be much more diverse, which will pump up the numbers to their impressive levels.
Try Before You Buy Approach Big for Casinos
While some types of games and bonuses may be more popular than others, as a concept, offers have helped propel online casinos into the mainstream. Statistical research has shown that the online gambling market is now worth around $65 billion worldwide, which is one of the most lucrative industries.
That places it much higher than the overall online gaming market, which is around $21 billion. Almost every online gambling operator now provides a full complement of offers and rewards is no small part of this phenomenon. And while this continues to be the case, it seems unlikely that we will see any drop in popularity for this market.
It’s clear to see that there’s a lot that poker and slots have in common when it comes to online casino bonuses. However, the more technical aspect of playing poker and the more specialist knowledge required to play and win makes it less appealing to those who don’t have the level of understanding needed.
Instead, it makes it more a pursuit of the more seasoned gamer, while slots are open for entry-level gamers looking to get into these sorts of games. And now that you know the similarities and differences between the two, you can choose which you’d rather take advantage of!