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Exclusive vs. Regular bonuses

Vlad Mihalache
Vlad Mihalache
Vlad Mihalache
Vlad Mihalache Senior SEO Content Editor
  • Content strategist and editor with more than half a decade of service in the iGaming field;
  • Online gambling professional with a portfolio of over 2500 articles authored and reviewed;
  • Active proponent of responsible gambling with a detailed understanding of gambling trends and associated risks;
  • Expert in the area of slot gaming, blackjack tactics and gambling addiction.
Last updated on Aug 03, 2023

Exclusive Regular Bonuses

What are Exclusive Bonuses and Standard Bonuses

Nowadays, almost all gamblers prefer to play casino games online and bonuses are an important factor in this decision. In such a competitive market, an online casino must stand out and attract players and for this reason, each casino operator will try to come up with the best possible offer to keep gamblers singing in and remaining loyal.

There is nothing wrong with that since players also get to boost their winning and start off on the right foot and with so many casinos and bonuses to choose from, there is just something to fit anyone’s needs out there.

Regular bonuses are the most commonly encountered on the market, but even these come in various forms:

  • Welcome Bonuses - Welcome bonuses are granted to new players when they register an account with a specific online casino. Welcome bonuses can be no deposit bonuses or match-up bonuses. 

  • Match-Up Bonuses - These types of offers come as an amount of cash offered as a percentage up to a certain value for either your first deposit, your second or so on. 

  • No Deposit Bonuses - No deposit bonuses are the most sought-after promotions on the market because they require no sort of investment whatsoever but this is also the reason why they are so rare. 

  • Free Spins Bonuses - Free Spins, just like their name suggests are dedicated to slot machine players and they generally come as a pack with another sort of match-up or no deposit bonus.

Exclusive Bonuses are basically the same types of standard bonuses but with better conditions. They are offered as a retention motivation for VIP players or high rollers or through affiliate programs (read SlotsMate).

Because exclusive bonuses can be gained through a third party and it’s always tailored for a certain category of players, you need a certain type of code to activate them after you have signed up an account with the casino.

Exclusive vs Regular Bonuses

Exclusive Bonuses vs Regular Bonuses

Exclusive casino bonuses are great but so are the standard offers and that’s why we have created this table so you can clearly see the main differences between them.

Exclusive Bonuses

Regular Bonuses

Exclusive online casino bonuses are tailor-made to meet the needs of a gambler or category of players. However, this also makes them harder to get.

Not unique - common, meaning that you can mostly find standard bonuses at all online casinos worldwide.

Compared to the regular bonuses, exclusive offers have more flexible wagering requirements

Regular promotions don’t have flexible wagering requirements, but given the fact that most exclusive offers are designed for VIP players and high rollers, that’s not a bad thing for beginners and casual players

Some types of exclusive bonuses like an exclusive no deposit offer is not available in all countries due to various laws in effect

Standard bonuses can be claimed in most countries where online gambling is legal

Requiring bonus codes, exclusive offers need extra steps to be claimed

Some standard bonuses are granted automatically upon registration

Both types of bonuses are great and they each come with their own sets of pros and cons. Just by hearing the word “exclusive” some players automatically think “better” and that’s true but up to a point. Each of these types better fits the needs of certain players and some of them are worthy to claim some are not.

The Real Value of Casino Bonuses

Before claiming any sort of standard offer or exclusive bonus, you need to first make sure that you are really getting the most out of your money and you can do that simply by making some calculations.

Firstly, you need to understand that each casino game has a contribution to the bonus you are claiming. This does not apply to Free Spins offers which can only be used on slots. The contribution of a casino game is the percentage of the total bets done in that specific game contributing towards the playthrough requirements completion. 

For example, slots count as 100%, while other casino games like Blackjack or Baccarat may only count 15% towards the wagering requirements completion.

The house edge is the second thing that needs to be taken into consideration which can be 2% in some slots and go well over 5% in some risky games. The calculation is simple because, for every 2,000 credits invested in a game with a house edge of 1,5%, you will lose 30 credits.

All bonuses have wagering requirements, even no deposit bonuses and you won’t be able to retrieve any win until you complete the wagering requirements. Now it’s time to do the math and see if the benefits of the bonus are actually bigger than the wagering requirements in place.

Let’s say you want to claim a bonus of $200 with x20 wagering requirements and you will play a slot machine with a theoretical RTP of 98% resulting in a 2% house edge. The total wagering requirement for your bonus is $4000 and taking into consideration the house edge, you might lose $80. Deducting the $80 from the $200 bonus, we can conclude that it’s a bonus definitely worthy of claiming. 

Final Words

Both Standard Bonuses and Exclusive Promotions are worth it if you know what to look for and which one will better suit your needs. If you are a high roller with plenty of money and time on your hands, you will probably be better with an exclusive promotion, however, as a new player, you might be better off with a standard bonus picked correctly

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Vlad Mihalache

Vlad Mihalache

Senior SEO Content Editor
About Vlad Mihalache
  • Content strategist and editor with more than half a decade of service in the iGaming field;
  • Online gambling professional with a portfolio of over 2500 articles authored and reviewed;
  • Active proponent of responsible gambling with a detailed understanding of gambling trends and associated risks;
  • Expert in the area of slot gaming, blackjack tactics and gambling addiction.
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