We’re sure that you’ve had your fill of casino promotions from Betfair, or whichever online casino site that you prefer, but have you ever stopped to wonder where these promotions came from? If so, boy, have you come to the right place! Read on as we talk you through the brief history of online casino bonuses, going back to where it all started.
When online casinos first hit the scene, there were only two casinos to choose from, so competition wasn’t exactly rife. Because of this, there was no reason to compete, so the online casino bonus was yet to be invented. However, it wasn’t long before the concept of online casinos caught on and the industry began to progress at a rapid speed! Just a few years on and a whole host of new online casinos had come onto the scene, creating a need to stand out from the rest, if they wanted to be successful.
The first offer that was introduced was the sign-up or welcome bonus, which is a promotion that incentivises new players to come and try out a new site, for a small reward. When they were first introduced back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, bonuses in general were a hell of a lot more generous than what we see today, as well as coming with fewer terms and conditions. Whilst that sounds like a great alternative to the pages and pages that we have to read through today, at least we can say that we’re informed about what we may or may not be signing ourselves up for!
The original principle of bonuses was easy to understand – the player deposits a small amount of money at first, and is then compensated with a bonus credit, that is either the same or greater than their original deposited amount. Now, the rules have become a little more complicated due to the following factors:
- Increased competition
- The number of casino players
- The potential for bonus abuse
Another contributing factor is undoubtedly the newer legislation and regulations which govern over online casinos, piling on a great pressure to comply and meet the criteria.
Back to the welcome bonuses, those too have become a little more complex to benefit from. Nowadays, a player will have to place a specific number of bets, or hit a specific wager criterion, before they’ll either receive their bonus, or be allowed to cash it out. This way of conducting bonus schemes is a lot more controlled than how they originally started out.
As new customer offers became old news, online casinos then came out with loyalty and VIP programmes, which may offer points or other incentives to those who sign up. Usually they’ll require an email address, username and password to create your account, and then you’ll be on your way! The benefit of giving a site your email address is that, if you give your consent, they will routinely send you information about new offers and promotions that they running for that month or week – meaning, you’ll never miss a generous bonus again!