The golden rules of casino bonusing

Rewards have been at the heart of casino offerings since day one. In land-based properties, regulars and VIPs alike are presented with incentives to ensure that they keep coming back and keep playing. Rewards and compensations might vary from a free buffet to a private jet, but the principle is the same. In the online world, top casino bonuses have become de facto tools to acquire, retain and reward casino and sports players.

In today’s competitive landscape, the long-term value of rewards and even their place in a progressively responsible sector are being challenged. However, whether for market competitiveness, rewarding loyalty, big wins, or omnichannel play, bonuses remain a vital and continually evolving feature of the iGaming industry. And it is likely they will be used, in various shapes and forms, for many more years to come.

#1 – Think further than simply free spins

Casino-specific bonuses come in all shapes and sizes, and there is much more out there that just granting some free spins. For example, for loyal players who either regularly log in or frequently deposit, bonuses can also come in the form of exclusive competitions and content, draws, offers, rewards and potentially huge prizes that new or “less loyal” players might not be able to access.

For higher-volume recreational player engagement and potential reactivation, several brands have also begun to introduce branded, no-deposit/single-spin big-prize mechanics with the chance of winning large cash sums. In addition, the majority also get the opportunity to win a variety of low-stake bonuses such as scratch cards, three-to-five free spins, a low-stake free bet or a smaller cash prize. This then allows them to further engage with games and the brand at no cost to them and with the potential they then re-deposit.

No-cash incentives with free spins

Free spins are versatile iGaming classics that seem to never fade as a valuable activation driver. Getting in the game a tool such as the BonusEngine system empowers you to start planning campaigns across numerous vendors, which brings on stage countless vendor-specific free spins features.

To name just a few, we have mini-games with a configurable randomised number of free spins, bonus-feature spins, or additional complimentary free spins on small win amounts.

Deposit-based bonuses with free spins

A deposit is the most common form of triggering a promotion, often used as the foundation for new player acquisition. It follows that one of the most frequent types of reward involves conditioning free spins with a certain deposited amount. For example, the player can deposit €20 and receive 100 spins, with the option to invest another €10 and receive 200 spins.

A matched-deposit is also often used to attract new players or build loyalty with existing ones, incentivising large deposits in the process. The casino brand will grant to the player a (capped) amount equal to their deposit.

#2 – Fully control campaigns to ensure a smooth onboarding

As many experienced casino managers will tell you, it doesn’t matter how good your bonus offer is if you don’t have the right onboarding strategy, platforms and tools to attract, convert and retain players.

Swift and frictionless onboarding with easy registration and deposit, ensuring you are compliant across multiple regulated markets, is key to preventing customers from leaving your site within the first few seconds of their customer journey. Today, players do not just expect a seamless entry into a brand, they want the experience to start as soon as they hit your landing page.

An increasing number of operators now opt to cater to Gen Y/Z audiences with a solid reward system powered by gamification tools and techniques. Players get incentives to subscribe to emails, make a first deposit or play a certain number of games to unlock bonuses from the outset.

#3 – Reward loyalty, create engagement, and build personalised journeys

Get the basics right. We’ve seen countless brands use great acquisition bonuses but forgetting the fundamentals of long-term engagement and losing large numbers of players as a result. To start off on the right foot, try first segmenting your players and targeting each group with a specific mix of rewards. One way to go about this is to create segments based on which stage customers are at within their lifecycle.

Here is where triggers enter the scene: they can be used to set off rewards connected to player actions such as deposits, transfers, claims, or events. Therefore, pinpoint specific actions per group of players and set rewards to be triggered accordingly.

For instance, you can choose to engage players with a certain game that makes them eligible for a bonus, and where the trigger is simply the actual game launch, and they are involved in taking the decision that will reward them and less likely to stumble across the trigger. On the other hand, a trigger by login grants the user a reward potentially without them being aware of the criteria or the reward that it triggered.

The recently added BonusEngine Game Launch trigger lets you create and set any type of bonus to be activated once a game is launched by the player. As the operator, you can use this trigger to:

• Introduce a new game with a very soft target for the player to reach: “We are confident you like what you will see, and we’d love for you to give it a spin, but we reward you simply for opening the game”.
• Create targeted promotional campaigns, linking the reward with a specific action, e.g., launching a game from a specific category. You can create a journey to give the player an idea of the selection of games. For instance, if they open any table game, then a slot game from and so on, they get a reward at the end of this soft journey.
• Extend the scope of your reward: players can be rewarded with free spins for new game releases and a fantastic way to have them sample new content.

#4 – Monitor costs and potential problematic behaviour

The ability to identify both these areas in real-time is increasingly crucial. Cost control has always been a vital element of bonusing, so you will need to ensure your platform technology can deliver across several key areas.

It will need the capacity to include and/or exclude and set contribution levels for all games across all verticals. At the same time, you will also find it beneficial if the system contains widgets that give a complete overview of your bonus campaigns’ KPIs and health, including distribution of completion status, such as the ratio of cleared bonuses versus lost bonuses. This is a great way to spot whether a campaign’s terms are too “soft” or not.

To summarise

Bonusing and rewarding players are here to stay and remain among the crucial elements of any successful casino offering. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, where customer experience is key, following the golden rules, getting your strategy right, and leveraging a solid bonus platform is more vital than ever. Great tactics and a best-in-class bonus platform are at the heart of successful brands. And remember:

• Think further than simply free spins
• Fully control campaigns to ensure a smooth onboarding
• Reward loyalty, create engagement and build personalised journeys
• Monitor costs and potential problematic behaviour