In the past couple of decades the gaming world has evolved with developers looking for new ways to attract customers from a growing market. The gambling industry has led the way in boosting new customer numbers from enticing bonuses with traditional games developers following their lead.

Console games like Fortnite have appealed to customers by being free to download, making their money through in-game purchases. This is a tactic that has been used by mobile app developers for some time to boost their engagement and profits.

In this article we’re focusing on the industry leaders in bonuses – gambling companies. Read on to find out where you can find the best bonuses and how they are used by online gambling companies.

(A look at how free mobile apps make money for their developers.)

Gambling Bonuses by Sector

Online Casino: In recent years there have been staggering advances in online casino technology that have boosted the online gambling sector massively. Virtual reality casinos and live streaming casinos are now a reality and these innovations are driving customers away from land-based casinos and towards their online counterparts.

Online casinos make their big bucks through slot machines and as such most of their bonuses are centred on slots. However there are still enticing bonuses for specific casino games such as roulette, baccarat and blackjack.

Sports betting: In the United Kingdom sports betting is experiencing enormous growth specifically in football betting. The growth of football betting can be seen in the sponsorship of the industry in football itself.

9 of the current 20 Premier League clubs are sponsored by sports betting sites with that number growing to over half in the Championship. Specific sports betting bonuses can be found online but the most common bonuses are offered on TV and radio adverts.

Bingo: Surprisingly, online bingo is the biggest growth sector in the online gambling market at the moment. Traditionally seen as a pastime of the older person, bingo is now becoming increasingly popular with a younger demographic.

If you’re looking for a bingo site with a free signup bonus and no deposit required, you can find one through Bingoport, which has an extensive list of current bingo bonuses.

Common Bonuses

You might think that all gambling bonuses are straightforward and the same, if you do you’d be wrong. Not everything is as it first seems when it comes to gambling bonuses and you need to know what to look out for if you’re going to make the most of them.

Play-through: These are the sneaky ones that tie you in for a longer period than you first wanted. They’ll usually come in the form of huge adverts promising you a free amount of cash if you sign-up to an online casino. In the terms and conditions through they’ll be a minimum wager requirement. A free bonus of £20 could require you to wager 20 times that amount before you can access it. Don’t get caught out with these bonuses, make sure you read the small print before you sign up.

No-deposit Bonus: If you’re not loyal to one particular online casino you can take advantage of no-deposit bonuses with various suppliers. As the name suggests, it’s a no-strings attached bonus. Simply sign up to a provider and you can avail of a completely free amount of cash to bet with. As these are the best bonuses to get they are also the rarest, make sure you keep your eyes peeled for them and avail of them as soon as you can.

Wager Requirements: Quite simply, if you wager a certain amount on a certain game you’ll receive a free bet amount. These bonuses are common on TV & radio adverts especially with sports betting companies. During a game a sports betting company will usually offer long odds for next goal scorer etc. when customers reach the minimum wager requirements.

Sticky Bonuses: These bonuses are common with online casinos or online bingo sites and are usually sent to existing customers. Companies use these bonuses to increase the loyalty and most importantly, the spend of their current customers.

They are either free plays or complementary cash amounts and any winnings earned with these sticky bonuses can be withdrawn by the user. Do bear in mind though that these bonuses won’t usually be for you preferred game so you’ll have to take a bit of a leap of faith.

Match Bonus: This bonus is pretty straightforward and is usually only offered to new customers. When you sign-up for a site and make your first deposit the provider will match your deposit with free bets. Although these offers are appealing they usually start with a high minimum amount to make sure you don’t just use your free cash and leave.

The Best Time to Find Bonuses

New customer bonuses are available 365 days of the year but just like other bonuses, there are better times to find them than others. January is typically a good month to hunt out gambling bonuses because that is the quitest month of the year for gambling companies.

With money tight after Christmas most customers can’t justify forking out on gambling so this is the time when companies boost their bonuses to draw customers in. Similarly when a new company is launching they will be super liberal with their bonuses as they look to draw customers in.

Finally look out for upcoming events or competitions that are happening in your field of interest. When there is a world or a national event on all of the online gambling companies will be vying for customers with one another by offering great bonuses. Mark your calendar for these dates.