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What Is a Casino Bonus and Are They Offered?
People who want to play casino games online can get plenty of bonus funds these days.
It is almost always the case that a casino site will have a casino bonus – such as a welcome bonus – available for their customers to claim. These can take a variety of forms, like a free bonus when making a deposit, or free spins to use on slot games, but there are a lot of terms and conditions to wade through too. It is important to always read a site’s T&Cs.
A casino bonus is a great way for a new customer to try out slot games and live casino games such as roulette and blackjack without having to risk much of their own cash.
Sometimes it is even possible to get a free bonus without making a deposit at all, with many of the top casinos for 2022 offering a no deposit bonus to get new players to sign up there. There might even be a choice of different welcome offer for players to claim as well.
The reason why UK customers are able to get bonus funds when joining a casino is simple: there is a lot of competition for clients across the industry. With so many sites out there in what is an increasingly crowded field now, a casino welcome bonus helps them to stand out.
Giving players a chance to collect bonus funds to use on a new account is a good way to draw in customers who may otherwise not have bothered to play on a site.
Nevertheless, it is important to read the terms and conditions closely when browsing casino sign up deals that promise the world – if an offer feels like it is too good to be true, it likely is.
This is because the small print will contain details such as the bonus wagering requirements that will need to be met before winnings can be withdrawn. This wagering contribution can help to dictate whether it will be possible to turn the amount of money that has been awarded via a bonus code or a promo code into real cash funds by playing a casino game.
There are a few types of casino sign up promotions to look for – let’s take a closer look next.
Different Types of Online Casino Promotions and Deals
Those who are new to playing online games at casinos might not realise quite how many different types of deals are out there. While the majority of the best casino offers are aimed at enticing new customers to sign up for an account, some of the best casino bonuses in the UK are for existing users too.
Here are some of the main types of promotions to look for at casino bonus sites right now.
Deposit Bonuses
It is fair to say that many of the best casino sign up offers fit into the deposit bonus category. Customers get bonus funds to top up their account when they add some of their own cash funds via deposit methods such as debit cards or e-wallets. Within the deposit bonus department, there are a few sub-categories, such as the following.
Welcome or First Deposit Bonus
The welcome bonus – sometimes referred to as the first deposit bonus – is probably the most common type of promotion offered by UK casino sites these days. As the name of this bonus suggests, the aim is to welcome new users when they sign up for an account by giving them the perk of bonus cash to play with.
The exact terms of the welcome bonus are naturally variable, but it is often the case that by entering a bonus code, players can get a whopping 100 per cent boost on their deposits.
This means that a UK player who opted to deposit £100 of their own cash funds into their new account would be given an extra £100 in bonus cash to play with on the site.
A total of £200 would therefore be available, but the bonus cash is subject to terms and conditions such as wagering requirements – which we will go into later.
One of the other things to keep in mind when claiming welcome bonuses at casino sites in the UK is that using certain deposit methods may mean a customer does not qualify.
A lot of casinos do not allow new users to claim welcome bonuses in the event they use an e-wallet such as PayPal or Skrill to sign up and make their initial deposit into their account.
A casino sign up bonus is normally capped – there is not typically an unlimited amount of bonus that can be claimed – while there is often a time limit for how long they can be used. The time limit is often set at a week, but it is important to check the small print.
Deposit Match Bonus
Many internet casinos offer a deposit match bonus to both new users and existing customers who already have an account on the site. With this type of offer, the player gets the amount they opt to deposit doubled as a bonus.
For example, should they decide to add £50 of their own money to a casino account, the site would then add on another £50 on top to make a £100 total deposit.
As is the case with a first deposit bonus, there are usually wagering requirements to meet before any of the bonus cash becomes unlocked and can be withdrawn as real money.
Cashback Bonuses
Another common type of deal offered by UK internet casinos these days is the cashback bonus. As the name suggests, this is a way for casino sites to give cash back to players.
It is often the case that cashback bonuses are offered as a proportion of a player’s losses.
For example, the site might offer 20 per cent of losses returned as cashback, but it might be the case that this applies only to certain casino games, such as slots.
Reload Bonuses
New customers who join an online casino for the first time are not the only ones who can get deposit boosts, with reload bonuses offered by an increasing number of sites these days.
Reload bonuses might be available on certain days of the week, giving players who make a deposit at qualifying times the opportunity to get a boost on the cash they add to their accounts.
High Roller Bonuses
Sometimes, online casinos will offer special deals for their top players: a high roller bonus. When this is the case, high roller bonuses might only be offered as part of a loyalty scheme.
Many UK casinos these days have a form of rewards programme, with players able to work their way up through the ranks, collecting various perks as they play games.
No Deposit Bonuses
While the majority of bonuses and promotions offered by these sites do require players to make a deposit into their account, this is not always the case.
Some no deposit casino bonus offers are available, which can give players a chance to win real cash without having to risk any of their own money. So what are these types of deals?
Cash Bonuses
Most casino players would love the chance to get cash bonuses with no risk at all.
The good news is that cash bonuses are up for grabs at an increasing number of UK internet casino sites. Some of these offer a £20 free no deposit – a great way to get up and running.
At others, a £10 no deposit boost might be up for grabs for new casino players instead.
Internet casinos that just want to give new players a taste could make a £5 no deposit boost up for grabs in a bid to tempt players into signing up for an account.
As with other forms of deals and promotions, it is important to check the small print of the terms and conditions closely to see whether or not they are good value.
Free Spins
As an alternative to cash bonuses with no deposit necessary, free spins might be offered. Slot fans in particular, will love the chance to win real money on sites via free spins.
Playing with free spins means there is no risk attached, with players not needing to deposit any of their own funds in order to get up and running.
There is likely to be a maximum win limit from free spins, though, while it is often the case that they can only be used on certain slots, not across a site’s entire game library.
Which Bonus Is Best: Welcome (Deposit) or No Deposit?
New players who are thinking of signing up to a UK casino in 2022 are likely to be asking which bonus is best: a welcome first deposit boost or a no deposit offer? Realistically, it comes down to personal preference, but each of them has pros and cons.
Pros and cons of first deposit bonuses
| Pros | Cons |
| Larger bonus sums often up for grabs here | Wagering requirements can be stringent |
| More freedom on how to use bonus cash | Need to risk real cash to get the bonus |
| Ideal for high rollers with cash to splash | Restrictions like time limits likely in place |
Pros and cons of no deposit bonuses
| Pros | Cons |
| No need for players to risk their own cash | Smaller bonus amount normally offered |
| Ideal way to test out a new site and games | Maximum win limit is likely to be in place |
| Try different strategies without spending | Game restrictions might also be in play |
What Makes a Sign Up Casino Bonus Good?
With that in mind, how can a player decide whether or not a bonus is worth taking?
There are a few things to weigh up, which mostly relate to the terms and conditions. The amount of the bonus on offer is likely to be what catches the eye of a player first. But more bonuses are not necessarily a good thing if the wagering requirements are too hard to meet.
However, larger bonuses do often have bigger wagering requirements, which can be a grind to complete. If an offer is going to be hard to turn the bonus cash into real money, or it will take too long to get through the wagering requirements, it may not be worth taking the deal.
A longer time limit is also widely viewed as a sign of a good bonus deal. This means a player is in less of a rush to meet the wagering requirements, allowing them to enjoy the games. Being able to use bonuses on a wide choice of games is a tick in the box as well. Many casinos restrict players from using bonuses on certain games, which they may not want to play.
No maximum win limit would be a top bonus, but this is rarely offered by a casino nowadays.
Which Offers Are Best – Bonus Money or Free Spins?
Some casinos are offering a choice of bonus in 2022 – either bonus cash or free spins. This is good as it gives players an option of which route to follow, but for those who are unsure which is the right path to go down, it can lead to some frustration.
However, the good news is that it is possible to use some calculations to work out which type of bonus is the best value. In order to do this, players must work out the expected value – or EV for short – of the deal in order to be able to compare it to other similar offers out there.
To calculate EV, players also need to know an offer’s wagering requirements (WR), as well as the house edge of the game they will be playing to make their way through the T&Cs:
EV = Bonus (£) – WR Amounts (£) x House Edge (%)
Blackjack is an example of a game with a low house edge that is handy for meeting offers. However, players must keep in mind that some games do not always contribute the full 100 per cent to the wagering requirements. This is likely to include low house edge games too.
Terms & Conditions to Look for When Using Casino Deals
Players should look closely at the terms and conditions of casino deals. Here are some of the key things to be on alert for when skimming over the small print of such T&Cs.
- Wagering requirements: The big one to be aware of is the wagering requirement. Bonus cash must be gambled – or wagered – a certain number of times before it becomes unlocked and can then be withdrawn as real cash. For example, £10 of bonus with a 10x wagering requirement would result in £100 needing to be gambled. The higher the figure for the wagering requirement, the harder it is likely to be to meet, though other factors will need to be taken into account as well. The figure for the wagering requirement varies a great deal in 2022, with some as high as 50x.
- Games selection: In addition, sometimes a site will place further restrictions on which games can be used to spend bonus money. Furthermore, not all of the games in a site’s selection will contribute 100 per cent to the wagering requirements, which can make it more of a challenge for a player to meet them in the long run. Slots do normally provide a full contribution to wagering requirements, but roulette may not.
- Max bet limit: Most types of bonuses offered by UK casinos these days have a maximum bet limit, which is in place to try to prevent bonus abuse. Again, this can make it a grind to fulfil requirements such as wagering. If the max bet limit is set at a relatively low amount, players might have to spend a lot of time playing games in order to unlock the bonus cash they were given as part of a casino promotion.
- Winning cap: UK casinos need to protect themselves from significant losses from such deals, which makes winning caps a common addition to terms and conditions. If there is a cap on winnings from a bonus, it means there is a maximum amount of cash that a player will be able to win. For example, if a player scooped the jackpot on a slot from a free spin, it is unlikely that they would receive the full amount in cash.
- Maximum withdrawal: Alternatively, a maximum withdrawal could be in place rather than a winning cap. These work in a similar way, essentially protecting the site from sustaining a big loss from the deals. Players might decide to skip an offer in the event of a low maximum withdrawal or winning cap being in place in the deal’s T&Cs.
- Time-related limit: Plenty of sites also have a time limit for how long a bonus is active. The aim of this is to encourage players to start playing with their own cash. Often, a time-related limit is set at a week, but not always, so it is important to check. If a bonus is not used up before the time limit expires, players will lose the rest of it. It would be a blow to be in the middle of meeting a wagering requirement only to lose the remainder of the bonus as a result of an offer’s time-related limit expiring.
How to Claim an Online Casino Bonus
Those who are new to playing at online casinos might be unsure of what they need to do if they want to claim the welcome bonus their chosen site has up for grabs.
Follow our simple step-by-step guide to claiming a welcome bonus at an online casino:
- Choose a site: There is plenty of choice, with lots of great bonuses to claim.
- Register: Head to the site and find the ‘join’ or ‘register’ button to sign up.
- Enter details: Fill in the form with information like your name and email address.
- Verify: Look out for an email with instructions on how to verify the account.
- Code: Look out for somewhere to enter a promo or bonus code for an offer.
- Deposit: Once registered, add funds to the account by choosing a payment method.
- Qualify: Meet the qualifying conditions for the deal, for instance, by wagering £10.
- Receive: Get the bonus cash or free spins and start playing through the offer.
T&Cs: Be aware of terms and conditions such as the site’s wagering requirements.