The Best First Deposit Bonuses in the UK - 2024

What are First Deposit Bonuses?

These promotions are attached to a player’s first deposit at an online casino. Sites offer these bonuses in order to entice new players and, due to the majority of online casinos having some kind of welcome offer, competition is fierce. This is great news for players, ensuring plenty of options are available between sites.

Players can usually expect a number of free spins or a set amount of bonus funds, while some casinos combine these offers into a welcome package. While welcome bonuses can be eye-catching, the biggest numbers aren’t always the best as the quality of a bonus can rely heavily on the terms and conditions. Some sites are more stringent with wagering requirements and the like than others, so be sure to check out the small print before settling on an offer.

How to Claim a First Deposit Bonus

1. Follow the link from our site to your chosen online casino site;
2. Select sign up and follow the instructions on screen, enter any necessary personal information such as name, address, and date of birth;
3. If you need to input a code or select a specific welcome bonus, the details for doing so will be provided at this stage;
4. Confirm your registration via email if requested;
5. Upload copies of any documents needed to confirm your identity, such as a driving licence and recent utility bill;
6. Visit the casino cashier and select your chosen payment method;
7. Be sure to check terms and conditions to ensure the banking option you select is eligible for the bonus, along with the minimum deposit required to qualify for the bonus;
8. Your welcome bonus should be automatically added to your account once the deposit has been confirmed.

Different Types of First Deposit Casino Bonuses

Welcome bonuses can come in a variety of forms, but the three main categories are as follows:

Matched Deposit Bonus

This type of bonus will match your first deposit up to a certain percentage. Usually, this will be a 100% match, for example, 100% up to £100 – meaning you will get an extra £100 in bonus funds from a first deposit of £100. Some casinos will offer higher or lower percentages, while others may attach matched deposit bonuses to your first few deposits instead of just the initial one.

Free Spins First Deposit Bonus

Not all bonuses come as bonus funds; some online casinos will offer a certain number of free spins on slot games instead. This can either be a set number, for example, 20 spins when you deposit £10 or over, or a per spin basis up to a set limit –– for example, one spin per £1 deposited up to 50 spins. The best deposit match casinos will add a free spins bonus for a more comprehensive welcome bonus, such as 100% up to £100 plus 50 free spins. Free spins bonuses are often limited to specified games, so check the terms to make sure your favourites are included.

Deposit x Receive y Bonuses

This bonus type is similar to the matched deposit bonus, except that you will get a set amount of bonus money for a specific deposit amount. For example, the offer may be that you receive £60 when you deposit £10. These promotions don’t usually rise as matched bonuses do, so in the example above, £60 will be the bonus regardless of how much you deposit over the £10 requirement.

Things to Consider When Choosing a First Deposit Bonus

A good rule of thumb is that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. This can certainly be the case with welcome bonuses, so it’s always a good idea to read the terms and conditions before settling on a bonus. Here are some of the terms and conditions you may come across in the small print at a first deposit bonus casino.

Wagering Requirements

Wagering requirements are the most prevalent caveat attached to welcome bonuses. For example, a first deposit bonus casino bonus may state a 30x wagering requirement. In this case, if you deposit £20 and get a 100% match of £20, you would have to wager those bonus funds 30 times for a total of £600 to unlock any bonus-associated funds. At some casinos, the requirement will be attached to both the deposit and the bonus, significantly raising the amount you’d have to wager to gain access to any winnings.

Free spins bonuses may also have a wagering requirement attached, but it works a little differently. Instead of the value of the spins being considered, it will tend to be any winnings you gain from those free spins that will be treated as bonus funds. Using the above example, if you were to win £10 from your spins, you’d have to wager that amount 30 times over to unlock withdrawals against those funds.

Game Eligibility

This term is often attached to free spins bonuses, but can also be connected to deposit matches. This basically means that you would only be able to spend your free spins or bonus funds on certain games available at the online casino. For example, you may have free spins that you can only use on three specific slots, or a deposit match bonus that you can’t use to play live casino games.

Game Weighting

When it comes to wagering requirements, not all wagers are created equally. This is due to the existence of game weightings – a condition that restricts the contributions made by wagers placed on certain games on the bonus’s overall requirements. 

As a general rule, the majority of slot games will be weighted at 100%, meaning the entirety of the wager will chip away at the requirements. There are likely to be exceptions here, however, especially with slots that have a high return to player (RTP) percentage.  

At the other end of the scale, wagers on table games such as blackjack, roulette and baccarat tend to be weighted at much smaller rates. It’s not uncommon for these games to have weights of 10%, 5%, or even 0%. Wagering requirements are already difficult to fulfil; they become impossible if your wagers aren’t working as hard as they can. For a full breakdown of game weightings, check the casino’s terms and conditions. 

Time Limits

Most bonuses come with a time limit attached. This means you would have to claim and spend your bonus money and clear any attached wagering requirements within a set period. Time limits can range from a matter of days up to a few months depending on the casino.

Maximum Rewards

A winnings cap is another common condition for a first deposit bonus. Let’s say an online casino caps any winnings from a deposit or free spins bonus at £500 –– this would mean that any funds won over that limit would be returned to the casino.

Payment Method Restrictions

Always check the small print before making your first deposit to avoid disappointment. Certain payment methods may not be included in the first deposit bonus at an online casino, meaning that if you deposit using one of these methods you will not be able to access the welcome bonus. The most common ineligible methods are e-wallets like Neteller and Skrill, but some casinos may exclude other methods, too. When depositing with an e-wallet like PayPal, you should check the bonus terms first.

Reasons to Claim a First Deposit Bonus at a UK casino

There are several reasons why UK casino players can benefit from claiming a first deposit bonus from an online casino, here are just a few of them.

Get to Grips with a New Site

First and foremost, a first deposit bonus is a great way to get accustomed to a site and its games without wagering your own cash. If you’re unsure of how baccarat or poker work, using your bonus funds to get some in-game experience and knowledge could be the way to go. If you’re lucky enough to win, your bonus-associated winnings will likely be tied to wagering requirements, however, so the majority of players won’t be able to cash out any such funds.

Potentially Land Some Cashable Winnings

If you land a no wagering or low wagering online casino bonus, you may be able to cash out your bonus-associated winnings. Of course, you would need to strike lucky in order to have winnings to withdraw, but with low wagering bonuses you will have to meet softer wagering requirements in order to cash them out. Better yet, with a no wagering bonus, anything you win with your bonus will be cashable immediately.

Licensed Casino Bonuses are Well-Regulated

Here at TopRatedCasinos, we’re only interested in reviewing licensed sites, bonuses, promotions and games. This means that every bonus offer you find on our site will be regulated to the standards of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) – one of the biggest and most respected regulators of the industry. 

As part of the UKGC’s process on the licensing of bonuses and their terms, all casino operators must adhere to standards of fairness and transparency. This includes conditions such as presenting terms in clear and unambiguous language, making sure players have access to the terms of a bonus before they commit to it, and not changing the terms of the bonus once it’s been activated.  

In 2020, the gambling sector underwent a major review to see whether more protection could be given to online gamblers. Tightening the rules on know your customer (KYC) checks were among the changes introduced, meaning that players looking to opt-in to a first deposit bonus offer must now supply proof of ID and their current address. 

Also included in the review was the banning of credit card deposits to avoid gamblers racking up insurmountable debts, and making it mandatory for all online operators to sign-up to the national online self-exclusion scheme, GAMSTOP.  

Best First Deposit Bonus Casino with No Wagering

First deposit bonuses with no wagering requirements resolve a major sticking point with typical welcome bonuses. Where you would usually need to fulfil wagering requirements in order to cash out any bonus-associated winnings, no wagering bonuses have no such limitation. Other terms and conditions may apply, such as winnings caps, time limits, game exclusions, and payment exclusions, but you can generally expect to be able to withdraw anything you win with a no wagering bonus.

We’ve considered the best free spins and deposit match offers for UK players, and our pick for the best no wagering first deposit bonus casino is PlayOJO.

PlayOJO’s welcome bonus may not be as flashy as others at first glance, but it’s the terms that make the difference. If you deposit between £10 and £50 the first time you add funds to your casino wallet, you will receive a free spin for every £1 deposited up to 50 spins in total. What makes this so special is that there are zero wagering requirements attached to this or any other bonus or promotion at PlayOJO. Anything you win at this online casino is yours to keep.

In addition to its player-friendly bonuses, PlayOJO provides players with a huge range of games from top-quality developers like Microgaming, NetEnt, and Play’n GO, ranging from slots to live dealers, bingo, and more. You’ll also find a plethora of available payment methods, fast withdrawal times –– with no minimum limit for most banking options –– and excellent customer service.

PlayOJO is a top-drawer online casino on every level, and the no wagering welcome bonus is a great way to get you started.

Big First Deposit Bonus Casinos

While we love the PlayOJO welcome bonus, many players may prefer to opt for large bonuses at the expense of no wagering requirements.

Such bonuses –– such as 200% matched bonuses –– can be rewarding for both high rollers and players who are more interested in playing on the house than taking home any winnings. Larger bonuses invariably come with steep wagering requirements, so anything won will be locked away until these requirements are met. A time limit will apply in most cases, meaning the bonus and any won funds will be returned to the casino if the wagering requirements are not met in time.

For example, you could claim a welcome bonus of 100% to £500 with a 30-day time limit. If you deposit £500 to claim the full amount, you will have £1,000 in your account to get you started. The average wagering requirements across UK online casinos sits at 35x, so if we apply this average to your £500 bonus funds you would need to wager £17,500 in order to withdraw any winnings.

Some casinos include both the bonus and your deposit in the wagering requirements in this calculation, and in this instance that would mean £1,000 x 35 for a total of £35,000 in wagering requirements.

As you can see, meeting the wagering requirements for a large first deposit bonus is no mean feat. Combine the sheer amount you’d need to wager with the 30-day time limit, and it’s essentially impossible for all but the highest rollers.

Of course, the amount available to claim and the wagering requirements themselves vary significantly between casinos, so it’s worth shopping around and reading the terms and conditions if you’re interested in being able to withdraw cash winnings from a first deposit bonus.

Otherwise, such bonuses can be seen as a great way to get up to speed with a new casino, its features, and its catalogue of games without risking your own money. Once your bonus expires, any remaining funds from your deposit will typically be exempt from wagering requirements. However, you should check the terms and conditions before claiming to confirm that this is the case, as some sites apply wagering requirements to deposits used to claim welcome bonuses.