Low Wagering Casino Bonuses - UK 2022

How We Review Low Wagering Casinos

When we look for the best low wagering casinos, the bonuses aren’t our only area of concern. We want to ensure that our users are given access to the cream of the crop, which means we review a number of key areas before we recommend an online casino. Here’s a breakdown of some of our top priorities:

• Licensing – our reviewing process always starts in the same place, and that’s licensing. Casino licences are issued by industry regulators like the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), committing gambling sites to certain safeguarding standards and ensuring fair play on the casino’s games;
• Wagering requirements – casino bonuses sometimes flatter to deceive. In our reviews, we always make sure to check the small print of the site’s bonuses to check how player-friendly the terms and conditions are. Within these T&Cs, wagering requirements are often the most significant barrier to players landing some withdrawable cash; if the requirements are too severe, we’ll let you know;
• Site design – functionality, easy navigation, and attractive design aesthetics are what we’re looking for here. Switching straight from the latest Yggdrasil slot to your favourite Evolution Gaming title should be easy, but it’s only made possible by clever site design;
• Mobile – in the modern era of online gambling, it’s no longer an expectation for casinos to optimise their sites for mobile players, but a necessity. The highest performing sites in this category develop their own dedicated apps for both Android and iOS devices;
• Other bonuses and promos – low wagering bonuses are great, but there are lots of other offers that should be coming your way at an online casino. This starts with a generous welcome bonus, and should continue with regular promotions throughout your time at the site. We give bonus points here to casinos that think creatively about how they can reward their members, with interesting promos, on-site tournaments, and unique offers well regarded by our team of reviewers.
• Game selection – The games are likely the main reason you’re at the site in the first place, so there need to be plenty of them. We’ll look for coverage over a wide range of genres including slots, blackjack, roulette, poker, baccarat, sic bo and more, but we also assess the depth within each. More variants means more choice, and a larger game library from top software developers means you’re less likely to get bored.
• Customer support – Ideally you’ll never need to use the support services at a low wagering casino, but what if something does go wrong? The best sites offer 24/7 assistance via a range of channels; the more options, the better for our players. Email and live chat are the most common, but a phone number is also welcome, as is an active social media presence.

Pros and Cons of Low Wagering Casino Bonuses

It’s easy to assume that low wagering casinos are head and shoulders above the competition, but that’s not always the case. Each casino player has their own unique individual needs and styles of play, and will need to select bonuses on the basis of their own preferences. With that in mind, here are some of the pros of playing a low wagering bonus.

Easier Route to Withdrawals

The most obvious benefit of claiming a low wagering bonus is that it provides an easier and faster route to withdrawing any potential bonus-related winnings. Satisfying a bonus’s wagering requirements is often out of the question for players on small to medium-sized gambling budgets, and low requirements really help in that respect. If you’re looking for an even simpler route to withdrawals, consider making use of a no wagering bonus.

Better Bonus Value

When high wagering requirements are insurmountable, many online gamblers use their bonuses as a means with which they can familiarise themselves with a new casino and its games. This has its own perks, but players can sometimes feel disconnected from the bonus they’ve activated, as though it’s not really serving its advertised purpose. With a low wagering bonus, though, this problem doesn’t exist – players have a better chance at fulfilling the requirements, and the bonus can feel more valuable as a result.    

On the flip side of the coin, here are some cons to using low wagering casino bonuses.

Modest Amounts

Compared to the dizzying amounts offered on matched deposit welcome bonuses, low wagering bonuses will come in more modest sizes. Winning caps are likely to be set at around £100 on these offers; allowing anything more than this would put casino operators at a greater risk of paying out large amounts. Although they may offer plenty of bonus opportunities, it’s always important to remember that online casinos are designed to make money.

Wagering Requirements Still a Factor

If you have the intention of converting your low wagering bonus into winnings, remember that wagering requirements will still apply, and may still be significant. Standard requirements are between 25-40x the value of the bonus, so a low wagering offer may still come with requirements set at 20x. There’s a tendency to assume that requirements are affordable with these bonuses, but have a think before you commit about whether that’s still the case.  

The gambling demographic best suited to low wagering casino bonuses are those looking for smaller requirements and lower stakes bonuses. Low wagering bonuses are therefore perhaps less suitable for higher rollers with the time and resources available to satisfy higher wagering requirements.

Alternatives to Low Wagering Bonuses

When you’re weighing up offers, a low wagering casino bonus might not always be right for you. As it’s easier to convert the bonus into real money, the bonus amount tends to be on the smaller side — and even though the wagering requirements are low, they can still be hard to meet. You might also be impeded by tighter win limits than with a regular bonus. 

At TopRatedCasinos, we encourage our players to treat any bonus as a risk-free way to familiarise themselves with a site or game; as such, you might be able to get more free play out of a bigger bonus, even if it comes with higher wagering requirements. So, what else is on offer?

Free Spins

Often the bonus of choice for slots fans, free spins are exactly what they sound like: you’ll get free turns on the casino’s slots at no cost to yourself. The spins can generally only be used on one or two games at a site, but casinos tend to pick wisely — you’ll see top-quality titles like Play’n GO’s Book of Dead or NetEnt’s Starburst frequently named in free spins offers.

Like most bonuses, you should keep any wagering requirements in mind when you’re assessing the value. They’re usually calculated based on any free spins winnings, and you’ll need to stake the value a certain number of times before you can withdraw them. Say you win £15 using free spins with wagering requirements of 30x — you’ll need to bet £450 of your own cash for the winnings to become withdrawable. 

Of course, it’s entirely possible to see free spins as part of a low wagering casino bonus, with some wagering requirements as low as 1x the free spins winnings. In this case, you might get a smaller bundle — around 10–20 free spins — rather than the 50–100 seen in offers with higher wagering requirements. It’s also possible to find free spins at a no deposit casino, where you can claim the reward simply for signing up at the site. 

Matched Deposits

Matched deposits are a highly common casino bonus, usually given on your first deposit at a site after signing up. When you claim a matched deposit bonus, the casino will literally match the value of your qualifying deposit by a certain percentage and up to a maximum amount. Imagine an offer of a 100% deposit match up to £200. If you deposit £200, you’ll get another £200 in bonus funds, giving you a total of £400 to play with. 

The wagering requirements on a matched deposit can be calculated in two ways — using just the bonus value, or the combined deposit and bonus. If the wagering requirements are 30x and you’ve deposited £200 to get a £200 bonus, the requirements will either be:

• 30 x £200 (just the bonus) = £6,000
• 30 x £400 (the bonus plus deposit) = £12,000

As you can see, these numbers are pretty staggering to the majority of players and put a bonus withdrawal far out of reach. Fortunately, matched deposits often come with low wagering requirements too — we consider anything under 20x low, although these offers are usually more limited in terms of their max bonus amounts.

Cashback

For players who stick around, cashback can be a great way to get some extra longevity from your bankroll. Usually you’ll receive a percentage of total losses or wagers within a certain period: say, 5% of total losses every week up to £100. How this cashback is credited can vary from site to site. Some online casinos might give it as bonus credit subject to the usual wagering requirements, while others will give you an equivalent number of free spins. 

Cashback can also come as a low wagering or even no wagering bonus. For example, the OJOplus cashback scheme at PlayOJO pays around 0.1–0.5% cashback on most casino games and 10% on all bingo, and the cashback is credited as real money that you can withdraw instantly — no strings attached.

Not every online casino offers cashback. Those that don’t might instead have a VIP programme to reward loyal customers.

Banking Options at Low Wagering Casinos

There is now a long list of banking options at low wagering bonus casinos, each coming with their own benefits and drawbacks. We’ve detailed some of the most popular payment methods for UK players below.

Debit Cards

Benefits: Accepted at all online casinos; convenient as most people have one already; high limits on deposits and withdrawals.

Drawbacks: Slow payout times. 

PayPal and Other e-Wallets

Benefits: High limits on deposits and withdrawals; instant payout times; multiple bank accounts able to link to one wallet; no need to exchange sensitive financial information at the point of transaction; rock-solid security infrastructure.

Drawbacks: Not accepted at all UK online casinos. Check our list of online casinos with Paypal before you sign up!

Prepaid Cards

Benefits: High limits on deposits; payments authorised via a PIN; excellent money management tools; players can opt-in to use their prepaid cards at outlets all over the world.

Drawbacks: Not accepted at all UK casino sites; not usually able to make withdrawals. 

Pay by Phone Bill

Benefits: Incredibly convenient, simply requiring a contracted mobile phone; no exchange of financial data on transactions; good for players making quick small bets.

Drawbacks: Cannot facilitate withdrawal requests; strict limits on deposit amounts.

Trustly

Benefits: high limits on payouts and deposits; withdrawals can be made instantly; no need to create a Trustly account; direct bank transfer service so no exchange of banking information at the point of transaction.

Drawbacks: Not accepted at all UK casinos; service not supported by all banking institutions; less access to bonus offers. 

AstroPay

Benefits: No exchange of financial information on transactions; excellent money management tools, with only preloaded funds able to be spent.

Drawbacks: Not accepted at all UK casinos; less access to bonus offers; not all casinos will be able to facilitate withdrawals.

Ready to Play?

Now that we’ve taken you through the ins and outs, you should have a pretty good idea of what kind of bonus you should seek out.

Put simply, the best bonus is one that gives you the best chance of getting your hands on your winnings. For many players, taking advantage of low wagering offers is one of the best ways to do this.

Simply browse through our carefully curated list and pick out your favourite. Each of the top casinos featured on our site features a stellar array of slot games, table games and other casino classics, plus they hold a valid UK Gambling Commission licence to ensure a safe and fair online casino experience.

Once you’ve picked out a favourite, simply deposit to claim your bonus and play your favourite casino games!