UK's Best Casino Welcome Bonuses

Everything You Need to Know About Casino Welcome Bonuses

Welcome bonuses are often a win-win: you get a freebie to use on your favourite games and potentially bag some winnings while the casino attracts a new player. But with so many enticing bonuses on the market, how do you work out which is best for you?

Biggest isn’t always best – you’ll need to weigh up the type and size of the bonus against the terms and conditions, as well as how the bonus fits into your playing preferences. Luckily, we’ve covered the all-important information in this guide, so let’s take a closer look at what’s what when it comes to casino welcome bonuses.

Types of Casino Welcome Bonuses

It certainly isn’t a case of one size fits all when it comes to welcome bonuses at online casinos, with plenty of variation in what you can claim. Let’s see what’s on the market.

Matched Deposit Bonus

Many of the UK’s best casino sites offer matched deposit bonuses, which reward you with a percentage of your first deposit as a bonus fund. This can be anywhere from a 25% to 500% matched deposit, depending on the casino site you choose, and there will always be a specified upper limit to what you can claim.

For example, if a bonus is ‘200% up to £100’, you’d get a £100 bonus when you deposit £50, with £100 being the maximum bonus. You may get your bonus in one lump sum, but at some sites the welcome bonus reward is divided over your first few deposits. Either way, these are among the most common and attractive offers on the market, and they can net you plenty of extra playtime on your favourite games.

If you’ve got your eyes on a matched deposit bonus, there are a few factors to consider before making your selection. While they can appear to be the most lucrative option on the market, these welcome bonuses typically come tied to the steepest wagering requirements. For most players, meeting the wagering requirements within the specified time limit won’t be plausible, meaning you won’t be able to withdraw any winnings you earn with your bonus funds. With that in mind, matched deposits—especially the most lucrative ones—are best in the hands of high-rollers who are likely to deposit and play through thousands within the time limit.  

That being said, the severity of wagering requirements varies between online casinos and bonuses, so always check the terms and conditions for the finer details, and be sure to read our explanation of the restriction below. You may well find a matched deposit welcome bonus with low or even no wagering requirements. If you’re not worried about making withdrawals against your bonus and you’re purely interested in extending your playing time with your bonus funds, then you can disregard the wagering requirements and focus on playing.

Welcome Bonus Terms and Conditions

Welcome bonuses are all the rage among casino players, but it’s important to know that they almost all come with strings attached. The terms and conditions can mean a bonus isn’t actually as attractive as it first seems, so let’s check out what you should look out for in the small print.

Wagering Requirements

Most welcome bonuses come with wagering requirements, which means it’s not always as simple as landing a big win with your bonus and cashing in your returns. Wagering requirements mean you’ll need to bet your bonus funds a certain number of times before you can withdraw anything you win with them. These make it harder to turn a profit and are in place to prevent casinos making big losses through their bonuses.

Let’s take a look at an example. Say you have a ‘100% up to £100’ matched deposit bonus, and you deposit £100 to get a £100 freebie. The wagering requirements are 35x, so you’ll need to bet £3,500 before you can cash in. Some sites include your initial deposit in this calculation, meaning in this instance £200 would be multiplied by 35, bringing the total to £7,000. It is vitally important to make sure you know how your online casino 

You may also come across bonuses where you have to wager your deposit and bonus separately. So once you’ve claimed your offer, you’ll have to wager your deposit a certain number of times before the bonus is actually credited to your account, and then you’ll have to wager the bonus as well.

With free spins, the wagering requirements apply to any winnings you get from using your spins. Imagine you claim 50 free spins and end up with £30 profit. If the wagering requirements are 40x, you’ll need to wager £1200 before you can cash in on your returns.

Game Weightings

If you’re already planning how you’re going to complete the wagering requirements with your poker or blackjack skills, you may want to reconsider. This is because, at many online casinos, only a small percentage of wagers placed on these games will count towards the wagering requirements.

Generally, 100% of bets placed on slots count towards your wagering requirements, but when it comes to playing online roulette, video poker and table games, contributions are typically reduced quite significantly. Often only around 10%-20% of wagers contribute, but they’re sometimes excluded altogether. Get a handle on the amount that each game will contribute to your wagering requirements to make sure you’re getting a bonus that suits your preferences.

Winnings Caps

Completed the wagering requirements and managed to come out with some profit? Great, now you’re probably going to want to cash in — but remember to check how much of your winnings you’re actually able to bank.

Win limits, or winnings caps, vary broadly depending on the size of the casino welcome bonus. For a small no deposit free spins offer, the cap may be just £5, whereas for large matched deposits it can be much, much higher—-well into the thousands. Either way, it’s best to check the small print to avoid disappointment.

Time Limits

Even the best casino welcome bonus won’t be around forever, so make sure you use your freebie before it expires! The time limits are usually fairly generous, such as 30 days, but they may be shorter at some sites so make sure you don’t get caught out.

You’ll also have to complete the wagering requirements within the stated time period — be sure to factor the bonus’s duration into your decision when considering both the welcome bonus and its wagering requirements. Sometimes the time limits for free spins are lower than those for bonus cash, which is something to be mindful of, too. 

Game Restrictions

Game restrictions most often apply to free spins, as it’s fairly common for casinos to only allow them to be used on certain titles. But don’t worry too much, because you can bet the slots you can use your spins on are top games anyway. For example, some new slots sites offer free spins for Starburst as a welcome bonus. Developed by NetEnt, Starburst is already a favourite of many slots fans. Other top slots that regularly feature as bonus-specific games are Gonzo’s Quest and Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead.

Deposit Methods

Most online casinos support a range of payment methods in ‘January, from bank cards and PayPal to Paysafecard and pay by phone deposits. Keep an eye out, though. Some deposits via certain payment methods aren’t eligible for the welcome bonus.

This exclusion most commonly applies to Neteller and Skrill, two popular and widely accepted e-wallets. Both of these banking options come with plenty of benefits, but be sure to check they’re eligible if you plan on using them to claim your casino welcome bonus.

Ready to Claim Your Best Casino Welcome Bonus?

Now you know all there is to know about casino welcome bonuses, it’s time to get out there and find your ideal match. Check out our carefully curated list to find the top offers from the UK’s best online casinos in ‘January. Once you’ve settled on a site, simply sign up, claim your bonus and start playing. Just remember to check the small print!