Top Online Casino Bonuses

Everything you need to know about online casino bonuses

Modern online casinos aren’t shy when it comes to dishing out generous rewards for new and existing customers. Whether you’re a new player looking to grab a huge matched deposit or a high roller after the most rewarding VIP schemes, we’ve got you covered. With a mix of the best-known online casinos and brand new casino sites on our list, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Let’s take a closer look at the best casino bonuses available online today.

Welcome bonus

To remain competitive and grab the attention of new players, casino operators offer generous welcome bonuses to new customers who register an account. The most common type of welcome offer is the matched deposit, which sees casinos offer a percentage of a player’s first deposit as bonus funds. A casino may offer 50%, 100% and sometimes even more! The minimum deposit amount usually sits around £10 or £20 but it’s always worth checking. What’s more, the casino will limit how much they will match your first deposit. Nonetheless, with some top online casinos throwing free spins into the mix for good measure too, matched deposit bonuses can be some of the best value offers around.

Free Spins

Free spins are one of the most popular bonuses on offer from online casinos. Free spins usually apply to a specific video slot, like Book of Dead or Starburst, and each spin is worth a bet value that the player cannot change. Nonetheless, just think of them as spins that the casino has paid for on your behalf. They are often attached to welcome bonuses new players, but casinos also like to dish out free spins to existing customers as part of separate bonuses. Any winnings from free spins are often subject to wagering terms.

No deposit bonus

This bonus does exactly what it says on the tin. Unlike normal matched deposit bonuses, new players can claim bonus funds without depositing anything! It’s a win-win for both the player and the casino: the player gets to play real money casino games, like at online blackjack sites, without spending a penny, while the casino attracts new players.

No wager bonus

As a way for casinos to stand out from the crowd many first deposit bonuses have no wagering requirements attached to them. These are casino offers where you don’t have to wager the bonus amount a set number of times, offering players instant withdrawals on any winnings. But a little more on the specifics of wagering requirements later on.

Reload Bonus

Sure, the majority of bonuses are designed to attract new players, but that doesn’t mean existing customers are left out. In an effort to keep players coming back, some of the top gambling sites in the UK offer reload bonuses. These are usually offered to celebrate the latest promotions and upcoming events. The reload bonus simply rewards returning players for topping up their casino balance. You’ll find this bonus comes in several forms, depending on where you choose to play. The most common form of reload bonus is a matched deposit, where you’ll receive a percentage of your deposit as bonus funds – usually anywhere between 50 to 150 percent. In some instances, you’ll be able to grab some free spins on top.

Rebate bonus

As casino games are based on chance, you’re never exempt from a losing streak, and rebate bonuses are a great way of recouping some of those funds. If you played live dealer roulette, for example, and lost £50, a good rebate would refund you 10% of your losses. Rebates aren’t just offered on losses, though. Some casinos offer rebate bonuses based on your spend over a certain amount of time. For instance, if you rack up £50 in casino wagers over a week, you could be in for a boost on any winnings, thanks to a rebate bonus.

VIP bonuses

It’s imperative for a casino to step up to the plate and reward its most loyal players for splashing the cash on casino games. If you’re a frequent player, you’ll want to find an online casino with a rewarding VIP scheme. These have changed considerably in recent years. The very first online casinos only offered access to the biggest high-rollers, but now many online casinos have relaxed the entry requirements so more players can get a taste of the VIP treatment. The perks range from exclusive VIP promotions, event tickets, birthday treats as well as VIP points that can be redeemed to play your favourite online casino games – the more you play, the bigger your rewards!

Mobile Bonuses 

The best casinos offer bonuses that you can access on your mobile and tablet devices as well as on the desktop. There may be some exclusive mobile bonuses out there, but generally offers are the same across the board. The key benefit of using your mobile device is that faster loading times and push notifications means that existing customers won’t miss out on the best new promotions the casino has to offer.

New Casino Bonuses

It’s not just the established online casinos that offer exciting bonuses, a lot of new casinos rely on them in order to stand out from the crowd. Some of the top news casinos, for example, offer no deposit welcome bonuses, while players can claim low or even no wagering bonuses at others. This means it’s easier to convert any winnings or bonus funds into real money without having to jump through hoops. Here are some of the best new sites for casino bonuses.

What are wagering requirements?

The majority of welcome bonuses come with wagering requirements as well as a series of other conditions that have to be fulfilled before you can claim any of your funds as cash. While there are indeed some offers that come with no wagering requirements, it’s worth reading the bonus terms and conditions to see what’s what. Let’s have a look at what sort of conditions you will likely come across: 

Wagering Requirements 

The vast majority of online casino bonuses come with wagering requirements which specify that before you can claim any of your winnings from a bonus offer, you must wager the value of either your stake, bonus amount, or a combination of the two, a set number of times. 

William Hill Casino’s ‘100% Buy in Bonus’ offer, for example, states that they will match your stake by 100%, effectively doubling your money. However, the wagering requirement is set at 40x your initial stake and bonus, meaning that for a £10 stake and a £10 matched bonus, you must playthrough a total of £800 before you can withdraw any bonus funds or winnings.

Game Contribution 

These dictate how much particular games count towards meeting your wagering requirements. 888 Casino’s ‘£88 Free No Deposit Bonus’ considers slot games to be worth 100% of the wagering requirements, whereas Roulette is worth as low as 10%.

Time Limits 

Some online casinos also set time limits on when to fulfil your wagering requirements. When this expiry date is reached, any bonus funds or winnings will be lost. Ladbrokes’s ‘£50 Casino Welcome Bonus’ does sound pretty attractive, but with only 48 hours to meet its 40x wagering requirements, you might want to reconsider.

Winnings Caps 

These cap the amount you are able to win from your bonus money. William Hill’s 100% ‘Buy In Bonus’ limits the redeemable winnings to £2000. So while you can invest a lot of money into a bonus offer from an online casino, it is worth keeping track of your winnings before you spend more than you can win.

Game Exclusions 

Some online casinos will exclude certain games from certain bonuses. This is something to really bear in mind in case you spend a lot in a game and hit the jackpot, only to find out that it contributed nothing towards your wagering requirements.

Payment Exclusions 

You may find that the matched deposit being offered as a welcome bonus by an online casino excludes certain payment types. These are most likely to be e-wallet payment methods like Neteller, Skrill, and casinos accepting PayPal. While this can be frustrating, it will be unlikely for you to accidentally buy into a bonus offer with an excluded payment method as the casino just won’t accept it.

Step-by-step guide to signing up to a welcome bonus

Now you know what to expect from bonuses, it’s time to learn how to sign up and make most of a casino offer. Players will usually be presented with a bonus when they first sign up to a new casino but how you claim that bonus can be a little confusing. To make that process a little easier, we’ve set out a generic step-by-step guide for a new player signing up to a casino bonus:

1. Read the Terms and Conditions – Before you sign up to any casino always make sure to check the terms and conditions so that you know exactly how generous that bonus is, keeping a close eye for wagering requirements and any other limits that are attached to the bonus. 
2. Sign up – When you’ve picked the bonus you want to play with you’ll need to sign up to the casino that’s offering it. Online casinos will require, as a minimum, for you to verify your name, address and date of birth before you gamble. 
3. Claim – Almost every casino will automatically credit your account with bonus funds. For no deposit bonuses, you’ll receive them upon signing up, whereas matched deposits, free spins and no wagering bonuses, you’ll have to place a deposit first.

Ready to play?

Now you know your matched deposits from your free spins, you’re one step closer to becoming a successful online casino player. Check out the sign up offers on our list of top rated casinos and pick out the bonus that ticks all your boxes.  Don’t forget to read the terms and conditions – some payment methods, such as Neteller and Skrill casino deposits don’t qualify for bonuses! Simply compare, sign up and claim your exclusive bonus offer today!