The Best Online Casino Welcome Bonuses in the UK

Definition: What Is a Welcome Bonus at an Online Casino?

An online casino welcome bonus is offered to new users, who are just about to sign up with a real-money profile. The promo usually involves free spins and/or a deposit match. You can claim the bonus during the registration process, but the casino may also give you a bit more time to benefit from it.

Welcome bonuses are commonly used as an incentive. Since casinos must remain profitable, they impose terms and conditions with playthrough requirements on these promos. In other words, you won’t be able to withdraw your money as soon as you win. That’s why it’s important to read the terms and find the most favorable offer.

A welcome bonus is granted when you sign up with a real-money profile in an online casino.

Reasons to Use a Welcome Bonus Offer

Not all gamblers like an online casino signup bonus. Some prefer a straightforward sign-up process without the need to read detailed terms and conditions. But for many others, a welcome offer amplifies the thrill and may contribute to a more exciting gambling experience.

These are the main reasons to use the best welcome bonus:

• If you play with a minimum deposit, it’s easy to burn through it. £10 will get you through a few spins and a couple of hands in a table game. With a welcome bonus, you’ll multiply those funds in your balance. You’ll play for a longer time with the same minimum deposit.
• You’ll get free spins for the most popular slots. It’s a great chance to test them without investing your own funds.
• Although the playthrough requirements seem overwhelming, they work for large wins. Everyone gambles with a hope to win big, right?

A welcome bonus multiplies your chances to win money by giving you more chances to gamble.

Types of Online Casino Welcome Offers

There is one thing in common for this type of bonuses: they are only offered to new players. If you use a welcome bonus from a particular casino, you can still benefit from a similar offer when you sign up on another website.

There are different types of welcome bonuses, so it’s important to understand them. We classified them in the most common categories:

Deposit Bonus Offers

Most online casinos offer a bonus on your first deposit. This means that you have to make a payment towards your balance to get extra funds. The minimum deposit requirement differs between websites, but it’s usually £10, £15, or £20. You may also get free spins with your first deposit. Keep in mind that this particular type of bonus may have a higher minimum deposit requirement than the one set by the casino for usual deposits.

No-Deposit Bonuses

This is a less common, but way more attractive offer. Some casinos let you try their games with real credits without depositing any money. You’ll usually get free spins on a particular slot. No-deposit bonuses tend to have higher playthrough requirements (60x or even more).

You can check out our list of the Best Payout Casinos to see if these promos give you a better chance to win and withdraw real money.

Free Spins

Free spins are rewarded on a particular selection of slots, so you won’t be able to use them across the site’s offer. This is a great chance for you to try a slot machine and see how it works before playing with your own money.

Free spins may be granted for your first deposit, but they may also be offered as a no-deposit promo. In most cases, they come with wagering requirements. There are exceptions to that rule. For example, PlayOJO gives 50 free spins on your first deposit without imposing any playthrough requirement.

Match Bonuses

Here’s an example that helps you understand how the deposit match bonus works:

An online casino makes an offer to match your first deposit by 100%. This means that if you deposit £15, you’ll see £30 in your balance.

The offer may extend to the following deposits, too. The casino may match your second and/or third deposit by 50% or more. In essence, you’ll play with a larger amount than the one you pay.

Quotes:

Deposit bonus, free spins, match bonus, and no-deposit bonus are the most common welcome offers for gamblers.

Tips: How to Choose the Best Casino Welcome Bonuses

We’ve been gambling on different UK casino sites for a long time. With time, we learned how to recognize great casino welcome offers that may result in a quick withdrawal. These tips will help you choose a top bonus that will improve your gambling experience:

• Shop around

The first website you come across may suggest an impressive online casino signup bonus. But if you look around, you’ll find many competitive offers with improved terms and conditions. We recommend checking out a few websites before committing to a single one.

• Pay attention to other factors

It’s not just about the welcome promo. You need a website with a great selection of games that suit your preferences. It has to be licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, and it needs to have a great reputation among experienced gamblers.

• Check the terms

Most welcome offers come with playthrough requirements. You won’t be able to withdraw any money before meeting those terms. Are you OK with that? We recommend choosing a bonus offer with reasonable playthrough requirements (not over 40x the bonus amount). You can check out our reviews and top suggestions for more info.

• Make sure the bonus is available for your favorite games!

If you’re mostly into live dealer games, you won’t benefit from free spins a lot. We recommend accepting these offers only if you plan using them. They come with time limitations, so make sure you can gamble and complete the playthrough requirements within that period of time.

• Check our recommendations

Our team of gamblers has tested most UK online casinos to see how their promos work. We selected the ultimate choices and created a top list. You can also read individual reviews on different casinos, so you’ll see how we evaluated them by several criteria. With our assistance, you can choose the best promo with fair terms.

Check different casino sites before choosing the one with the best bonus offer. You can read our reviews for guidance!

Tips: How to Claim a Sign Up Bonus Casino Offer

Once you make sure you chose a website with the best casino signup bonus, it will be time to claim the offer. The process is easy:

• Check if you’re eligible. Some casinos limit their welcome offers to residents of particular countries. If your country is included, you can claim the promo.
• Check the minimum deposit requirements for claiming a bonus. In some cases, bonuses require a higher minimum than the one usually accepted by the website. A certain casino may accept £5 as a deposit, but require £10 for the welcome promo.
• Read all the terms and make sure you’re OK with them before accepting the offer.
• Sign up with the correct details. The website will require your name, email address, and mobile phone number.
• Make a deposit with your chosen banking method. Most websites enable you to claim the bonus during the depositing process or within a limited period after. You don’t usually need a code; you’ll just check a box declaring your agreement for the welcome offer. The bonus funds will be automatically transferred to your balance.

Online casinos make claiming welcome bonuses easy through the depositing process. Read the terms before checking the box!

Top List: The Best Welcome Bonus at Online Casinos UK

We tested a variety of UK gambling sites before creating this top list. In addition to great promos, the sites are secure and versatile in their gaming offer. These are our suggestions for impressive casino welcome bonus offers:

We tested the most popular UK online casinos and created a top list for welcome bonus offers!

Welcome Bonus Terms

Gamblers are often quick to accept bonuses without going through the policies, but they end up surprised when the website prevents them from withdrawing. It’s important to be aware of all requirements before claiming a bonus. Pay attention to these points:

• Can you use the bonus funds throughout the website or on a particular game? Free spins are usually limited, so you can’t use them on all slots.
• What’s the time limitation for using the bonus and completing the wagering conditions?
• What are the wagering requirements?

Welcome bonuses come with special terms, which gamblers should read before claiming the offer.

The Fine Print: What Are Wagering Requirements?

A wagering (also called a playthrough) requirement is the number of times you have to play through the bonus amount before you’re able to make a withdrawal. Let’s make this clearer through an example: if the wagering condition is 50 times and you get £10 as a bonus, you’ll need to wager at least £500 before withdrawing your winnings. If you get free spins as a reward, the amount will be calculated in accordance with the value of those spins.

These conditions may not seem fair at first, but keep in mind that a casino must always stay profitable. If they grant huge bonuses without any terms attached, players will abuse them (they will only play with the casino’s money without investing their own). When you win big, it’s easy to meet these conditions.

Some websites grant welcome bonuses without any playthrough requirements. However, those bonus funds aren’t that impressive.

Wagering requirements seem challenging, but they are fair from a casino’s perspective.

Tips: How to Win and Withdraw Money with a Welcome Bonus

When online casinos give you such high requirements, is it possible to win and withdraw a good amount when using a welcome bonus? Yes! We’ll help you create a winning strategy; just follow these tips:

• Choose the right casino

We have a list of Fast Withdrawal Casinos, which set reasonable playthrough conditions and cash out players’ winnings through a quick procedure.

• Go for a small deposit

If it’s a match bonus, you’ll be tempted to deposit more money. You’ll get £10 extra for a £10 deposit, and £100 extra for a £100 deposit. However, that £100 will come with a much higher playthrough requirement. If you have to gamble through the bonus amount 40 times, it means that you won’t be allowed to make a withdrawal before wagering £4000. That’s why we recommend going for a small deposit at start, especially if you’re an inexperienced gambler.

• Play with your own money first

Some casinos will let you play with your own deposit first. If you win, you can withdraw your funds without meeting the wagering conditions. If you don’t win, you can use the bonus cash as a buffer to get another chance to win.

We give you tested and proven tips on how to use a casino welcome bonus for the best chance to win.