The online casino market is very congested, and operators are getting very generous with their first deposit offers, so you can find some enticing welcome bonuses to get you off to a winning start. The first deposit bonus is the start of your casino journey and gives you an idea of the bonus offers you can expect to come. This guide will take you through everything you need to know about the first deposit bonus UK.
There’s plenty to know about the first deposit bonus and how you can make the most of the first deposit offer.
There are many different shapes and sizes of welcome offers, all of which offer different values. When you sign up for a new online casino, you will have the opportunity to stake your claim in a first deposit bonus. This type of bonus is widely considered the most generous bonus a casino offers as it is designed to attract you to sign up to the casino. There are many different types of welcome bonuses, from reload bonuses, free spins, cashback, and combinations of each.
The first deposit bonus will vary from casino to casino, so it’s always worth shopping around to see what bonus offer will grab your attention. Once you have found a first deposit bonus offer that looks generous, then you only need to register your details and make your first deposit to trigger the bonus offer. This will give your playing balance a boost and give you more to play with when you’re exploring your new casino home. You will find that UK online casinos keep the real money balance and the bonus balance separate. This is because the bonus money cannot be cashed out until the bonus wagering is met.
The casino welcome bonus is designed to get you to sign up and pass on your personal details to the casino. These bonus offers are the ‘hook’ that grabs players’ attention and brings them into the casino. There are hundreds of online casinos, all competing for players, and one of the ways the casino operators do this is by offering the best first deposit casino bonus. With so many online casinos competing for players, the welcome bonus can be very generous with favourable terms. These bonuses can come in different forms, with first deposit bonuses designed for all budgets, including some special VIP welcome offers for those with larger bankrolls.
Once you have registered and claimed your first deposit bonus, you will get to enjoy further casino bonuses, but they will not be as generous as the welcome bonuses. The casino uses these first deposit offers to get you through the door, and then they will use the casino product and other casino bonuses to keep you playing games.
You will come across many different types of casino deposit bonuses. Online casinos can be very creative with their welcome bonuses, making them stand out in the industry. Although the bulk of deposit bonuses are reload bonuses, you can find some hefty welcome packages, including bonus funds, VIP bonuses, free spins, loyalty points, and cashback deals. Let’s run through the different first deposit bonus offers you can expect to find at UK online casinos.
A deposit match bonus is the most common bonus offer that a casino serves to its player. This bonus offer requires a deposit to be made for the bonus funds to trigger. These bonuses are most common because they encourage players to make a deposit, there are many versions of this bonus, but the most common is a 100% match bonus. A 100% bonus will double your deposit, so if you deposited £100, you would get £100 in bonus money. However, the bonus funds are tied to terms and conditions, such as wagering requirements. It goes without saying that bonus money is not the same as real money. You will need to meet several terms before any bonus funds convert to withdrawable cash.
Most Common Deposit Match Bonuses | |
50% | 300% |
100% | 400% |
200% | 500% |
Another popular first deposit offer that casinos serve to new players is a free spin welcome bonus. The free spins offer is triggered when you make your first deposit and is also used by no wagering casinos. This offer gives you a batch of free spins to be played on a certain slot game. Many free spin bonus offers will be issued over a few days; for example, if a casino offers a 100 free spins welcome bonus, the free spins will usually be credited in batches of 20 across your first five days as a player. Additionally, it’s not uncommon to get a combination bonus with a match deposit and a batch of free spins.
Not all first deposit bonus casino offers are built the same; although some may look more generous than others at first look, that’s usually not the case. There are some underlying factors that determine the value of deposit match bonuses. When you find a casino deposit bonus, you will consider the bonus value against the deposit amount and the wagering requirements to withdraw the bonus money.
More often than not, you will find that the bigger the bonus amount, the bigger the wagering requirements attached to that offer. Of course, this makes it a lot more challenging to complete the wagering and cash out. There are a few things you should keep in mind when you work out the value of a deposit bonus UK.
You will find that wagering requirements are attached to most bonus offers, so it’s worth getting to grips with the concept behind them. Here’s how you work out what you will have left after completing the bonus wagering terms:
Do keep in mind that these calculations are merely averages. The RTP (return to player) of slot or table games is based on the results of thousands of betting rounds and worked out over a long-term average. So, your betting results within a game session will likely differ.
You can safely and securely transfer your funds to your real money balance through a wide and convenient choice of payment options at most UK casinos. The casino operators are obliged to provide safe and protected banking options, with iron-clad encryption technology in place to shield the transaction from potential threats. Due to regulation, UK casinos cannot offer credit card options; this is to prevent players from gambling with money that they cannot afford. Additionally, most casinos will provide a banking page where you can view the different deposit and withdrawal options, transaction times, and any fees. Here are some banking methods you can expect to find at online casinos.
Online casinos make it easy for new players to stake their claim in a first deposit bonus. Once you are signed up for the casino, you can easily claim your welcome offer by following a few short steps.
You will find that most deposit casino bonuses come with terms and conditions attached. You should always make time to run through the terms of the casino bonus. There are a few important terms you should pay attention to as these terms determine the value of the bonus offer. When you understand what the terms are and why they are in place, you can then shop around for the best deposit bonus offers. These terms will show what casinos are playing fair and what casinos want to make it as hard as possible for players to make a withdrawal. Here are the terms and conditions to be aware of.
With any casino deposit bonus, there are some positives and some negatives. Here are some of the pros and cons you can expect to find with the best deposit bonus casino offers.
The minimum amount you need to deposit in order to claim a first deposit bonus casino offer will vary. Usually, the minimum amount for a UK online casino is £10, but you can find online casinos that accept deposits as low as £5, £3, and even just £1. These budget-friendly casino sites are not easy to find, but they do exist.
This will depend on the style of player you are; there are many casino enthusiasts that prefer to stay away from bonuses altogether. However, if you like to stretch out your betting budget through a bonus, then a first deposit bonus is certainly worth claiming. The first deposit bonus is usually always the most generous, with a decent bonus amount, fair terms and sometimes spins on top of the bonus funds. These bonuses are created to attract new players and ‘hook’ them into signing up. Therefore, you can enjoy a decent welcome bonus deal at a new online casino. It’s for this reason that many players will sign up to multiple casino sites, qualifying themselves for many different first deposit bonus offers.
You should always keep in mind that these casino bonuses are not designed to give players an advantage over the casino. These bonus offers provide excellent entertainment value and are not necessarily a winning advantage. For this reason, you should choose the best first deposit bonus casino offers carefully. The best first deposit offers have low wagering requirements or no wagering requirements at all.
Bonuses are a great way to explore different games, but with terms in place, it can be harder to cash out profits. UK online casino bonuses have long been a subject of abuse by discerning bonus enthusiasts. This is why you find certain terms and conditions built into the bonus offers. These terms are designed to prevent players from cashing out winnings, so make sure you pick the bonus with the fairest terms. However, the UK Gambling Commission is cracking down on bonus terms, and casinos must now be more lenient in their offering. Therefore, you can expect deposit bonuses to get fairer.
One change that the UKGC brought in was that players must always have access to their real money balance. That means that if you decide you don’t want the bonus, you can cash out your real money, and the bonus funds will be voided. This usually happens when a player struggles to meet the wagering requirements.
You shouldn’t pick a first deposit bonus based on the amount the bonus is worth. You should look at the terms and conditions to determine the overall value of the deposit bonus.
No, once you have wagered your first deposit bonus, you will not be able to claim it again. However, many online casinos do offer a bonus on your second and third deposits.
Yes, but you can only withdraw bonus winnings once you have met the bonus wagering requirements.
Yes, but not all games will contribute toward the wagering requirement. You should always check the terms for the restricted games.