Best Bingo Bonuses

The best bingo bonuses allow you to play at a site for longer after making an initial deposit and can be withdrawn as real cash if you meet the wagering requirements.

Bingo sites use these promotions as a way to stand out from the competition and entice new players to join. But how can you tell the difference between a great deal and an offer that really is too good to be true?

Read on as we explore the pros and cons below.

The definition of a bingo bonus

For the purpose of this category, bingo bonuses are:

One-time deals for new players, triggered by a real money first deposit.

They are not:

• No deposit - No up-front payment, but may later require a deposit to withdraw winnings.
• Reload - Available to existing players only.
• Free bingo sites, games or rooms - Without pay-to-play options.

You may also see them referred to welcome, first-deposit or sign-up offers.

How much will I get?

It is common to see the same promotion listed in different ways. Even the UK’s best bingo sites usually use a mixture of percentages, pounds and ‘play with’ promises to promote what you’ll get when you deposit.

Here’s an example of how an offer of £50 bonus cash with a £10 first deposit could be displayed:

• 500% - £10 deposit + £50 (10 x 500%) = £60 total
• Deposit £10, Play with £60 - £10 deposit + £50 = £60 total
• 5 x Deposit - £10 deposit + £50 (10 x 5) = £60 total
• £50 Free - £10 deposit + £50 = £60 total

In all cases, the player’s original deposit returns the same outcome.

When will I receive my bonus?

Most sites credit your account with bonuses as soon as you successfully deposit the minimum amount to qualify.

Although in some circumstances, you may have to actually spend or wager your real cash to trigger it. You could do this by buying bingo tickets or playing slot games.

We highly recommend that you read the promotion’s terms and conditions in full before you sign up to any of our new bingo sites.

The deal with wagering and winnings

A site gave you £50 free and you won £100 in your first bingo game, all for just a ten-pound deposit - easy!

Not quite. Your winnings are probably tied to complex wagering and withdrawal rules, preventing you from claiming what you won straight away.

Wagering dictates that you must re-spend your winnings repeatedly until you reach the level required to withdraw them and is present on promotions across the gambling industry, from bingo and slots to casino and sportsbooks.

Read our complete guide to how wagering requirements work, linked below, for a full breakdown of their various catches and clauses.

When can I withdraw?

Depending on which site you visit, you may lose part or all of your bonus cash if you make a withdrawal before you meet the wagering requirements.

Even then, you might find the amount you can withdraw as real money capped based on the terms of the promotion. Dragonfish sites, for example, impose a limit on slot bonus withdrawals at £400 plus the value of the first deposit.

Smaller withdrawals must meet the minimum withdrawal limit, regardless of whether they consist of real money, successfully wagered bonus funds or a combination of the two. Again, check the terms and conditions or read our reviews if in any doubt.

Split bingo bonuses and free spins

Bingo sites are increasingly offering split welcome offers that can be used across various game types. These giveaways usually involve a percentage split in favour of one or the other and can include additional free spins on a particular slot title.

Each aspect of the split bonus is often subjected to its own wagering rules which are defined within the promotion T&Cs. Here’s an example:

• Offer: 300%, split 60/40 between bingo and slots
• Deposit / Total Bonus £10 / £30
• Bingo Split: £18 (60% of £30) - 4x wagering
• Slot Split: £12 (40% of £12) - 25x wagering

Split bonuses allow you to try a greater range of games than a bonus which rewards just bingo or slots.

When free spins are included in UK promotions, it is the winnings from the spins to which the wagering is applied.

Top-up deals and tiered bingo welcome offers

Some sites prefer to stretch sign-up perks and benefits over a longer period of time, beyond your first deposit.

Packaged promotions usually consist of an overall bonus amount which is then claimed in two or more stages. To guarantee that you receive the full value of the offer, you must meet the particular requirements of each stage.

Here’s an example of a tiered reward for new players, advertised collectively as 175% Bonus + 100 free spins.

• First deposit: 100% bingo match + 50 free spins
• Second deposit: 50% bingo match + 25 free spins
• Third deposit: 25% bingo match + 25 free spins

You would have to make three separate £10 deposits to become eligible for the full amount.

In contrast, a seemingly lesser offer of 150% bonus + 50 free spins at a different site may actually be better value and require a just a single £10 deposit to claim.

Note that the UK Gambling Commission has started to crack down on the promotion of multi-deposit bonuses as a single amount, ensuring that brands prioritise only the first deposit element in new player promotions.

Free bet tax and the rise of no wagering deals

Since the introduction of a “free bet tax” for UK gambling operators two years ago, an increasing number of brands have reacted by reducing or removing welcome bonuses completely.

The new 15% general betting duty means that bingo and casino sites now have to pay tax on the free money they give away to players.

As always though, there are loopholes, which can include giving a reward of bingo tickets instead of bonus, or by removing wagering requirements and paying winnings in real cash.

This can be seen in the wild at two of the newest bingo sites, MrQ and Buzz Bingo. The former offers new players 24 hours’ access to a free bingo room with real money prizes and the latter offering bonus funds split between the website and the brand’s offline bingo halls.

We believe that no wagering bingo offers are the fairest and most honest type of promotion a site can run and hope to see the adoption of such campaigns increase into 2019.