Best Online Casino Bonuses

Online casino bonuses are a great way to stretch your deposit to play for longer at a new site. Casino brands use attractive promotions to be noticed in a competitive space and incentivise new players to join their websites and deposit – depending on the offer.

With so many varieties to choose from, it can become overwhelming and difficult to understand what a casino is offering, how to claim a bonus and which deals are the best.

This guide will help you learn how to be a bonus expert and while casinos also offer promotions for existing customers, here we’ll focus on bonuses exclusively for new players.

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An explanation of wagering requirements

A wagering requirement is a multiplier that represents the number of times you have to play through a bonus before you are able to withdraw any winnings.

For example, if you deposit £50 at a casino with a 100% match bonus and 35x wagering requirements, you’ll need to wager £1,750 (35 x £50) before the amount transfers to your real money balance.

Games do not always contribute to wagering requirements equally. Contribution can range from 100% for slots, to as low as 10% of each wager for selected table games, such as roulette.

Why have wagering?

It would be financial suicide for a casino to offer £100 cash to every new customer, no strings attached. Wagering requirements protect casinos while allowing them to offer huge match deposit bonuses or hundreds of free spins to new players.

There is also a more legitimate reason for their existence. Online casinos must comply with anti-money laundering regulations, so wagering requirements work as one method to prevent criminals from cleaning illegal funds by depositing and withdrawing the cash immediately.

However, it’s not entirely necessary to impose wagering requirements to stay compliant as no wagering casinos manage it with identity check, due diligence and funds verification. For the most part, they exist to prevent too many players profiting from the bonus and walking away with the money.

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Types of casino bonuses

Now that you’ve got to grips with the complicated business of wagering, it’s time for the fun bit – casino bonuses.

Bonus funds

The most common type of casino bonus takes the form of non-withdrawable funds stored in your bonus wallet, usually presented as a percentage matched deposit offer.

For example: Get 100% up to £200 means if you deposited £200, you’d have your original £200 + £200 bonus cash = £400 total. You can also claim the bonus on a smaller deposit.

The bonus cash is playable across most games, however, it’s usually limited to slots and a handful of table games. Also, you’re typically required to play through your deposit before your bonus balance kicks in.

Some casinos like 888Casino offer bonus cash upon registration which is usually subject to high wagering requirements and limited to certain games, often excluding table games like roulette and blackjack.

Casinos like mFortune, Mr Spin and Tombola Arcade offer no deposit cash bonuses with one-time wagering which means anything you win is credited to your withdrawable balance. However, these bonuses are very rare so if you find one – grab it!

Free spins

Many casinos offer free spins on popular slot games with a predefined stake. The spins are typically restricted to one game and subject to either high wagering requirements or capped winnings.

Some casino brands like bgo, PlayOJO and mFortune are breaking the mould and offering free spins with all winnings paid in withdrawable cash!

Your free spins should be available to play after triggering the promotion and upon opening the game, you’ll get a clear message indicating your spins are free.

Once you’ve used your free spins, another notification will appear informing you that all subsequent spins will use your real bonus funds.

Time-limited free play bonus

Some casinos offer a starting balance for players to spend within a shorter time frame than a traditional cash bonus, generally up to an hour. After that time, all winnings over the initial balance are yours to keep once you’ve fulfilled the wagering requirements.

Keep in mind that free play bonuses are only triggered upon meeting a minimum deposit amount, which may be larger than the site’s overall deposit limit, plus winnings are usually capped.

This offer used to be very common on Microgaming-powered casinos, however, it’s been replaced by a match deposit bonus and we’ve not seen another network run this type of promotion.

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What to watch out for

Casino bonuses may look attractive at first, but it’s only when you read the terms and conditions that you’ll find out whether an offer is too good to be true.

Time restrictions

Most casino bonuses have a time limit. You may only have a couple of days before free spins expire or a week to spend your bonus funds. Similarly, bonuses with wagering requirements often set a period within which you have to fulfil them before you risk losing your winnings.

Limited games

The majority of online casino bonuses are available to use on selected games only. While this is expected for free spins, it’s worth also checking when you accept a bonus amount l because table games like roulette are often excluded from many welcome offers.

Capped winnings

Some casinos cap how much you can win on a bonus to reduce the risk of players hitting a slot game bonus round and winning thousands on their first spin. Such caps vary from just a few pounds to more substantial amounts; some no wagering casinos don’t have caps at all.

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Which casino bonus should I choose?

Finding the best online casino deal for you is often a case of personal preference and the size of your budget.

You may assume that a no deposit bonus is favourable, but most are subject to high wagering requirements and are normally less generous than their deposit-led counterparts.

No deposit bonuses are ideal for players wanting to try out a site before committing their bank details. On the other hand, if you are confident you want to deposit, a deposit-led cash bonus is usually larger could be a better option for you.

Alternatively, some seasoned casino players avoid claiming bonuses altogether, preferring to play with their own money to avoid capped winnings and the frustration of wagering requirements.

It’s also worth considering a no wagering online casinos. While the bonuses aren’t as attractive as huge match deposit bonuses, you’re more likely to retain a profit if you win thanks to significantly fewer terms and conditions.