How to Find the Best (yes, best) Welcome Bonuses for Online Casinos, Easily

Did you know that almost all online casinos offer a welcome bonus? Sometimes called a sign-on bonus, it’s usually on offer to new members opening an account to lure you to their platform. A savvy online player can use this to their advantage. So how do you find the sweetest deal possible? Let’s take a look!

What is an online welcome bonus?

You’ll find that almost every online casino offers this sign-up bonus. It takes the form of free chips to gamble with, and they’re probably the largest incentive to play online rather than in-person. If you’re smart, you can leverage this ‘free money’ to grow your own.

However, not all bonuses are created equally, and it’s critical you understand how they work. Some are player-friendly, but others aren’t so much. Sometimes you can even get better traction and value from a smaller figure than you could a large one with lots of caveats.

So it’s not just about the dollar or pound figures, it’s about the requirements that come with them. Let’s take a look.

Why Bonuses Help

If you’re wanting to game online and risk your own money, it’s easy to see why getting some ‘free cash’ to use is going to work well. The more chips, the higher your chances, right? With a little luck, you could come out ahead. That’s why you’ll find the best online casinos in the UK all offer them.

Talking T&Cs

Rarely are all bonuses without conditions, however. You may only be able to use the chips for certain games, which will be useless if you don’t like those games. Sometimes the requirements are also blatantly designed to favour the house, which is the last thing you need. So make sure you know what games are eligible, what wagering requirements are, and other T&Cs upfront.

Having terms and conditions does make sense, of course. Or people would simply deposit cash and immediately withdraw. So see them as a way to weed out genuine players. That’s fair enough, but remember, online gambling is legal in the UK, so there’s no need to deal with seedy sites that will never deliver.

Typically, you have to wager your claimed bonus a set amount of times. If you, say, claimed 100 pounds, you would have to wager 1000 pounds total before withdrawing, if the terms were 10x.

Lastly, you will sometimes be blocked from playing low house edge games like baccarat or blackjack. Or the wagering requirements only apply in fractions to those games.

Types of Bonus

What types of bonuses are there?

• Deposit bonuses/Match bonuses: Awarded when you make your first deposit, and are typically a fixed % of the deposit.
• No-deposit bonuses: Less common, and tend to be smaller. Allow you to try out without risking your own cash
• Sticky bonuses: These cannot be withdrawn. You can withdraw your winnings, but not the bonus amount. It’s for wagering only
• Non-sticky bonus: Far better than a sticky bonus. You can withdraw it alongside any winnings.
• Phantom bonus: Only for wagering, and removed from the account when you withdraw.

Sometimes you will fined added-value bonuses, promotions, and VIP schemes for long-term clients too.

Finding the Best Bonus

Now you know the different types of welcome bonuses, you can pick the type that suits your style the best. There’s also online sites which rank bonuses for you, but make sure to use reputable and reliable ones. You might also want to check out our tips on avoiding online casino scams, for extra peace of mind.

And there you have it! If you like to have fun with a quick gamble now and then, this guide will help you find the best possible signup bonuses to help stretch that cash even further.