You’ve come to the right place if you live in the United Kingdom and want to know how to get the most out of your online casino bonus.
The good news for UK players in 2024 is that they currently have access to the world’s most secure iGaming sites, all offering some of the most lucrative bonuses.
Let’s discover how you can maximise your new player welcome bonus when you sign up to any of the fully licensed and regulated UK casino sites currently recommended on the globally renowned Casinos.com iGaming site.
What are New Player Welcome Bonuses?
A new player welcome bonus is a sign-up promotional offer you can claim when registering a new online casino account. It’s optional, meaning you don’t have to claim it, but there’s no reason not to claim it, especially at any top-rated UK online casino licensed by the Gambling Commission.
The bonus is usually unlocked upon depositing for the first time. At most UK casino sites, you can unlock your initial sign-up bonus by depositing just £10 or £20, depending on the casino.
The two main types of bonuses you can look forward to are matching deposit bonuses and free spins bonuses. Some online casino operators award just one of these bonuses as part of their welcome offer; others offer a match bonus AND free spins.
Important Things to Remember When Searching for UK Online Casino Bonuses
When claiming online casino bonuses in the United Kingdom, there are many important things to remember to ensure you get the most out of your bonus. Always remember the following:
● Only ever claim bonuses from online casinos licensed by the UK Gambling Commission that have been carefully handpicked and expertly analyzed. Today’s best UK online casinos, rated by Casinos.com and their dedicated team of researchers, rank among the world’s safest and most secure iGaming sites. They are controlled by reputable operators with excellent track records
● Only claim one bonus at a time to avoid confusion, and only claim bonuses you think you will enjoy using. You don’t have to claim everything you are offered
● Always read through the bonus terms and conditions before accepting any online casino bonuses to find out how much your wagering requirements are, which games will help you complete the wagering requirements in the shortest time possible, and how long you have to complete the wagering requirements
● If you get fed up trying to complete the wagering requirements (which are sometimes referred to as playthrough, turnover, or rollover requirements), you can forfeit the bonus, which means you will also lose any bonus winnings you had already won from the bonus
Some of the other important things all UK players should be aware of before claiming bonuses is that they can expire. For example, if you are offered a new player welcome bonus but decline it when it’s initially offered to you, there is no way you could go back a few days later to claim it if you change your mind because it will have already expired.
Similarly, it will also expire if you fail to complete the wagering requirements within a certain amount of time (as stated in the bonus Ts and Cs). The other thing to remember is that the lower the wagering requirements are, the easier it will be for you to get them done and dusted.
In other words, perhaps avoid claiming bonuses with 50x, 60x, 70x, or higher (that’s right; some bonuses can have up to 200x wagering requirements), and only stick to claiming bonuses with low/medium wagering requirements worth anywhere from 20x to 40x times the bonus amount.
Just remember, everything you need to know about your bonus can be found in the Ts and Cs or by contacting your casino’s friendly, cheerful, and professionally trained player support agents.
They can usually be reached by email, toll-free telephone, or live chat (live chat is the quickest and easiest way to get hold of them). They will explain in greater detail how you can maximize your bonus.
Matching Deposit Bonuses
The matching deposit bonus is the world’s most common online casino bonus. With this bonus, a player is rewarded ‘free money’ simply for depositing at least the minimum amount required. The 100% match bonus is a promotional offer commonly used by online casino operators to entice players to sign up.
The operator will match your deposit by 100% for free when you deposit. Therefore, if you deposit £20 with a 100% match bonus, you will receive £20 bonus money, so a total of £40 will appear in your account balance (£20 deposit + £20 bonus money).
The promotion might be capped at £100, so to maximize the offer and receive the full £100 bonus money, you would need to deposit £100, and so on.
Free Spins Bonuses
When free spins are part of the welcome bonus, you might get 1 FS for every £1 you deposit (up to a certain amount, say £50), or you might unlock, say 10 to 100 FS, when claiming your 100% matching deposit bonus on your first deposit.
The thing to remember about FS is that your winnings are usually capped at a certain amount and that each FS is usually only valued at around £0.10 or £0.20, depending on which online slots are included in the promotion.
Final Note
Finally, don’t forget that some deposit options may be excluded from certain promotions, so to avoid missing out on your welcome bonus, make sure your preferred payment method is included in the promotion. For example, the Neteller eWallet (aka digital wallet or web wallet) may be excluded from certain promotions.
It can’t be stressed enough just how important reading the bonus Ts and Cs is. Failure to read them often leads to frustration, disappointment, and even anger.
To avoid this, always read the small print. They are usually transparent and not confusing, especially at UK-licensed casino sites, and should only take a minute or so, at most, to read.