Best Casino Welcome Bonuses

Practically all online casinos offer welcome packages to new customers. These casino bonuses come in the form of free spins, cash funds, bonus funds, and sometimes free chips with which a user can gamble after the minimum deposit is met. If you play in an online casino or planning to play in one, taking advantage of these casino bonuses is a great way to earn more money online.

You could earn hundreds or thousands of dollars from these bonus funds, although the bonus value differs in different casino sites. Even if you have no intention of making a deposit, just signing up in some online casinos entitles you to this welcome bonus, which is sometimes referred to as a no deposit bonus.

Although this is a great way to earn more money, you should understand precisely how casino welcome bonuses work. They often come with bonus wagering requirements, and full terms and conditions may apply. This is why we have done the necessary research because not all bonuses are created equally, some offer better value than the other, so being knowledgeable about them is essential.

If you intend to make real money from an online casino, then you are in luck. On this page, we get to explain all there is to online casino welcome bonuses, the best casino bonuses, how they work, as well as some of the best welcome bonuses out there for you to grab.

What Is A Casino Welcome Bonus

This is the first live casino bonus you get for joining an online casino. A welcome bonus is also the most prominent bonus available in an online casino. The whole idea is to impress and attract customers so that this offer can be enticing.

Most welcome bonus covers the first deposit as well. For example, an online casino can offer a new customer a 100% match bonus. This means if you deposit $200 in this case, you are eligible for a $200 bonus. At the same time, some other welcome bonuses cover multiple deposits.

This offer is, however, not guaranteed in all online casinos. The main thing to note about the welcome bonus is that it is a one-time offer, unlike the reload bonus, which is continuous.

Why Do Online Casinos Offer Welcome Bonus?

This is to attract customers. Welcome bonus, simply put, is a marketing strategy. The online gambling industry is a very competitive one, and there are currently over a hundred online casinos.

Yes, these sites are out there to make money. However, profits can not happen without customers; hence, they offer attractive sign-up and reload bonuses. And no, they aren't at a loss offering these bonuses to customers as they will probably get it back over time.

Types Of Online Casino Welcome Bonuses

The online gaming world offers many opportunities, and the gambling sector isn't left out of this. There are various bonuses for online casino customers to enjoy. However, when it comes to welcome bonuses, they can be categorized in the following ways:

Deposit/Match Bonus

Deposit casino bonuses are rewards given to new customers after making their first deposit. This first deposit bonus or deposit match bonus is a fixed percentage of your deposit, and new customers get to enjoy maximum bonus offers. For example, a casino deposit bonus might be a 50% first deposit bonus. After depositing $300, you are entitled to a bonus of $150, which gives you $450 to play with.

No Deposit Bonus

As the name suggests, this bonus is awarded without making a deposit. They are less common than the first deposit bonus and require you to complete the site registration. This no-deposit bonus comes in either a cash bonus or free spins.

They give players an opportunity to play online casino games without monetary risks. Full t&cs apply on these bonuses as they can only be withdrawn after meeting the wagering requirements or minimum withdrawal as the case may be.

Free Spins

Instead of cash rewards, some online casinos offer free spins as a welcome bonus. Free spins provide you an opportunity to play specific slot games, and your winnings will be credited to your account as bonus credit. The free spins winnings credited from slot games can only be claimed when the wagering requirements are fulfilled.

Sticky Bonus

This bonus can not be withdrawn. Sticky bonuses are solely for wagering, and you can only withdraw bonus earnings when all terms and conditions have been met. However, this bonus sticks to your account. It can not be withdrawn alongside bonus winnings. You only play games with it to win or lose it.

Non-sticky Bonus

This, on the other hand, is more player-friendly. After completing the wagering requirements, the bonus can be withdrawn alongside all other bonus winnings made from it.

Cash Bonus

This monetary bonus can increase your stake in an online casino. It increases your money value by a particular percentage, in cases of a deposit bonus. While in a no-deposit bonus, you get to play games and get a chance to win real money with your bonus bets. A cash bonus increases your chances of winning as you get to stake more.

Cash-Back Bonus

This deal pays back a percentage of losses made while gambling in an online casino. Cashback is rare; this casino bonus offers the opportunity of earning some percentage of your loss after making a qualifying deposit.

The casino welcome bonus can also come in in-house points redeemed for cash. This form of bonus is relatively uncommon.

Benefits Of Welcome Bonuses

If you intend to make a first deposit in an online casino, it is only reasonable you get more value for your money in terms of deposit match bonuses. This way, you get bonus money to play with and a better chance of winning.

You also stand a chance to enjoy risk-free bonus winnings in cases of a no-deposit bonus. With a no-deposit welcome bonus, you can explore casino games without being worried about your funds.

Another benefit to keep in mind is that you get to earn real money from your max bonus bet after meeting the wagering requirements.

Finding The Best Casino Bonus

Now that you know the different casino bonuses and how they work, finding the best welcome bonus wouldn't be challenging. You can start by looking into the bonus offer available in various online casinos, or you can go through this list of online casinos with the best welcome package. We have compiled a list just for you. You can take your pick from the following:

Atlantis Casino

Offers a $14,000 welcome bonus to new US players.

Planet 7 Casino

Offers a no-deposit welcome bonus of $50 free casino chip or 50 free spins.

MBIT Casino

Offers bitcoin welcome bonus of 110% match bonus on 1 BTC on first deposit. 50% match up to 2.5 BTC on the second deposit and 75% on 1.5 BTC on the third.

Bovada

Offers US players cashback bonuses on losses and redeem points that can be claimed as cash.

Wild Casino

Offers a cashable welcome bonus of $2,500 that can be withdrawn after the wagering requirement is met.

Kim Vegas Casino

Offers a welcome bonus of up to $1,300.

Caxino Casino

Offers a 100% up to $200 welcome bonus.

NetBet

Offers UK customers 100 No-deposit spins.

888 Casino

Offers UK players a £200 + F25 welcome bonus.

Pokerstars

Offers UK customers a 100% up to £200 welcome bonus.

Always check the terms and conditions before claiming a bonus. You wouldn't want a bonus to be of no use to you. Also, remember to gamble responsibly.

How Do First Deposit Bonuses Work?

This is simply you getting more value for your money. The first deposit bonus is a specific bonus amount you get for making an initial deposit to the casino. The first deposit bonus is one of the most popular types of rewards you will come across in an online casino. This offer is available after you sign up and make the minimum deposit.

Deposit bonuses are usually a certain percentage of your deposit, ranging from 25% to 100% of it.

How To Claim A First Deposit Bonus

Casino deposit bonuses are easy to claim. After registering in an online casino of your choice, go to the deposit section and select your preferred payment method.

Beware of the deposit method restrictions, if any, make the minimum deposit.

Ensure you click on the "first deposit bonus" icon to activate your deposit bonus before making a deposit, as they do not activate automatically.

After completing the payment process, the casino site will add this active bonus automatically to your account. You can click on your account wallet to check your bonus balance.

How Does Free Spins Work

Free spins are the most widely used casino bonus. They can be given to a player after a deposit bonus. An online casino can offer a player as much as 100 free spins, which, as the name implies, awards you free spins.

The number of free spins gotten varies from one casino site to another. Free spins might work in a specific slot machine and not the other, so ensure you check out the specific terms and conditions.

Free spins winnings are credited as casino instant bonuses. The bonus spins credited would reflect in your account. However, when free spins expire, the bonus can not be used.

How To Claim A Casino Sign-up Bonus

Claiming a casino sign-up or welcome bonus is pretty easy; you can achieve this by following these five steps:

1. Choose an online casino of your choice—sign-up by filling in the required details, such as your name, email, and date of birth.
2. Create a password of your choice. Confirm the information before sending it and wait for a verification code or email.
3. After your account has been verified, sign into the site's home page. Learn all you can about the casino's promotion and how to qualify for them.
4. Scroll to the cashier section on the page and select your preferred payment method.
5. Make the minimum deposit to claim a deposit bonus. For a no-deposit bonus, after signing up, your bonus will be credited to your betting account.
6. Look out for the bonus code if applicable. Some bonuses require a bonus code. The casino will provide this code.

Things To Consider Before Claiming A Welcome Bonus

Before signing up for that enticing online casino bonus offer, you might want to take note of the following:

Bonus Percentage And Max Cash Required

It would be best to consider the bonus percentage offered before claiming it. This is because the biggest bonus offer might not be best for you if you don't know the percentage involved.

Also, taking note of the minimum deposit required is of the essence; you don't want a bonus you can't claim at the end of the day.

T&C and Wagering Requirements

Online casinos won't include the wagering requirements and terms and conditions in their flashy advertisements. So it is up to you to read up before signing up.

House Edge

You must understand the house edge of a game you decide to play. Games contribute differently to wagering requirements. Always check how each game contributes to meeting the terms and conditions of the bonus. Games like poker have the lowest house edge, while slots have the highest.

Validity Of Bonus

This is the duration the bonus is meant to be used. A soon-to-be expired bonus is of no use to you if you can't meet the wagering requirements time. Bonuses expire, so you might keep that in mind before claiming one.

Credibility Of The Site

Just because they offer a mouth-watering welcome bonus doesn't mean they are credible. It would help if you always looked into the credibility of every online casino site before signing up.

Payment and Payout Methods

Payment and payout method differs in casinos. You don't want your bonus winnings stuck in an online casino site, so it is best to take note of the deposit method restrictions that apply.

Review Of The Casino Site

You get to know the customer's opinion from a site's review. This can save you a lot of time and wasted resources.

Don't Bonus Hunt

It is tempting to bonus hunt with so many offers out there; however, you shouldn't. Bonus hunting means signing up on multiple online casinos to enjoy the bonus credit offered. While this might seem like a great idea, some casinos have thought of this and put in place measures to prevent this.

You might not know this, but the same parent company operates some casinos. If you are bonus hunting and get caught, your account might be banned with all your active bonus winnings gone. Casinos operated by different companies also share information to weed out bonus hunters, so this idea shouldn't cross your mind.

Same as creating multiple email addresses to claim a welcome bonus twice, this can also result in your account being banned.

What Are Bonus Wagering Requirements?

These are the requirements a player must meet before a withdrawal can be made while playing with a casino bonus. The wagering requirement is the amount of money you stake before winnings can be cashed out.

This prevents a player from simply withdrawing a bonus once it is given, so yes, wagering requirements protect the casino from falling into a loss.

You must play some casino games until your bonus is used up or the required number of play is met before you can cash your winnings.

For example, if a bonus requires 10× wagering on a $50 bonus before a withdrawal can be made. This means you get to bet your bonus ten times which is $500 before you can make a withdrawal.

Terms That Affect Wagering Requirements

Some specific terms or rules that affect the wagering requirement of a bonus are:

Deposited or Bonus Funds First

Some wagering requirements involve playing with your deposit money before the bonus can be used. Others allow the bonus first to be used, and then when exhausted, the deposited cash can be used to wager. In cases where you have to play your deposited funds first before you access the bonus, you can withdraw any winning made and might as well forfeit the bonus.

Max Bet While Wagering

Big bets can't be placed all at once to clear the wagering requirements. There are bonus betting limits, so you must make a minimum and maximum bet within a specific period.

Expiry Date

Bonuses expire after a duration. No good bonus offer stands forever; you only need to ensure you complete the wagering requirements during the duration the bonus is valid; otherwise, the bonus can be lost.

Game Weighting

Games contribute differently to wagering, as we mentioned earlier. You should always read terms and conditions to know the games to go for and those with low ratings to avoid them.

How To Meet Wagering Requirements

Wagering requirements can pose a massive turn-off in claiming welcome bonuses. Those usually serve as a restriction, but not to worry, we have written a guide on how you can go about this.

• Each game contributes differently to meeting the wagering requirement. Therefore, avoid playing games with a low contribution rate.
• Go for games with a high RTP rate. This way, you're sure to make extra money with the bonus given. Slot games ate known to have the highest contribution rate than the table and card games, so you might want to go for these games.
• Claim bonus that requires wagering of 30 times or less; this increases your chances of cashing out your profit.

Note: You can always decline a sign-up bonus. If the wagering requirement isn't to your liking, you can always reject the welcome bonus.

What Are The Terms and Conditions

Although there are no downsides to claiming a welcome bonus, however, they are often subjected to terms and conditions. Specific wagering requirements, among others, must be met before you can benefit from this bonus in most cases.

Reading the terms and conditions informs you what to expect from your bonus and the games the bonus or bonuses are eligible for. This is important because, in some cases, the extra chips gotten as a bonus can only be used in certain games. If a player isn't knowledgeable about such a game, then the welcome bonus isn't useful to them.

Same as bonus spins in slot games. Some free spins bonuses can only be used on a particular slot machine, so you should always read the terms and conditions of a welcome bonus you are about to claim.

Casinos add these wagering requirements to prevent customers from depositing strictly to claim a bonus and withdrawing immediately that is done.

How Do You Calculate the Value of A Casino Bonus?

Most deposit casino bonus is a percentage of the deposited amount made. For example, if a casino offers a 100% match bonus up to $1000 on the first deposit, if you deposit $500, you automatically get $1000 in your wallet.

Suppose you get a bonus of 100% up to $200. This means the percentage given as a bonus is measured by 100% of any deposit made. There is also a match limit to this, and your first deposit will be matched up to $200, no matter the amount. So a deposit of $500 would result in a $200 bonus, while $50 would result in a $50 cash bonus.

Conclusion

There are many reasons to go for welcome bonuses, especially if you plan to make a deposit; you might as well earn more from it. However, as we stated earlier, a welcome bonus isn't of much use to you if the wagering requirements aren't met, so don't be too excited about claiming a bonus without going through the terms and conditions.

Don't feel pressured into accepting a bonus that doesn't work for you. You can reject a bonus and still enjoy your casino experience, so claiming a bonus isn't a must. However, if you are interested in online casino bonuses, it wouldn't hurt to conduct all the necessary research before claiming them.

To be on the safer side, don't trust online casinos that offer free bonuses with little or no requirements. Be wary of scam sites and play responsibly.