What is a Welcome Bonus?
A casino welcome bonus is a new player’s special invitation from an online casino to explore the site and check out their games collection. Depending on the offer, it can either boost your initial cash deposit several times over or give you free spins on some of their most popular slots games.
As a new player, you’ll mostly encounter a casino welcome bonus, or a signup bonus, which essentially means the same thing. Some casinos might use the term ‘signup bonus’ for no deposit bonus offers which are free to claim upon registration.
Casino Welcome Bonus
When you register at an online casino you like, as a new player, you’ll be rewarded with a casino welcome bonus. Only a few casinos come without a welcome offer, but the majority will have one that consists of a match bonus on its own or a match bonus + spins.
Each casino has its welcome bonus advertised on their homepage. It’s like their business card because it’s usually the first thing you see when you open the site.
Claiming a welcome bonus just like any other bonus, is simple. To trigger the reward, you have to make a deposit. The minimum deposit you have to make is predetermined by the casino and usually starts at £10.
Once you’ve made your deposit, you’ll see an extra amount of credits/cash in your bankroll depending on the percentage of the bonus and the size of your deposit. So, if you deposited £10 and the offer is 100% up to £100, you get a free £10 to play with, making £20 in total. Simple, right?
How do Welcome Bonuses Work?
With such a huge variety of welcome bonuses available online, it can get confusing trying to figure out how each of them works. So here’s the rundown of how to use one and make the most of it:
First of all, you’ll want to pick a casino with the best sign up offer for you and create a new account. Use our list to quickly find casinos with the most generous bonuses.
Now you’ll want to register and/or deposit to claim the welcome offer. Be sure to check your new account to see if the bonus has been added. It should be stored separately from your real money funds.
While you have fun playing eligible games with your deposit money first, the bonus cash sits in your casino account as a safety net in case you deplete your real cash.
If you win with your own money, you can forfeit the bonus. But if you’ve exhausted your own cash, the bonus money will give you a 2nd chance to win and continue playing for free!
Each casino must have specified terms and conditions for every promotional deal. The same applies to all bonus promotions they are organizing. Before deciding to apply for an incentive, make sure to read the instructions carefully. More often than not, everything that you will need to do is to create an account and make a deposit.
This will also assist you in choosing the best possible deal and the platform that perfectly suits your needs. Once you weigh your options and you are certain to understand the terms of the deal, you can proceed to register for the bonus.
How to Claim a Casino Welcome Bonus?
Make sure you’re eligible:
To be eligible, you have to be a new player; therefore you’ll need to pick a new casino you don’t already have an account with. You also have to be 18 or over.
Make sure you opt-in:
Register an account and make sure you opt-in or enter a bonus code to prompt the bonuses if needed. Not all bonus offers are added automatically.
Make sure you make the minimum deposit:
To fund your new casino account and make your first deposit, be sure to use a payment method that’s not excluded from the welcome bonus offer.
Make sure you play through your cash first:
Use your real money first on eligible slots – if you don’t win and run out of real cash, you can then use the bonus as your buffer for the 2nd chance to win!