What are welcome bonuses?

A welcome bonus is an introductory offer made by casinos to new players when they first sign up to play at their site. Usually, they take the form of a deposit bonus or free spins on a slot game, but some casinos also have unique welcome bonuses or 2-in-1 combined bonuses. On this page, you can find our top-ranked welcome bonuses from trusted casinos, and some tips on what to look out for in your search.

How we review welcome bonuses

• Firstly, we make sure we’re dealing with a legitimate casino that has all the necessary certifications to be able to be featured on our site.

• We look for seals of approval from independent regulators like eCOGRA when we research a casino.

• Welcome bonuses are then reviewed by our expert team during a full online casino review.

• We’ll dig into the terms and conditions for each welcome bonus, making sure we cover things like wagering requirements and game contributions to determine whether it’s worth claiming for a new player.

What are wagering requirements?

A wagering requirement is simply a multiplier for a bonus. It means you have to play as many times as the multiplier states before you’re able to withdraw any winnings from your bonus. An example could be a 10x wagering requirement on a $30 welcome bonus. This would mean you’d have to make $300 worth of bets before you could withdraw any winnings.

It's also worth remembering that welcome bonuses can come with other rules such as how certain games contribute towards the wagering requirement and that certain payment methods may not be allowed when claiming your bonus. Bitcoin, for example, is usually excluded.

Types of popular welcome bonuses

There are a handful of different types of online casino welcome bonuses to look out for, including:

Deposit bonuses

When signing up to a casino for the first time, you may be rewarded with some extra cash after you make your first deposit to your new account. Pay close attention to the details though – you’ll have to deposit a certain amount to be able to receive the reward. These kinds of bonuses can also be spread out across multiple deposits, rather than just your first one on the site. You can also find various deposits options:

• $1 deposit casinos
• $5 deposit casinos
• $10 deposit casinos

Free spins bonuses

No deposit bonuses

Like a deposit bonus, but better. Mainly because you don’t have to use any of your own money to be able to receive this reward. In most cases, you’ll just have to fill out your initial registration form for the casino to be able to get this bonus. Naturally, no deposit bonuses like this are slightly rarer though they can still be found. Start by checking out our no deposit bonuses page for our best picks.

Monthly bonuses

Monthly bonuses, also referred to as “reload bonuses”, are offered to players every time they reload (sign in to) their account. These could be any kind of bonus that the casino is willing to give, though in most cases we’d expect to see common deposit bonuses as a monthly reward.

High-roller bonuses

For new players who can afford to deposit substantially more than is common when joining an online casino, there are high-roller bonuses that usually match that huge first deposit with free cash. Usually, a high-roller will also be placed straight into a VIP program and given extra benefits.

Match bonuses

Match bonuses are when the casino you’re signing up to directly matches the amount you deposit into your account with extra free cash. These are quite rare so if you can make the most of one then we would highly recommend it. Learn more about casino bonuses here.

Live casino welcome bonuses

Live dealer casino game bonuses are slightly rarer but your best chance of finding them is to head to our live casinos page. A live dealer game is played online using a live video link to connect you with a real-life dealer – the closest you can get to experiencing a real casino from the comfort of your home. When signing up for a live dealer bonus, you should still check for wagering requirements and read the small print.

Welcome bonus FAQ