A Complete Guide to Online Casino Bonuses
The bonuses offered by the best casinos online have evolved in recent years. Old favourites like deposit bonuses, no deposit deals, reloads, and cashback are now also supported by free-play offerings and free spins on exclusive slot games.
Best Bonus Casinos
Are you looking for the best online casino bonuses in the UK? Well, you should start by checking out this handpicked list of prospects:
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Top Casino Bonuses
To identify the best online casino bonuses you need to understand what the potential options are. This wider selection shall run through all of the main prospects out there.
Welcome Packages
A welcome package must be comprised of multiple bonuses and can even be awarded over multiple deposits. Just one online casino bonus cannot be described as a package.
Cashable vs. Non-cashable/Sticky
Some online casino bonuses can be cashable after adhering to wagering requirements, whereas other others shall remove the bonus after winnings are withdrawn.
Package Bonuses
Welcome packages vary when analysing the best online casino offers, but some bonuses definitely appear more frequently than others:
- No deposit: Start with a free-play offer that deliver no deposit bonus credit.
- Deposit: A deposit is required to deliver a percentage bonus boost to your stake.
- Free spins: These complimentary spins are delivered exclusive for select slots.
No Deposit Bonuses
A no deposit offer can be provided outside of welcome packages and is particularly useful for new players. Technically, these offers can cover the following deals:
- Free-play: Unlock a monetary bonus to be used on a range of games.
- Free spins: Receive spins for one slot or a smaller selection of titles.
Deposit Bonuses
Players who commit to depositing with a casino site stand to gain much more in bonus funds compared to not depositing:
- First deposit: Your first deposit triggers a bonus up to a set value, such as £200.
- Reload: A reload bonus is typically in the 50% range and is provided often by sites.
- Match bonuses: A 100% bonus that matches your deposit up to a specified amount.
Reward Bonuses
Casinos rarely miss the options to deliver rewards their most loyal players. Here are some of the ways in which to claim bonus rewards:
- Loyalty: The earning of points that trigger bonuses not delivered as standard.
- VIP: A top level reserved for the highest wagering players.
- High Roller: Larger bonuses are reserved for the highest depositors.
Refer a Friend
Invite your friends to join the same online casino as you. Then, the casino site will award you a bonus if your mate completes their first deposit.
Exclusive Bonuses
These are ultra-exclusive bonuses that can only be claimed through informative sites like NewCasinosOnline.co. Simply click on a bonus link to receive a special bonus not normally available from the casino.
Max Cashout Bonus
This is when online casinos elect to assign a maximum cashout value on the bonuses provided across the entire site. The clearing of wagering requirements will also be expected.
Special Promos and Game Bonuses
Casinos can also break from the mainstream to host special promotions and provide game-specific bonuses. These are some of the common examples you might see:
- Cashback: Receive a percentage bonus back on your losses for a set period.
- New games: Slot spins can be awarded to celebrate newly launched games.
- Races/tourneys: Compete with others to earn bonuses from the leaderboard.
- Prize draws: Wager to earn entry for prize draws awarding bonus funds.
Banking Bonuses
There are casinos that will award bonuses on deposits made using specific payment methods. For example, you might get an extra bonus for depositing by PayPal.
Pros and Cons of Bonus Types
After touching upon all of the best casino bonuses UK types, you can view the main pros and cons for each.
| Bonus Offer | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome packs | Gain a combination of bonuses on initial deposits. | Value of perks can decrease on later deposits. |
| Free spins | Complimentary spins to use risk-free on slots. | Often limited to one or a few slots. |
| No deposit | These online casino bonuses require no deposit at all. | Wagering requirements can be higher to clear. |
| First deposit | Gain a bonus just for making your initial deposit. | The total bonus amount can be restricted. |
| Match | Your first deposit is matched with a 100% bonus. | Casinos can use the term for lower percentage bonuses. |
| Reload | Restock your account with fresh bonus funds. | These are lower percentage bonuses than welcomes. |
| Loyalty | Wager until you start receiving special bonuses. | Takes time to build up enough wagering. |
| VIP | Receive enhanced bonuses for your VIP status. | VIP entry-levels can be extremely high. |
| High roller | Gain larger bonus amounts for making high deposits. | The value is higher but the percentage lower. |
| Refer a friend | Pick up a bonus just for your friend depositing. | If there are restrictions on numbers of friends. |
| Exclusive | Find an exclusive deal from your favourite review site. | If codes are required and you can’t remember them. |
| Max cashout | Wagering requirements can be lower at times. | When the cashout winnings are restricted. |
| Cashback | Gain bonus credit back on your gaming. | Some casinos can award cashback only on losses. |
| New games | Try new games with a special bonus offer. | You might not like the game you play. |
| Races/tourneys | Compete through wagering to win bonuses. | Finishing high on the leaderboard can be tough. |
| Prize draws | Bonuses given away through draws. | Wagering can be needed to enter. |
| Banking | Use specified banking methods for a bonus. | Some banking methods can be excluded from bonuses. |
Best Bonus for Every Level of Player
There is high diversity in bonuses because they have to appeal to a wide selection of players. These are the best bonuses for newbies, intermediates, and seasoned pros:
The Beginner
A beginner is still gathering experience and has a smaller cash-flow for the moment. This is a good position to be in, you can amass experience trying new games and establishing your bankroll. Some key bonuses to watch out for are:
- No deposit: Free-play credit and/or free spins will give you more freedom to try games and get to know the site.
- Welcome package: You can use multiple deposits to receive bonus funds and possibly free spins. These offers will give you a larger bankroll to utilise.
The Intermediate
An intermediate player is familiar with the rules of key table games and quickly learns how to play slots. They are in a better position to take advantage of any deal:
- Deposit bonuses: Every deposit should be made to leverage bonus funds.
- Promo events: Compete or enter to have the potential for new bonuses.
- Refer a friend: Get your friend to play and put more credit in your bankroll.
- Social media: Check a casino’s page to find deals not found on the main site.
The Pro
Seasoned pros have an immense understanding of games and play for major winnings. A pro will aim to take advantage of the following bonuses:
- High roller: Unlock bigger bonuses to stake even bigger wagers.
- VIP: Parlay your huge wagering into an array of bonuses that can be used.
How to Claim My Casino Bonus?
The act of claiming a casino bonus should not be overly complex. Nonetheless, there are some factors that must be addressed in the process.
Bonus Codes
Always pay attention to promotional information. This could reveal that a bonus will not be awarded unless a special code is submitted to the casino. Read to see where the code should be shared, such as with the cashier.
Deposit Limits
A casino will assign minimum and maximum deposit thresholds on bonuses. Stay within those thresholds if you want to be eligible for the bonus in question.
Payment Method
A casino might ask for payment details even on no deposit bonuses. Meanwhile, there might be some payment methods that are denied access to deposit bonuses. This can occasionally be witnessed for select eWallets.
Wagering Requirements
Bonuses carry wagering requirements that have to be met. These represent a multiplier that is applied to your bonus credit. For example, 40x on a £20 bonus equates to a wagering responsibility of £800 in total.
Excluded Games
Games are not treated equally with bonus funds. For instance, progressive jackpots are almost always excluded, while table games like blackjack and roulette can receive the same treatment.
What Else Makes a Casino Stand Out?
Bonuses are a major point of appeal for casino sites, but there are other key areas that make them stand out. This section shall explore several of the most important.
Game Variety
Now, a casino site must be able to cover the main bases of gaming. Slots and progressive jackpots are obvious, but then it is also vital to see tables dedicated to baccarat, blackjack, poker, roulette, craps, keno, and plenty more.
Non-casino Games Emerge
Casinos are no longer limiting themselves to covering slots and tables. This is because top-notch developers such as Microgaming, Eyecon, Pariplay, and NetEnt are diversifying into instant games and scratch cards boasting high-quality graphics.
Video Slots’ Popularity
At casinos, video slots are now the undisputed kings of the scene. Their sheer potential for variety is the reason why some casinos offer more hundreds of titles across the following types:
Video Slots
Design matters more than ever. Video slots represent a technical evolution on classic slots. The presence of animated 3D graphics is a way in which to give players a better experience.
Multiline Slots
The bulk of video slots have five reels and up to 25 paylines. Now, though, there is a stronger selection of slots that surpass the 25-line mark and offer so many more ways to win.
Special Features
Players must be given other ways to win alongside the base game. Slots can now do so much more in this regard, with interactive mini-games often included to complement existing features such as free spins and wild symbols.
Unique Themes
Slots can delve into subject matter like the Wild West, Ancient Egypt, Greek myths and legends, African safaris, cute pets, fashion, sports, food, and so many other themes.
Branded Slots
Players like familiarity, so they love it when they can play slots based on their favourite stories, video games, movies, and TV shows. Some are even created in official partnerships with five-star entertainment franchises.
Progressive Jackpots
A progressive jackpot is a sure-fire way of drawing attention to a slot game. The pots can range anywhere from a couple of hundred pounds to a multi-million-pound windfall, but every casino site should have them.
Player Safety
Safety is an area that can never be overlooked by the best casinos online. And there are some crucial ways in which to judge sites for safety and fairness:
- Licensed and regulated: The presence of a remote gambling licence shows that the casino site is regulated in a trusted jurisdiction. Some key examples would have to be the UK, Alderney, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Malta, and Curacao.
- Encryption technology: A casino site must use software that is capable of securing any personal details and payment information sent by players. Secure sockets layer (SSL) is the current industry standard level of encryption.
- Secure payment choices: Security can also be increased through the provision of more alternative payment methods. The larger the selection, the better this will be for players, who can now use phone bills, eVouchers, eWallets, and more.
- Customer support: A player should always have the capacity to address their concerns with the casino they play at. Live chat is now becoming more important than ever, while some casinos are trying to get by with just telephone and email.
Multiplatform Access
The modern player has to be able to play at their favourite across all of the devices in their life. Casinos must now be seamlessly accessible on the following platforms:
- Smartphones: iPhone, Windows Phone, and Android handsets should all have coverage when it comes to visiting mobile casinos. Instant-play sites can be used, but casinos can also provide downloadable apps.
- Tablets: Those native apps might also be found on iPad and Android tablets. Meanwhile, these devices should also have the option of accessing a casino instantly by using an HTML5 web browser.
- Laptops: The laptop is fighting for attention with smartphones and tablets, but must still be granted access, whether that is attempted on a MacBook or a device powered by Windows instead.
- PCs: A possible advantage of playing on a Windows PC is that some casino sites are providing software clients that can be downloaded and installed. This can mean having access to older games that might never be compatible on mobile screens.
Player-friendly Ts & Cs
Terms and conditions can be frustrating for consumers in any walk of life, but there are strong examples of how casinos can be friendly to players:
- Limited free spins: Quite often, a casino shall provide free spins that can only be used on one slot game. Obviously, the spins are free, but it is better for players if they can use them on a selection of titles.
- Wagering requirements: As explained, an overwhelming volume of bonuses have these requirements attached. Casinos can also apply these to cash deposits as a false means of making their bonus offers seem more enticing.
- Excluded games: Table games can be excluded entirely from clearing wagering requirements, but a more generous will permit them to contribute 10% or more towards the process.
- Minimum deposits: Some players can be caught out by high minimum deposits that prevent them from receiving the bonus they desire. A reasonable casino shall aim to reduce the minimum threshold to £5 or at least £10.
- Withdrawal limits: Let’s say you end up with £20 in your account after completing the wagering requirements. The casino might demand that you withdraw at least £30, which can leave players having to risk their winnings to meet that level.
Casino bonuses should be there for your benefit, but they must be offered by sites that make them accessible next to an array of other compelling features in the experience.
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