Best Casino Bonuses October 2024
SkyVegas
50 SERIOUSLY FREE SPINS & DEPOSIT & SPEND £10 GET 200 FREE SPINS
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NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. OPT IN REQUIRED. 7 DAY FREE SPIN EXPIRY. ALL FREE SPINS WILL AUTO PLAY ON FIRST ELIGIBLE GAME LOADED. £10 STAKING REQUIREMENT MUST BE MET WITHIN 30 DAYS OF OPT IN. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS APPLY. 18+ FURTHER T&C’S APPLY. GambleAware.org Full T&Cs
bet365
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Deposit and stake £10 on eligible Casino slots to get 100 Free Spins. Time limits, game restrictions and T&Cs apply. Registration required.
Grosvenor
Deposit £20, Play with £50
New Customers Only
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NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. MIN DEPOSIT £20 (EXC PAYPAL). MAX BONUS £30, BONUS AMOUNT NON WITHDRAWABLE, PLAYABLE ON SELECTED GAMES ONLY. 30X WAGERING FOR £30 BONUS. EXPIRES WITHIN 30 DAYS. MAX WIN £2,000.*T&CS APPLY. 18+. GambleAware.org Full T&Cs
Betfred
Stake £10 get up to 200 Free Spins
New Customers Only
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New customers only. Opt In required. £/€10 min stake on Casino slots within 30 days of registration. Max bonus 200 Free Spins on selected games credited within 48 hours. Free Spins expire after 7 days. iOS app restrictions may apply. Email/SMS validation may apply. Not available in NI. Full T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs
Unibet
Deposit £10 Get £40
New Customers Only
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18+ GambleAware.org. New Customers only. Minimum Deposit £10 and Get £40 in Casino Bonus Funds. Debit card only. Up to 50x wagering, game contributions vary, max. stake applies, new customers must opt in and claim offer within 24 hours and use within 30 days. Further T&Cs apply.
A casino bonus can be a great way for you to stretch your budget and a little more out of your online casino experience without having to spend more of your own money. In this article, we will explain everything you need to know about online casino bonuses and how to claim them.
What is a casino bonus and how does it work?
A casino bonus is the most common type of casino promotion that you will find at all online casinos in the UK. Most casino bonuses are solely for new players, but occasionally you can also find bonuses that existing customers can claim (although these are usually only available for a limited time if they are offered by a casino).
Welcome bonuses are for first-time customers who sign up to an online casino and make a minimum first deposit at the site.
You will then be able to claim your bonus funds and/or free spins and start playing with them. Depending on the online casino that you sign up with there will be different terms and conditions as to what games you can use your bonus package on.
Some online casinos offer a no-deposit bonus where you won’t be required to make a deposit in order to claim your bonus, instead once you sign up to a player account you can receive your no-deposit welcome offer.
How to claim your casino welcome bonus
One of the first things most players do after signing up at a new online casino is claim their new player welcome bonus. If you happen to be having trouble claiming the bonus there are a few things that you should make sure that you are doing.
To be eligible for an online casinos bonus in the UK, you must be at least 18 years of age, and have a valid UK residence.
We have put together a list of criteria that you need to meet to be eligible for your bonus:
- You must be a new player: You cannot have previously opened an account with the casino in question. If you have closed a previous account or opened one under a different email address you will not be eligible to claim a new player welcome bonus.
- You must make the minimum first deposit to qualify for the bonus: This is particularly important if the new player bonus is a first deposit bonus. If you make a first deposit that is lower than the minimum qualifying deposit for the bonus you will not be able to claim the welcome offer.
- Use the correct payment method: Not all payment methods accepted at the site will be compatible with the casino’s welcome bonus. You will need to make your first deposit using an eligible payment method for the bonus. You can check which payment methods are bonus-friendly in the offer’s terms and conditions before making a deposit.
- Make the right minimum bet: In cases where you need to make a minimum bet usually this is accumulative; so the minimum bet is £10 once you have bet up to £10 on corresponding games at the casino you should be able to claim the bonus. Check the welcome offer Ts&Cs to make sure that the games you bet on count toward your eligibility for the bonus as usually only bets made on specific casino titles will count toward this requirement.
Important bonus terms you should know
If you are new to how casino bonuses work you may find yourself scratching your head at some of the terms used to describe the bonus package. We’ve put together this helpful glossary to make it easier for players like you to get a sense of what exactly a casino bonus is offering.
Deposit match: The casino will match your deposit in bonus funds up to a certain amount
Free spins: A set number of bonus spins with the value set by the online casino bonus terms
Wagering requirements: The number of times the bonus amount that you need to wager.
Validity: How long the bonus offer is valid once you claim it.
While there are several different types of online casino promotions offered by the UK sites; the above terms are used universally throughout the market so you can expect to find them mentioned in every casino site bonus offer.
Different Types of Online Casino Bonuses Explained
Not every casino bonus is the same, we’ve broken down the most common types of welcome bonuses you can expect to find when you sign up to new sites.
Minimum Deposit
Minimum deposit offers are very easy to understand, they require you to make a minimum first deposit at the site and in return you will receive a set amount in casino bonus funds and/or free spins.
These types of minimum deposit offers have hard set amounts which are awarded to players, such as ‘Deposit £10 and Get £30 in bonus funds’. These are modest compared to other welcome offers but it is also much easier to meet the wagering requirements attached to these promotions.
Deposit-Match
This type of casino welcome bonus is very popular with casino sites and is a type of first deposit bonus except that the bonus funds are matched exactly to the first deposit you make. This will be offered as a percentage, so for example ‘100% first deposit match up to £100’.
In this case, if you make a first deposit of £100 you will receive a 100% match of £100 in bonus funds; if you were to only deposit £20 you would only receive £20 in bonus funds. Sometimes casinos will also offer a second or third deposit match with a reduced percentage.
For instance, the first deposit will be a 100% match up to £100, and the second deposit will be a 50% match up to £100 meaning you would have to deposit an additional £200 on your second deposit to receive the full bonus offer.
Free Spins
Free spins offers allow players to claim a certain amount of free spins which are set at a specific value usually something like 25p. Free spins offers can be given on their own or packaged together as part of a deposit match bonus.
No-deposit offers will almost always come in the form of free spins, with users being given a certain number of spins for merely signing up, with players not required to deposit or stake certain amounts to get involved.
There are usually limits on which games the free spins can be used on and in most cases there will be a set list of approved games (predominantly slots games) included in the terms and conditions of these promotions.
Cash-back bonus
Cash-back bonuses are a highly sought-after type of welcome offer that some online casino promotions present to new players. The premise is quite simple, the casino will refund a certain percentage of a player’s net losses over a specific period.
This will be the validity period of the bonus, so if the cashback offer has a 7-day validity you will receive a percent of your losses from those 7 days.
A lot of these bonuses will be something like 25 -30% cashback but some cashback bonuses will offer to refund more. From the casino’s side, it’s a way to encourage players to bet more money, while giving players who spend a bit more a little back.
Bet-and-Get
These are comfortably the most common type of casino bonus offers whereby players deposit and place a set amount and in return get bonus funds and or spins.
This generally comes in the form of something like ‘Bet £50 Get £100 + 50 Free Spins’, with players wagering a set amount of their cash in order to earn a casino bonus and spins.
Offers vary in initial wager and bonus amounts but will always return their users with more bonus funds than the deposit, sometimes offering a wealth of free bets for players to explore.
Best Casino Bonus Offers for Existing Customers
Most casino sites run some promotions for existing customers to enjoy that provide current players the chance to claim bonuses through frequent play.
Some online casinos have promotions for existing customers whilst others don’t, therefore players need to be aware of what is on offer and how it works before claiming.
Loyalty Bonuses
Loyalty bonuses are programs offered by casino sites that give users free bets or spins as rewards for playing with them consistently.
Players will usually have to wager a certain amount of funds within a certain time frame in order to be eligible, with this time frame almost always being either daily or weekly.
Many online casinos operate some form of loyalty bonuses to reward their customers for playing with them, with these proving to be a great way to earn extra bonuses as they provide players with bonus funds that they would have otherwise been ineligible for.
Free-to-Play Games
Free-to-play games are completely free to enter and can provide players with free spins or bonus funds to use on certain games..
The frequency of these is almost always daily, however, some online casinos will have weekly free-to-play games as well.
These can be skill-based, such as Grosvenor’s number match game, spin-the-wheel games or a slots-style machine, with all offering a range or free spins or free casino bonuses.
Then again the chance to win something from nothing is too good to pass up and an eye should always be kept out for any and all free-to-play games with casino sites.
Special Jackpot Games
Some online casino sites will run monthly, weekly or even sometimes daily special casino games that offer massive jackpots.
These will often provide a game with one of the highest potential payouts out there, with all players invited to have a chance to win.
Users will have to wager their own cash for these, but in turn will have a chance to win the special jackpot, with the amounts on offer usually being £1,000+.
The opportunity for these is often too good to pass up, and users will be aware of these special jackpot games weeks before they occur, able to plan for them.
What are the best online casinos for first-deposit offers?
Unibet’s welcome offer is comfortably one of the best first deposit offers in the UK, as it allows users to claim a generous £40 in bonus funds when they deposit £10 at the casino.
First deposit offers are a popular welcome bonus promotion at UK casinos as it allows new players like you to stretch your betting budget that little bit further when you first sign up to an online casino. This means you can try out more games and betting strategies so you can be better prepared when you start to bet with your own real money.
Most first deposit offers take the form of a deposit match bonus. With these bonuses you will receive the same amount of bonus funds as whatever you have deposited, so at most online casinos if you make a £10 deposit you will only receive £10 in bonus funds back. Unibet’s deposit match bonus stands out due to the fact that you get four times as much bonus funds as your initial deposit. This means more value for you, and more bonus funds to use on your favourite casino games.
What are the best online casinos for free spins offers?
Sky Vegas takes up the mantle of having the best free spins offer in the UK thanks to their double-barrelled offer that offers 50 no-deposit free spins, as well as an extra 200 spins that can be claimed from a £10 wager.
Virtually no other online casino site gives away free spins for free, with the total amount of 250 spins on offer being one of the highest around, providing users with ample opportunity to explore a range of their slots games, and in turn, have more chances to win cash given these free spins don’t come with any wagering requirements.
The sheer number of spins that Sky Vegas offers, and the fact that 50 of these don’t even require you to make a deposit to claim, places this bonus head and shoulders above competitors when it comes to free spins welcome offers.
What are the best online casinos for no-deposit bonuses?
Sky Vegas is virtually one of the only casinos in the UK right now that has a no-deposit bonus, and as such this casino stands head and shoulders above the rest.
New users will be able to claim 50 completely free spins immediately after signing. There is no deposit or code required to be eligible to get these bonus spins.
Players can use these on a variety of games, and they come with absolutely no wagering requirements, allowing users to keep 100% of their winnings.
As one of the few no-deposit casino bonuses in the UK, the Sky Vegas offer already stands out, even more so when considering the lack of any wagering requirements.
What are the best online casinos for bet-and-get offers?
BetVictor are the best in class when it comes to bet-and-get welcome offers, with new customers simply having to stake £10 in order to receive £30 in free casino bets, as well as 100 free spins.
The sheer range of opportunities provided to players by this bonus offer is what sets it apart, and well of course its inherent value.
BetVictor pencils in how and where these bonus funds can be used, with these needing to be spread across slots, live casino and live game shows.
This opens up new opportunities to customers, who may have previously not explored them with their own cash.
Of course, £30 and 100 free spins are both great sets of bonus funds, but it is how users are encouraged to spend them, and the experiences that come from this that sets the BetVictor offer apart.
How we tested each best casino bonus
Welcome bonuses are the best way to entice customers to an online casino site, with bonus funds or spins the most common offer amongst UK online casinos.
The best offers give users a high bonus amount from a small qualifying deposit, with minimal wagering requirements needed before withdrawal.
We’ve tested all aspects of the UK’s best casino bonus offers, compiling these into a comprehensive and up-to-date review of each.
Our experts utilised their years of experience within the UK casino scene to evaluate every part of what makes the casino bonuses listed throughout this piece the best the UK has to offer.
Bonus amounts
Casino bonuses can come in many forms, with the most common of these being free bets, spins and bonus funds.
The bigger the bonus amount the better, with these providing players with risk-free funds to test out the games on offer with their casino site of choice without spending their own money.
We evaluate each of our casino’s bonus amounts carefully, holding them in comparison with all others out there, and regularly checking these to monitor any changes to the offers themselves, as well as the T&C’s.
Minimum deposit
A minimum deposit is the minimum amount a player must deposit to be eligible to claim their site’s welcome bonus. Sometimes depending on the casino welcome offer’s terms and conditions this can be a minimum wager or bet which you need to make before you claim a bonus.
These often vary between sites, however most will only require you to bet/deposit £10 or £20 in order to claim the new player welcome bonus.
It’s worth remembering that offers which have a lower minimum deposit may seem the better options as they’re lower risk, however, these are likely to return less bonus funds than offers that require you to deposit greater amounts.
We assess every site’s minimum deposits meticulously, versus the amount you’re able to claim in the form of a bonus to make sure you know which casino promotions are the best and why.
Regular comparisons are done between each and every single offer we evaluate, offering a comprehensive overview of the offer and the major positives that it brings.
Wagering Requirements
Most online casinos will have some form of wagering requirements included in their welcome offers. This requires you to wager the bonus amount a certain number of times before you will be able to retrieve any winnings you may have earned using either bonus funds or free spins.
These can vary from site to site, but for the most part the lower the wagering requirements the better, but this of course has to be held in comparison with the bonus amounts, with higher bonus amounts almost always equating to higher wagering requirements.
On average, most welcome bonuses will ask that you wager 30 -35 times the bonus amount, but at some online casinos this can be much higher.
For instance, if you claim a deposit match of £100 you would be expected to wager £3,500 before you can claim any winnings made using the bonus funds.
For most online gamblers this simply isn’t within their budget. We recommend claiming a bonus to use the funds for fun, or to test out new games but if you’re adamant about claiming your bonus winnings then you need to consider the total cost of the wagering requirements.
Of course, any money that you win using your own personal funds that you deposited can be taken out at any time even if you haven’t met the wagering requirements of your claimed welcome offer.
We stringently evaluate and test each of the wagering requirements of all our online casino sites, with most of this analysis being drawn from our personal experience, with first-hand knowledge informing everything we report on.
Validity period
The validity period of an online casino bonus is another important factor that can affect just how much of a good deal a bonus is.
If an online casino promotion is only valid for 7 days but the wagering requirements are set at 35x for example, then it’s not a great deal, as it’s highly unrealistic that a player can meet those requirements in such a short time frame.
This is important because if you do not meet the wagering requirements within the validity period, you forfeit all of the winnings you received using bonus funds or free spins.
Having a validity period of 30 days (or sometimes more) is much preferable because it gives you an actual chance to satisfy the wagering requirements of a casino bonus and claim your bonus winnings if that’s what you intend to do.
Wagering contributions
These are often overlooked when most experts review an online casino bonus, and yet wagering contributions can really change your opinion of whether or not a casino promotion is worth the time of day. Almost universally, slots will contribute 100% toward the wagering requirements at an online casino.
There can be certain caveats with this if an online casino decides that specific slots titles or things such as jackpot and Megaways slots don’t contribute toward the wagering requirements for a bonus.
At many online casinos table games including blackjack and roulette and live dealers games will not contribute toward a bonus’ wagering requirements.
In cases where these types of games do contribute, it’s usually only 20-25% which means you would have to wager at least four times more playing roulette than if you only played slots.
A rare few sites do offer live casino welcome bonuses but when these are available they tend to be a completely separate offer from the regular casino welcome bonus.
For players who prefer to play table games and wish to meet their wagering requirements this can be extremely limiting and can discount many casino promotions from consideration.
Terms and Conditions
A casino offer’s terms and conditions are very important to consider before claiming a bonus.
A casino promotion that at first glance may seem quite generous can actually be more restrictive than it first appears.
In particular, a casino bonus may only be compatible with specific payment methods or the bonus funds and free spins may only be used on a small selection of very specific titles.
If you are not able to use your bonus on your favourite games then it might not be worth the hassle of claiming it.
Online casino bonuses FAQs
How do I claim a casino bonus?
Claiming any casino bonus is usually a very straightforward process. Players simply need to sign up for a casino site, enter a promo code if this is required, and from here adhere to any steps laid out by the casino site.
This could be depositing a certain amount or wagering a specific amount, with all the relevant information being easily locatable in the T&Cs of each casino site.
What are wagering requirements?
Wagering requirements are a set of terms & conditions that casino sites apply to winnings off of bonus funds.
Bonus funds earned off of a casino offer must then be wagered a certain amount of times before any winnings can be withdrawn.
For instance, if a casino offer has a 10x wagering requirement from an offer which gives them £10 in bonus funds, they would have to wager that £10 10 times before being able to withdraw any winnings earned off this.
Can I cash out my casino bonus?
No, bookmakers do not allow for casino bonus funds to be cashed out as users are essentially playing with house money, thus the house will then not allow them to cash out these bonuses for real cash at any time, with you needing to wager this amount before being able to do so.
What happens if I win a bonus bet?
If a player wins a bonus bet then these funds will be placed into their account as real cash, with the initial bonus stake removed.
This is because the stake is house money, not the player’s real cash, to begin with, and as such will not be returned to the player, but any winnings or profits will.
All that is then left is to see what the wagering requirements are, or if these can be removed immediately, which can always be found in the T&Cs.