It goes without saying that these welcome bonuses can be very eye-catching and they may often tempt you into choosing a particular casino to play.
Ultimately, there is more to choosing a casino than just going with the best welcome bonus but, if you’re looking to make the most of your money then you will probably want to take advantage of these welcome bonuses.
So, to help anyone looking to find out more about these bonuses that are offered by casinos, keep reading. Our team here at Lucky Mobile Slots have covered all of the basics for you.
What are casino welcome bonuses?
It is safe to say that these bonuses are fairly self-explanatory. In short, welcome bonuses are essentially rewards that are offered by online casinos to new users when they first sign up to their site.
Think of bonuses like walking into a casino and being given extra coins to gamble with. The twist? You can only use those coins on their machines and the wins may not end up in your pocket.
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For some, these bonuses are the most attractive feature and the most read section of our online casino reviews. For others, they are completely unnecessary because of all the T&Cs attached.
Why do casinos offer welcome bonuses?
Due to the fact that these bonuses are often offered for first-time players only, it goes without saying that they are usually used to entice new users to register for online casino.
It’s the “Buy one get one free!” sales sign of the online gambling world. They are there to catch the eye and make you feel like you are getting value for money.
Welcome bonuses are also sometimes used to attract users to some of the casino’s most popular games. If you’ve got your heart set on a trying a new game, or a popular release, you may find a sign up free spin bonus to help you.
It is no secret that casinos make money from those who use their site, so these welcome bonuses will, in turn, usually help the casino make a profit by getting you through the door.
Are there different types of bonuses available?
There are lots of different types of welcome bonuses offered by online casinos and you can expect to see the following used frequently:
- No-deposit cash bonus: these are gifts of cash that are given away to new users who have just created an account, they are usually small amounts of around £€$5/10/15.
- No-deposit free spins bonus: these are specifically for slot games and they allow new players to try the game for free. You sign up and you get to play something like 10 to 20 spins on specific slot games.
- Deposit free spins bonus: these are more common. The idea is much the same as the no deposit version, except (as it’s after you’ve put cash into the casino) the number of free spins casino bonuses that they give you is a lot more – it can be 50, 100 or even 200 free spins.
- Deposit welcome bonus: these give you a percentage increase on the amount you deposit at the casino, you may also hear it referred to as a ‘sign up bonus’. ie. Deposit $50, get a 100% bonus (so extra $50 in bonus money) and you’ll get to play with a total of $100.
You may find that some of the casinos you’re looking at offer just one of these welcome bonuses whereas others will have various offers running at once.
Just always remember to read the terms and conditions carefully and if you need to, ask their customer service team for details before you accept any welcome bonuses.
Why a casino bonus is not for everyone
These offers sound fantastic, why would you ever play at a casino without a sign-up bonus?
Well, it’s because of those T&Cs we mentioned above. It may sound like ‘free’ spins and ‘free’ money, but it’s not. Think of it as just extra time to play, rather than extra time to win.
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Because almost all bonuses will come with casino wagering requirements. This means that once you’ve claimed your bonus, you’ll have to wager it back into the casino a certain amount of times.
So for example, you take 10 free spins with a 35x wagering. You win $5 from those free spins. You now need to make $175 worth of wagers with that $5 in order to make a withdrawal.
It’s not impossible, but it’s not easy either. At worst bonuses give you time to play and try new games. At best, you may get a big enough win that you can withdraw.
Just be sensible about it, and if you are not sure of the math, use our casino bonus wagering calculator so you can play smart.
How do you claim a welcome bonus?
The majority of the time it is very simple to claim a welcome bonus.
You can expect an online casino to provide you with a step by step guide to redeeming these bonuses as they will want as many people to take advantage of them as possible with the hope that you will then continue to use their site afterwards.
Again, you can always turn to the customer service team for help too, via the live chat, and they are usually happy to help you with anything you need. They have to give you the main terms of any bonus upfront if you ask, so ask.
With no wagering free spins, this welcome package offers you a great way to test out all that GUTS casino has to offer
It’s easier than reading through pages of terms. Alternatively, take a look at some of the sites we recommend and their casino bonuses; we layout clearly the terms you need to know and where you can find out more.
Choosing an online casino
Hopefully, you will now know exactly what casino welcome bonuses are and you can use this knowledge to help you choose the best casino to play at.
If you would like to find out more about a casino before you sign up or if you’re wondering which online casinos are best to use, be sure to read our 2020 casino reviews.
You can trust that our team here at Lucky Mobile Slots have unbiasedly reviewed some of the biggest online casinos and we will recommend the very best casinos for you to use.
Personally, we are big fans of GUTS casino. They might not have the biggest welcome bonus around, but instead, they focus on giving you top offers and service once you sign up, personalised to you, with clear terms that don’t confuse or con the players.
The biggest offer is not always the best one. Play at a casino that gives you the fairest offers in the long term, rather than just one big offer and then nothing else ever again.
