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Best Casino Bonuses UK

On the subject of what the best casino bonuses for UK players are, this is entirely up to the player considering the offers as opinions and preferences differ. The offers displayed on this page are what the staff at CasinoGrounds deem to be the best of the best. However, if you're looking for a more extensive list of casinos regulated by the UKGC alongside current offers on display, and your country of residence is in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland - click your way to our UK online casinos page.

Pros & Cons of playing with bonus funds

Pros:

They give you an immediate bankroll boost
They can give you the opportunity to play new games for free
More chances to play = more chances to win
Some bonuses are risk-free

Cons:

Many bonuses come with tough wagering requirements
Some bonuses restrict the games you can play
They often put a limit on the size of bet you can place
You may find a low cashout limit tied to a bonus

Tips on getting the most value out of your bonus(es)

Before deciding on which bonuses might be the best fit for you, it’s worth investigating a few common themes you’ll encounter when playing/choosing a casino bonus. Firstly, investigating whether or not a bonus is ‘sticky’ or ‘non-sticky should be a major consideration when deciding on accepting a bonus. Other considerations should include the allowable wagering amounts, which games you are eligible to play with the bonus, and, if you’re playing slots, which type of slot best suits your needs.

Type of bonus funds (sticky versus non-sticky)

Knowing whether the bonus you are considering is sticky or non-sticky is vitally important as it determines how much time and effort you will have to put in in order to clear your bonus and any winnings associated with it.

Sticky Bonuses

A sticky bonus is a bonus that is effectively ‘stuck’ to your initial deposit, meaning that you cannot withdraw any winnings until all wagering requirements (the amount you must wager in order to clear the bonus) have been met.

This is because all winnings are considered ‘bonus’ winnings as both the deposit and bonus are tied to one another. Furthermore, more often than not, as the deposit and bonus effectively become one pot of money with the same requirements, a wagering requirement of, say, 40x the deposit, becomes 40x the deposit + 40x the bonus.

The only money eligible for withdrawal during this time is the initial deposit and if that is withdrawn both the bonus and any winnings earned from the deposit are removed. Also, in some instances, even after meeting the wagering requirements you may not be able to withdraw the bonus money, only any winnings you may have earned from it.

This is not to say that sticky bonuses are all bad, in fact, you tend to find that sticky bonuses may offer much, much bigger bonuses than non-sticky ones, sometimes up to 750% or more. Of course, the wagering requirements are likely to be huge. However, if you are a serial grinder who is likely to play a huge amount of volume at these games anyway, then a huge sticky bonus might be up your street.

Non-Sticky Bonuses

Non-sticky bonuses are deposit bonuses where you play with your own money first before any of the bonuses are touched.

The significant advantage you have here is that you can withdraw your winnings at any time without having to meet the bonus wagering requirements, although by doing so you will forfeit the bonus itself.

As the bonus money only comes into effect once the initial deposit has been lost, this type of bonus is sometimes called a ‘lifeline’ bonus, as the bonus cash acts as a lifeline, allowing you to continue to play, despite losing your deposit. Of course, to withdraw this bonus or any associated winnings, all wagering requirements must be met.

Non-sticky bonuses are a relatively new phenomenon and a most welcome one at that. Until relatively recently, most online casino deposit bonuses were sticky. As such, a big win soon after taking the bonus could easily be swallowed up by the wagering requirements before the player had a chance to withdraw them. As such, non-sticky bonuses are by far the most popular bonus type, as well as the most lucrative.

Wagering amounts

The amount you are permitted to bet per game while clearing a bonus varies from casino to casino, but by and large, the rules tend to remain consistent. While you are usually permitted to place bets at the minimum stakes available (many players will do this to reduce variance), betting at the maximum stakes available is never an option, with the max bet commonly set to £5/€5/$5.

Likewise, playing a Bonus Buy feature on a slot is not permitted when clearing a bonus as not only will the cost of the bonus buy exceed the maximum bet, but the RTP for Bonus Buys tends to be high, up to 100% in some cases.

Game Selection

Once you have considered the type of bonus funds and wagering amounts, it’s time to turn your focus to game selection. We will assume that as CasinoGrounds players, your primary focus will be slots where game selection tends to be driven by RTP (return to player) and volatility (the risk to reward measurement).

Tip: Learn about slot volatility on this page

What if you accidentally breach terms?

If you accidentally breach the conditions of the bonus, you should stop playing immediately and notify support of the breach, why, and how it occurred. You should not resume play until you have clarification in writing from casino representatives.

By doing so you will most likely avoid your account being locked and have the best chance to avoid the forfeiture of your player balance and/or any bonus funds/winnings accrued so far. Serious operators will appreciate your actions, and it will be more likely you will be able to resume as normal if you get confirmation.

The Player's Guide to the topic of Casino Bonuses

Bonuses are an essential marketing tool for any prospective or successful web-based casino and with good reason. Nothing is more likely to attract a new player than the prospect of giving him or her more value for their money, be it in the form of a welcome bonus, loyalty schemes, cashback offers, or free spins.

Casino bonuses offer a win-win, with the casino attracting new players and the new players receiving an instant reward for their customs. However, each new bonus comes with its own set of rules and conditions which need to be fulfilled before you can fully enjoy its benefits. Therefore, any new player must familiarize themselves with the types of bonuses offered and what is required of them to release any potential winnings they might bring forth.

What kind of wagering requirements need to be met? Does the bonus have an expiry date? Is there a maximum bet imposed? Is the use of the bonus restricted to certain games? Is the bonus sticky or non-sticky? Without knowing the answers to these questions before making your deposit, you could receive a bonus that hinders rather than helps your progress.

Bonus types

As previously mentioned, there are various bonus types, and most casinos offer one or more. In the upcoming section, we’ll take a quick look at the most common bonuses currently offered by online casinos.

No Deposit

No deposit bonuses are simply those ready to play upon signing up with the casino, without needing to place any money on the site. They will generally take the form of a cash or free spins bonus.

Certain sites offer completely free no-deposit cash bonuses. In such cases, simply registering as a player makes you eligible for the ‘free money. However, the conditions for parlaying such bonuses into cash which you can withdraw, tend to be quite restrictive.

A classic example of a no-deposit sign-up bonus is the famous “$88 Free” offered in certain jurisdictions by 888Casino. Although you do indeed receive $88 in free plays, except winning one of the site progressive jackpots (hugely unlikely), the maximum free play winnings you can convert to hard cash is just $10.

Furthermore, to do so, the $88 worth of free play cash must be wagered 50 times over (that’s $4,400 in bets) before you can get your hands on the free money – and that’s if you’re solely playing slots. If craps are your game, then a staggering $88,000 in bets must be placed before converting any winnings, as only 5% of craps winnings contribute to the wagering requirements.

Most bonuses are also likely to have a time limit, i.e. ‘all wagering requirements must be met within 90 days of claiming the bonus. It is also not uncommon for players opting for the no deposit bonus to have to forgo other, potentially more lucrative welcome bonuses, to do so.

No deposit-free spins

Generally, no deposit free spins bonuses will consist of a small number of free spins to be played on a specific slot (or a small selection of slots) at the minimum bet size. Sites such as Leo Vegas allow you to withdraw any winnings from no deposit free spins with no restrictions. However, many no-deposit free spin bonuses require you to wager any winnings many times over before the cash is truly yours. Also, many sites offering no deposit-free spins will limit the number of winnings you can convert to real money. You tend to find that the casinos offering the freest spins have the most restrictions placed upon them.

Cashback

Cashback bonuses are among the most popular bonuses. Cashback bonuses reward players with cash payments equal to a predetermined percentage of any losses they might have incurred over a specified period. These bonuses are particularly popular as they carry no wagering requirement.

Cashback often comes as a payment of 10%-20% of a player's net deposit losses. Some casinos' cashback bonuses only apply to a player’s first deposit, while others might run regular, intermittent cashback promotions, and more still operate an ongoing, weekly cashback program.

While there are generic cashback schemes for all players, many casinos also run their loyalty or VIP programs that reward high-volume players with additional bonuses, often including larger cashback and discretionary bonuses.

A good example of a cashback bonus can be found at the ironically titled No Bonus Casino, which operates a flat 10% cashback on all lost deposits on an ongoing basis, paid daily. As they operate no other type of bonuses, they can repay 10% of all players losing deposits for as long as they play at the casino.

Deposit bonuses (first deposit; match; welcome offers)

Welcome deposit bonuses are usually what a new player looks for when considering signing up for a new casino. That’s because invariably, this will be the single biggest bonus the site has to offer.

Although percentages vary, the most common initial deposit bonus will match a player's first deposit with a 100% bonus. The amount you can deposit and still be eligible for the bonus varies considerably by casino and jurisdiction.

As well as the initial deposit bonus, many casinos offer deposit bonuses for the second and even third deposits, although usually at a 50% rather than a 100% deposit match. Often referred to as ‘reload’ bonuses, many casinos also reward loyal players with the offer of discretionary reload bonuses from time to time.

Although a casino's usual first deposit bonus is 100% or less, casinos offer 500% or even 750% first deposit bonuses. However, it tends to follow that the higher the bonus, the higher the wagering requirements. Big deposit bonuses like this also tend to be sticky, where both the deposit and the bonus must fulfill the wagering requirement. Deposit bonuses must be played within a time limit starting from the time of deposit, so be sure to note it.

Free spins

Free spins often come as part of a welcome package alongside a deposit match bonus. Similar to the no-deposit free spins bonus, the free spins in such bonuses tend to be awarded at the minimum or close to the minimum bet size. Although some casinos don’t impose a wagering requirement on free spins winnings, many do. However, the amount required to be wagered tends to be considerably lower than deposit bonuses, usually between 1x and 10x the value of the winnings.

Live casino bonuses

More and more casinos now offer live casino games, where you can play against a real-life dealer in a realistic casino setting. Look around, and you can find bonuses here too.

A good example would be the live casino welcome bonuses at LeoVegas. They offer a live casino welcome bonus in which only live casino games count towards any wagering requirements. The amount of the bonus and the qualifications vary by jurisdiction. For example, their UK Live dealer casino bonus comes in the form of a cash reward of £10, £25, or £50. Depositing £10 - £24, £25 - £49, and £50+ earns you a shot at the £10, £25, or £50 rewards, respectively. To complete this bonus, you must wager 75x the value of the sum of the cash reward you qualify, upon which the cash reward will be made available to you.

Wagering requirements

Nearly all casino bonuses (especially the larger ones), carry significant wagering requirements. To be eligible to withdraw any bonus money or winnings associated with that bonus, you must first ensure you have wagered your deposit amount several times over (even more so if the bonus is sticky). Wagering requirements also tend to come with requirements that must be adhered to. These include time limits, game restrictions, and game contributions.

Amount

As mentioned, the amount to be wagered to clear the bonus will be a multiple of the amount deposited. This varies from casino to casino and then from bonus to bonus. Therefore, a typical wagering requirement of 30x would require a player to deposit €100 to eligible wagers with a combined total of no less than €3,000 before the bonus is cleared.

Time

Most bonuses typically come with a set time limit on them. If the wagering requirements are not met during that period, the bonus amount is removed from the player’s balance and any winnings associated with that bonus.

Game contribution

Not all games at an online casino contribute 100% of their worth towards a player’s wagering requirements, so be sure to check out the contribution of the games you intend to play if you wish to meet the requirements promptly.

The good news is that, by and large, slots wagers contribute 100% towards wagering requirements. Some slots may carry a slightly lower contribution towards wagering due to their higher-than-average RTP (return to player), while some might be restricted altogether.

Other casino games, however, have much lower contributions toward wagering requirements. For example, table games such as roulette, blackjack, craps, etc. usually only contribute around 10% towards wagering requirements. This means that a €5 bet on a hand of blackjack would only deduct €0.50 from the total wagering requirement. In the same way slots with high RTPs are often excluded from contributing to wagering requirements, casino table games don’t give the casino a high enough edge to allow them to contribute much towards wagering requirements.

So, in theory, the most practical way to clear a 100% match bonus on a €100 deposit with a wagering requirement of 30x the deposit would be as follows:

Play an eligible slot with a high RTP and low volatility
Play at the lower end of the allowable stakes
Complete wagering a total of €3,000 within the specified time limit.

Frequently Asked Questions about Casino Bonuses

Is a Casino Bonus Worth it?

Casino bonuses give you the best value for your money because you have more funds to play with. The theoretical Return to the Player of any casino game is based on an infinite number of rounds/spins which means that you are likely to increase your winnings over time when you have more funds to play for.

Best Casino Bonuses May 2024