? What is a First Deposit Bonus?
This is a pretty obvious question: you get a first deposit bonus after you make an initial deposit at an online casino. These bonuses can be either deposit bonuses or free spins, or combinations of both. You might also find some other types of offers, but they are quite rare.
First deposit bonuses come with terms and conditions which you must follow to withdraw any potential winnings. The t&cs also list what games are eligible for bonus play and how much you have to deposit to get the deposit offers in the first place.
Since there are hundreds of casinos with different kinds of bonuses, we have listed the best online casino first deposit bonus offers right here for your convenience. We utilized our expertise to analyse the best first deposit offers and explain to you how they work in detail.
We only recommend UK online casino sites which have been licenced by the UKGC, so you can always play legally when you sign up through our site. Let’s get started!
?? Deposit Match Bonuses
The deposit match bonus is by far the most common type of first deposit bonus available today, and players can significantly boost their funds to play more slots, bingo or casino games. This is a great bonus as you can choose what to play with more flexibility than a free spins bonus. Plus you will normally enjoy more lenient wagering requirements on a deposit match than on a free casino sign-up bonus.
But what exactly is a matched bonus? The way a deposit match bonus works is that the casino, slots site, or betting site, matches the money you deposit by a fixed percentage. Typically online casinos offer a 100% bonus meaning that they will match you pound for pound, up to a set limit.
Some online gambling sites, like Daily Record Bingo, advertise massive deposit bonuses up to 1000%, but this is a max amount that has to be won by spinning a bonus wheel after you make your deposit. Most players are likely to get a standard 100% boost. Other sites offer a 200% – 500% matched deposit, which may have a lower max bonus but makes smaller deposits go much further.
Before you claim a first deposit casino bonus make sure that you understand how the offer works. There are three parts to pay close attention to:
- Match Percentage:
Most deposit bonuses are described as a matched percentage. This is how much of the money you put into your online casino account that the casino adds as bonus funds to play for free. If an online casino will match you 50% they will put in half the money you do. If they match you 100% they will double your deposit. If they offer 200% they will triple your funds and give you £2 for each pound you put down. - Max Bonus:
Casino sites will put a limit on the maximum bonus you can get, so pay attention to this before you make a deposit. An offer will normally say ‘100% up to £XXX’ meaning that they will only give you up to that amount for free. If you accept a bonus from a casino in the UK that will match you “300% up to £150”, and then put down £100, the casino will give you £150 not £300. This is because the “up to” describes the maximum bonus on offer rather than the maximum deposit you can make. - Terms & Conditions:
Check the T&Cs of the deposit bonus to find out the wagering, or playthrough, requirements you need to meet before you can withdraw your winnings as real money. Bigger matched deposits normally incur higher wagering requirements, so whilst you might get more bang for your buck it will take you longer to playthrough and you are less likely to keep what you win. There may also be time limits, or game restrictions, associated with the deal.
Here is a quick guide to the different deposit match casino offers:
500% First Deposit Bonus in the UK
500% deposit match is extremely rare, as you might imagine. You won’t find many bonuses with 500% match that will increase your bankroll significantly, but they are often worth claiming if you are a casual player and enjoy testing different games.
Currently, Coral Casino offers the highest percentage match on a first deposit in the UK. They will boost your playing power with a 500% first deposit bonus up to £50. When you deposit £10, you receive a £50 bonus in your casino account, making it the best £10 deposit bonus UK!
This bonus comes with wagering requirements of just 40x, which is reasonable for such a big boost, and the time limit is fairly lengthy at 30 days. The relatively low wagering bonus is incredible given the bonus value new customers get. You will find all types of games at Coral Casino including exciting new slots, bingo, and live dealer games.
400% Deposit Match
It’s not often that you’ll come across a 400% casino bonus since this is still a quite significant investment on the casino’s side. If you deposit £5, you would get £20 to play with, which is very generous.
Unibet, another sports betting site with a cracking first deposit bonus for casino players, have seized this opportunity and will give you £40 extra when you add an initial deposit of £10 to your account. This means that you get to play with £50! However, you must deposit by debit card as other payment methods are excluded from this offer.
300% Matched Deposit Bonus
A 300% deposit match yields £30 for every £10 you deposit. The wagering requirements can vary a lot depending on the casino offering this bonus, so make sure to read the T&Cs carefully.
BetVictor’s new welcome bonus is equal to a 300 deposit bonus on your first deposit. Deposit just £10 and they will give you £30 more to play with, and 30 free spins on Fishin’ Frenzy. This is a shockingly good offer, and a great reason to give BetVictor Casino a spin.
The deposit bonus is delivered as 3 x £10 vouchers to play different casino games. Each £10 free play voucher comes with its own wagering requirements, so if you only want to use one or two of these you will not have to complete the wagering on the maximum £30 bonus before you can collect your cash winnings.
200% Deposit Bonus
Getting a 200% casino bonus match on your first deposit used to be difficult, but nowadays more and more British slots sites offer this type of bonus. By claiming this offer, you triple your funds! You can also find a bit bigger bonuses from these casinos as they don’t risk as much as the casinos listed above.
As the biggest bonus site in Great Britain, BonusFinder have reviewed the casinos which offer a 200% deposit bonus, and our favourite deal is from Irish Spins. This 200% up to £50 bonus comes with 25 bonus spins and wagering requirements of just 35x.
Another great option is Grosvenor Casino, which has a great selection of online games, and their latest new player bonus will give you a £30 boost on your first deposit, increasing your funds by 150%. This is one of the fastest payout casinos in the UK, and there is a low minimum limit of just £5 for many withdrawal methods.
100% Deposit Bonus
The most common real money offer is the 100% deposit bonus. Most first deposit bonuses double your money on your first deposit, letting you play twice as many slots, casino games or bingo.
The 100% matched deposit bonus we recommend the most in October 2024 is from Mr Vegas because this has a maximum of £200 on the table, and comes with 11 free spins with no wagering. Players willing to make a larger first deposit at a new casino should check out Playzee as the maximum you can claim with their 100% match up is £300 extra!
?? Other Types of First Deposit Bonus Casino Offers
As mentioned above, you might also get different types of offers for your first deposit than just deposit match offers. Many online casinos in the UK offer spins if you deposit £10 or more, but you can find some excellent deals with a low minimum deposit as well.
Here are the other first deposit bonuses you can find on BonusFinder UK:
- Free Spins
Although free spins no deposit are everyone’s favorite deals, there are plenty of great offers available if you are willing to make a deposit. Particularly free spins no wagering provide excellent value for new players; you can check out all of the first deposit offers we have for free spins if you enjoy playing slots. - Money Back
If you’d rather play other types of casino games, a money back offer might suit you better than a spins bonus. These bonuses are awarded if you incur losses after your first day of playing on the casino; you might have to lose a certain amount in order to trigger the bonus. The wagering requirement is usually decent, although the bonuses tend to be quite low.
?? Best Online Casino First Deposit Bonus Offers
As you’ve now noticed, a deposit bonus comes in many forms. If you want to claim a casino sign up bonus where the site will match the cash you put into your account or awards you some free spins, we’ve gathered the best options for you.
Here are the top 10 first deposit bonus offers from online casinos in the UK in October 2024:
Online Casino | First Deposit Bonus |
---|---|
1. Coral Casino | Deposit £10, Get 500% Bonus up to £50 |
2. BetVictor | Deposit £10, Get £30 |
3. BetFred Casino | Stake £10, Get up to 200 Free Spins No Wagering |
4. Golden Tiger | £1,500 Max Bonus over 5 Deposits |
5. Playzee | 100% Match up to £300 |
6. Unibet Casino | 400% up to £40 |
7. Betway Casino | Bet £10, Get 125 Free Spins No Wagering |
8. Grosvenor Casino | Deposit £20, Play with £50 |
9. Fun Casino | Double Your Funds up to £123 |
10. PlayGrand Casino | 30 + 30 Spins & 100% up to £100 |
? How to Claim a First Deposit Bonus
Claiming a casino deposit bonus with your first deposit is easy. If you’re new to online gambling, there are few simple rules you should take into account when you deposit real money online. Here are steps you must follow when you make a first deposit to an online casino:
- Choose a 1st deposit bonus from our list: Pick a online casino bonus offer from our regularly updated selection to get more money to play your favourite games online.
- Sign-up for a new casino account: All you need to do is to provide some personal information (full name, date of birth, email address, phone number) and complete the registration process. It only takes a few minutes for these sites to verify new casino players.
- Choose your deposit amount: Decide how much you want to deposit. The minimum deposit at most online casinos is £10.
- Choose a payment method: Make sure you pick a deposit method that is not excluded from first deposit offers, as some payment methods like Neteller and Skrill are frequently excluded from first deposit casino bonuses.
- Check if you need to add a welcome bonus code: Enter the online casino promo code from our website when you make a deposit. If you don’t do that, you will miss out on your bonus money. Many welcome bonuses don’t need a UK promo code nowadays.
- Claim the welcome bonus and start playing: Before you start playing, remember to check your gambling site’s terms and conditions for excluded games, maximum bet limit and bonus expiry.
?? Terms and Conditions for Deposit Casino Bonuses
Online casino bonuses have terms and conditions attached to them. When you are playing with a first deposit offer, always read the T&Cs. When you follow the terms and conditions, you can avoid those unfortunate situations where you lose your winnings due to not following terms and conditions of your 1st deposit bonus.
- Minimum deposit: Online casinos in the United Kingdom usually require a minimum deposit of at least £10. There are a handful of casino sites where you can claim free spins with a 1 pound deposit casino bonus.
- Wagering requirements: A wagering requirement is always part of welcome bonus terms and conditions. Bonus wagering requirements affects how a player can spend the winnings generated from the sign-up bonus. For example, if you are required to wager £100 casino bonus twenty times, you need to play with = £100 x 20 = £2000 before you can withdraw your winnings. Wagering contributions vary by game, and normally only bets placed on slots count 100%.
- Game selection: Online casinos sometimes limit which slots you can play with your bonus money. Table games like Blackjack, Baccarat and Roulette are almost always excluded. Also, slots with the highest RTP (return to player) are often excluded. You can still play popular slots from Microgaming, NetEnt, Play’n Go and other software providers.
- Expiry: Every casino has set an expiry date on your bonus money. It can vary from 7 days to 6 months, so pay close attention to the t&cs when playing with UK casino bonuses.
- Max bet: In addition to game selection, wagering terms and bonus expiry, you need to pay attention to the maximum bet. When you play with bonus money, casinos restrict you from playing with the max bet per spin on slots. Often, a maximum bonus bet is up to £5 per round.
?? Pros and Cons of 1st Deposit Bonuses
Loads of British players are on the hunt for no deposit bonuses as we all love the idea of getting something for free. However, free spins, or free casino bets, often come with strict wagering requirements and lots of game exclusions, so we usually prefer to claim a deposit bonus as these give you more freedom to choose.
With a small minimum deposit you can get a match bonus of up to 500%, and normally get some extra free spins on top, and if you are lucky these might even be free spins with zero wagering requirements so you can keep what you win!
BonusFinder only recommends legitimate online casinos licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, so you can be confident that you will have a safe gaming experience when you choose one of our deals. Remember to always gamble responsibly, and if the fun stops: stop.
Here are some of the pros and cons to choosing a first deposit bonus over free spins with no deposit:
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? FAQ
- What is a first deposit casino bonus?
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Online casinos offer first deposit bonuses for players signing up for a new casino account. The amount you receive depends upon the amount you deposit. For example, you might get a 100% match bonus funds of up to £100. When you deposit £100 of your own money, you will unlock £100, giving you £200 to play real money games. Usually, a £1 - £10 minimum deposit is required to receive a first deposit bonus. After that, you need to play through the bonus money before you're able to withdraw your bonus or free spins winnings. It is called wagering requirements, and it's typically around 20-40 times your casino bonus.
- How does a deposit match bonus work?
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It's given when an amount is deposited, and a percentage of that deposit is matched by the site as a casino bonus! A deposit match bonus gives you more credit to play games online, and the site might match your deposit by anything from 100%-500%.
- What is a 100% deposit bonus?
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A 100% deposit bonus means that the online casino will match your funds by 100%, effectively doubling the amount that you deposit pound for pound. This is the most common type of online casino welcome bonus, but you can also find more generous sites that will match your cash by a higher match percentage.
- Can I get free spins as part of a first deposit bonus?
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Yes, most first deposit casino bonus offers are a combination of extra money and free spins. The number of free spins and which games you can play with the bonus depends on the online casino. You can get up to 100 free spins on your first deposit. Compare casino bonuses on our site and pick your favourite offer from the list. As always, remember to gamble responsibly.
- Do Britons get the most valuable first deposit bonuses?
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Yes, they do. British players are in luck. The gambling business is a competitive market, and due to that, gambling sites try to lure in new players with massive first deposit bonuses. You can take advantage of these casino bonuses when you sign-up for a new account. We list all UK's best casino bonuses on the first deposit on this page.
- Which online casino has the best first deposit bonus?
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There are many different kinds of first deposit bonus available for new players in the UK so this depends on what you want from a deal. The biggest match percentage is currently from Coral Casino, whilst the best free spins bonus is from Betfred. Our top pick for an all-round first deposit bonus has to be from LeoVegas as their latest offer gives you the best of both worlds with up to £50 + 25 free spins.
- Which online casino has the highest welcome bonus in the UK?
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The biggest maximum bonuses available in the UK come from the Casino Rewards group, with sites like Golden Tiger offering up to £1250 extra over your first five deposits. Be aware that whilst these are big bonuses the deposit match percentages vary and the wagering requirements are quite steep.
- Which online casino has the highest no deposit bonus in the UK?
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The biggest no deposit bonus recommended by BonusFinder is from Jazzy Spins. This site lets you spin a wheel to claim your bonus on registration, and you can win anything between £2 and £200 for free. When I claimed this offer I only won a tenner, but the top bonus is the most you can get for free in the UK.