Bonus Crab explained

What Bonus Crab is

Bonus Crab is a branded reward feature built to look like a fairground claw machine. Inside the casino lobby, a glass case holds a pile of prize capsules or toys. Each attempt lets you steer the claw, drop it and see what it lifts. The capsule then opens to show a prize, typically free spins on a named slot, bonus funds, or a boost to a future deposit.

It belongs to the wider group of reward games that casinos use for retention, alongside prize wheels and pick-a-box screens. What sets Bonus Crab apart is that attempts are usually tied to deposits: deposit a set amount and you get a crab, deposit more and you get more. That makes it a deposit bonus with a game wrapped around it rather than a free extra. You can compare it with other formats in our guide to types of casino bonus.

Plain answer: none of our five partners, Coral, Ladbrokes, PlayOJO, Casumo or 10bet, runs a feature called Bonus Crab, and the name turns up mostly on casino sites that don't hold a Gambling Commission licence for British players. Check any site's licence before depositing.

How a Bonus Crab game usually works

Details differ by site, but the descriptions published for crab-style features follow a common pattern:

1. Make a qualifying deposit, often above a set minimum, to earn one or more crab attempts.
2. Open the crab or claw section of the lobby, where your attempts are counted.
3. Steer the claw left or right and press to drop it onto the prize pile.
4. The claw lifts a capsule, or misses, and the result screen shows your prize.
5. Activate the prize in your bonus area before it expires, then read its separate wagering and bet rules.
6. Play any free spins on the named slot, or play through any bonus funds, before converting winnings to cash.

That last step is where the real value is decided. A crab prize is just the start of a normal bonus, with all the usual bonus terms attached.

Is Bonus Crab skill or luck?

It's built to feel like skill. You line up the claw, choose the moment and watch it grab. But in a digital game the operator decides how prizes are awarded, and nothing on the screen tells you the chance of each one. Unless the terms explicitly say your aim affects the result, assume the outcome is set by the operator's prize odds and the claw animation is presentation.

That matters because a feeling of control can encourage more attempts, and more attempts here mean more deposits. If you notice yourself thinking "one more go and I'll get the big capsule", that's the design working. The same caution applies to slot features: the RTP and volatility of a game aren't changed by when you press the button.

What a Bonus Crab prize is worth

The prize screen shows a face value. What you can expect to keep depends on the wagering attached. On a slot with 96% RTP, the house edge is 4%, so each £100 of wagering costs about £4 on average. The table compares the same £10 prize under different wagering levels; the higher figures are examples of what sites outside the UK rules can set.

Once wagering passes 25x on a 4% edge game, the average cost of clearing a bonus is larger than the bonus itself. That's why the UK cap matters, and why a prize that looks generous on an unlicensed site can be worth less than nothing on average. For spins, the maths is simpler: 20 free spins at 10p are £2 of play, returning about £1.92 on average at 96% RTP, before any wagering on the winnings. Our free spins maths guide covers spin values in detail.

Bonus Crab and unlicensed casinos: the risks for UK players

A casino that isn't licensed by the Gambling Commission isn't bound by British rules, whatever its bonuses look like. For a UK player, that means losing protections you'd otherwise take for granted:

Sites outside the British system also have no obligation to stop bonuses when someone shows signs of harm. Our guide to offshore casino bonus risks explains these gaps, and UK vs non-UK casino bonuses sets the two side by side.

How to check a Bonus Crab site's licence

It takes two minutes and is the most useful thing you can do before depositing anywhere new.

1. Scroll to the site's footer and note the company name and the licence or account number it shows.
2. Search for that company or number on the Gambling Commission's public register (opens in a new tab).
3. Check that the licence is active and that the website's domain is listed under that business.
4. If you can't find a matching, active GB licence, don't deposit, whatever the bonus offers.
5. If you've self-excluded through GAMSTOP, treat any site that still lets you sign up as unlicensed for Great Britain.

Our step-by-step guide on how to check a casino licence shows what each register entry means.

UK-licensed alternatives to Bonus Crab

Grab-style and free-to-play prize games do exist at licensed casinos, under their own names. These descriptions come from the partners' app store listings and help pages, which are their own summaries; features can change.

We haven't seen published prize odds for any of these, and they aren't part of the welcome offers. What they share is the UK framework: 10x maximum wagering on bonus funds, clear terms and access to complaint routes. See our bonus wheel page for the closest licensed format.

Arcade-style bonuses and the under-18s advertising rule

Claw machines are familiar from seaside arcades and family entertainment centres, which is part of their appeal. In British gambling marketing, that familiarity carries a responsibility. Under CAP Code section 16 (opens in a new tab), rule 16.3.12, gambling ads must not be likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s, a standard in force since 1 October 2022. The updated CAP and BCAP guidance on protecting under-18s (opens in a new tab), dated 14 October 2025, explains how imagery, characters and styles are judged.

That doesn't ban arcade themes outright, but it means a UK-licensed operator has to think carefully about how a claw game looks in its marketing. Sites outside the British system have no such duty. If someone under 18 in your home uses your devices, keep gambling apps locked away; our page on UK advertising codes covers the rules in more depth.

Bonus Crab terms to read before you deposit

If you come across a crab or claw feature on any site, these are the lines to find before you deposit:

• Licence: a Gambling Commission account number you can verify. Without it, stop here.
• How attempts are earned: the deposit amount per crab, and whether attempts expire.
• Prize list: what each capsule can hold, and whether odds are published.
• Wagering on bonus prizes: no more than 10x at a UK-licensed site. See what a good wagering requirement is.
• Max bet, eligible games and max cashout for any bonus funds won.
• Expiry: both for unused attempts and for prizes once activated.
• Payment exclusions: which deposit methods earn attempts.

Partner offers instead of a Bonus Crab

If what appeals about Bonus Crab is a fun, small prize for a modest deposit, a simple licensed welcome offer does the same job with clearer value. These three come closest. Each is for new customers aged 18+, and terms apply.

Coral gives 100 free spins at 10p, £10 of spins, when you deposit (certain types excluded) and bet £10 or more on slots. The spins are for selected games, must be accepted within 48 hours and used within 7 days, and carry no wagering on winnings. Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify, and the offer runs 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027. Full detail: Coral casino bonus.

Ladbrokes pays out in daily batches, the nearest thing here to collecting prizes: spend £10 or more on slots after depositing and get 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500 at 10p. Each day's spins must be claimed by 23:59 and are valid for 7 days on selected games, with no wagering. Ladbrokes excludes prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits. More on our Ladbrokes free spins page.

PlayOJO offers 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p, £8 of spins, on a first deposit of at least £10 for new UK customers outside Northern Ireland. Winnings are paid as cash with no wagering; the offer is only through the designated link and can't be combined with another. See our PlayOJO casino bonus review.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: set a budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.