How to choose a welcome bonus

How to choose a welcome bonus: begin with your own plans

A welcome bonus is a one-off offer for new customers, usually tied to a first deposit or first bet. Because you only get one per casino (and sometimes one per group of linked casinos), it pays to pick deliberately. The right choice depends far more on you than on the offer: four questions settle most cases.

1. How much would you deposit if there were no bonus at all?
2. Do you mainly play slots, or table and live games?
3. Which payment method do you use?
4. Do you play in one sitting, or a little most days?

Answer those honestly first, and the offers sort themselves. The rest of this page, part of our casino bonus guides, goes through each question.

Choosing a welcome bonus by deposit size

Offers scale differently with the deposit. Spin offers give the same spins whether you put in £10 or £100, while match bonuses grow with the deposit up to a cap. Here's what each amount gets at the five casinos we track (18+, new customers, terms apply).

The table shows why deposit size matters. At £10, the spin offers give the most to play with relative to the spend. A larger match bonus appears only if you were going to deposit a larger amount anyway; depositing more to reach a cap means more of your own money at stake. Our pages on the £10 deposit bonus, £20 deposit bonus and £50 deposit bonus go deeper on each amount.

Types of welcome bonus and who each suits

Spins are measured in free spins value: spins × stake. A match bonus is measured after wagering: see our guide to the expected value of a casino bonus. If you want to weigh the two directly, match bonus vs free spins sets them out side by side.

Picking a welcome offer for the games you actually play

Most welcome offers are built around slots. Spin offers are tied to particular games: PlayOJO's spins are on Big Bass Bonanza, while Coral and Ladbrokes list their selected games on the promotion page. 10bet's wagering counts on slots only, and Casumo applies game restrictions set out in its terms.

If you mostly play blackjack, roulette or live dealer games, a slots-focused welcome bonus may give you little that you'd use. Table and live games often count at a low rate towards wagering or not at all, which makes a match bonus slow to clear. Our pages on the live casino bonus and the table games bonus explain why these offers are rarer, and in that case skipping the welcome bonus can be the better choice.

Choosing a welcome bonus your payment method qualifies for

This check catches more people out than any other. Coral excludes Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards; Ladbrokes excludes prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers; 10bet's welcome bonus excludes Skrill and Neteller; Casumo says payment restrictions apply. A debit card is the method most likely to qualify, though even here Coral excludes certain cards, so check before you deposit.

Credit cards can't be used for gambling in Great Britain at all, a ban in force since 14 April 2020 that also covers e-wallets topped up by credit card; the Commission's guide to gambling with a credit card (opens in a new tab) explains it. For method-by-method detail, see the payment methods hub and how to choose a payment method for a bonus.

One-off or daily: matching the offer to your routine

Ladbrokes' offer is built for daily visits: 50 spins become available each day for 10 days and each batch must be claimed before 23:59. If you'd log in on, say, four of those days, the offer is worth 200 spins (£20 of spins) to you, not 500. Coral's single batch of 100 spins and PlayOJO's 80 spins suit someone who plays now and then.

Deadlines on match bonuses work the same way. 10bet gives 3 days for £250 of wagering at most, Casumo 7 days for up to £1,000. Choose the offer whose timetable fits your normal routine, not one that would set a new routine. Our comparison of daily vs one-off free spins looks at this trade-off.

Sports or casino welcome bonus: you now choose one

Since 19 January 2026, a single incentive can't mix gambling products, so "bet on football, get casino spins" style offers have gone. The Commission set this out alongside the 10x wagering cap in its announcement on safer, simpler promotions (opens in a new tab). At sites that offer both betting and casino, you choose which welcome offer to take: 10bet, for example, asks you to choose the casino welcome bonus at sign-up. Our page on the sports or casino welcome offer explains the choice and the mixed-product promotion ban gives the rule.

Who can claim which welcome bonus

• Age: every offer is 18+, and identity and age are checked before you can deposit.
• Northern Ireland: PlayOJO's welcome offer excludes Northern Ireland, and Gambling Commission protections cover Great Britain; see bonuses in Northern Ireland.
• Linked brands: Coral and Ladbrokes are run by the same company, so one person may not be able to hold new accounts at both. Check the terms.
• One per person or household: most terms limit an offer to one claim; see one offer per household.
• Ages 18 to 24: a £2 maximum stake per online slot spin applies, which affects how quickly a match bonus can be wagered.

Which welcome bonus fits which situation

These are starting points, not recommendations to play more. Each offer's own page, such as Coral's bonus or Casumo's bonus, lists the full terms.

Choose a welcome bonus in six steps

1. Decide your deposit and set it as your limit when the casino prompts you.
2. Shortlist offers that match your main type of game.
3. Remove any that exclude your payment method.
4. Compare what remains in pounds, after any wagering cost.
5. Check the deadlines against how often you normally play.
6. Read the significant terms in full, then opt in, or walk away if anything is unclear.

For a broader framework, our guide on how to compare casino bonuses turns offers into like-for-like figures.

When choosing no welcome bonus is the right call

There's no obligation to take a welcome bonus. Turning one down can make sense if the deadline would push you to play more, if you might want to withdraw soon, or if you'd rather play games the offer doesn't cover. A bonus doesn't change the house edge or make gambling cheaper overall. Our guide on when to say no to a bonus covers the signs, and the safer gambling page lists tools and free support, including the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.

Partner welcome offers and who they fit

For a first deposit of around £10 on slots, the three offers below come closest. Coral (18+, new players): deposit and bet £10 or more on slots for 100 spins at 10p on selected games, accept within 48 hours, valid 7 days, no wagering on spin winnings; Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify. Ladbrokes (18+, new customers): play £10 on slots for 50 spins a day over 10 days, up to 500 at 10p, claim before 23:59 each day, valid 7 days, no wagering; prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers don't qualify. PlayOJO (18+, new UK customers excluding Northern Ireland): 80 spins at 10p on Big Bass Bonanza with a first deposit of £10 or more, no wagering, winnings paid in cash.

Larger planned deposits point towards Casumo (50% up to £100, 10x within 7 days, £5 max bet) or 10bet (100% up to £25, 10x on slots within 3 days, £1,000 max bonus winnings). Whichever you choose, terms apply and the house edge still does.

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.