How to opt in to a bonus

How to opt in to a bonus: the short answer

To opt in to a bonus, you tell the casino you want that specific offer before you do the thing that qualifies for it. For a welcome offer, that usually means ticking a box or picking the offer while you register, then making your first deposit. For a reload or a promotion for existing players, it usually means pressing an opt-in or claim button on the promotions page and only then depositing or playing.

Get the order wrong and the most common result is no bonus at all. A deposit made before you opted in usually doesn't count, and most operators can't add an offer afterwards because the terms tie it to a qualifying deposit or qualifying bet made after the opt-in. This guide sits in our casino bonus guides and covers the mechanics; for the full journey from registration to cash-out, see how to claim a casino bonus.

What opting in to a casino bonus actually does

Opting in does two things at once. First, it switches the offer on for your account, so the casino's system knows to watch for your qualifying deposit or bet and credit the reward. Second, and more importantly, it is your agreement to the offer terms. Those terms can include a wagering requirement, a maximum bet, a time limit, game restrictions and payment exclusions, and they bind your play from the moment the bonus is active.

That second part is why opting in isn't something to do on autopilot. With a deposit match, opting in can mean part of your balance is subject to restrictions until you either meet the wagering requirements or the bonus expires. With a no-wagering free spins offer, the commitment is much lighter: you mostly agree to a spin value, a list of selected games and an expiry date.

Opting in is not the same as entering a bonus code. None of our five partners needs a promo code for its welcome offer. If you're unsure whether an offer needs one, our guide to using a bonus code explains the difference.

Five ways UK casinos ask you to opt in

There is no single standard screen. Casinos build their own sign-up and cashier flows, so the opt-in can appear in different places. These are the routes you are most likely to meet.

Some promotions credit a reward without a separate button, which the industry often calls auto-claim. Even then, the Gambling Commission's guidance expects players to choose to take part rather than be enrolled automatically, so the choice tends to sit earlier in the journey, for example in an offer you selected at registration. Our comparison of opt-in and automatic bonuses goes into that difference.

How opting in works for each partner welcome offer

Our five partners use different routes, and the differences matter. The table below sets out what each offer's terms say about claiming, as last checked on 5 October 2026. All offers are for 18+ new customers and terms apply.

Notice how the step moves around. With Casumo's welcome bonus the opt-in is a stated requirement before you deposit. With the 10bet casino bonus the decision happens at registration, because you choose between welcome offers. With Coral's free spins offer and the Ladbrokes free spins offer, the decisive moment is accepting or claiming the spins after the £10 slots bet. PlayOJO's welcome offer relies on the route you join through.

How to opt in to a bonus step by step

The exact screens vary, but this sequence works for almost every UK casino offer. It assumes you have already checked that the casino holds a Gambling Commission licence.

1. Open the promotion's own page and read the significant terms: deposit, stake, spin value, wagering, expiry and excluded payment methods.
2. Register through the route the offer names (for PlayOJO, its designated offer link), and complete the age and identity checks the casino asks for.
3. Select the offer or tick the opt-in box at sign-up, or press the opt-in button on the promotions page if you already have an account.
4. Check that the offer now shows as active or pending in your account before you put any money in.
5. Make the qualifying deposit with a payment method the terms don't exclude, and set a deposit limit when the casino prompts you.
6. Place the qualifying bet if there is one, such as £10 on slots at Coral or Ladbrokes.
7. Accept or claim the reward inside its window, then use it before it expires.

Opt-in timing: claim windows and daily deadlines

Timing causes more missed bonuses than anything else. There are three clocks to keep in mind, and they run separately.

1. The window to qualify

Some offers give you a limited period after registering to make the qualifying deposit. 10bet's terms say the first deposit must be made within 7 days of choosing the casino welcome bonus. Miss that and the offer lapses even though you opted in.

2. The window to accept

Free spins often arrive as a reward you must accept. Coral's terms give 48 hours to accept the 100 spins. Ladbrokes splits its reward into ten daily batches of 50, and each batch must be claimed before 23:59 that day. Up to 500 spins × 10p is up to £50 of spins, but a day you don't claim is 50 spins (£5 of spin value) you don't get. Our page on the claim window explains how these deadlines are written.

3. The window to use

Once accepted, spins and bonus funds have a validity period: 7 days for Coral's and Ladbrokes' spins, 7 days to complete Casumo's wagering and 3 days for 10bet's. If you're short of time, it can be better to wait until you can use the offer properly than to opt in and watch it expire.

What you agree to when you opt in: a worked example

Casumo's offer shows why opting in deserves a moment's thought. The bonus is 50% of your first deposit up to £100, with a £20 minimum deposit, 10x wagering on the bonus within 7 days and a £5 maximum bet while the bonus is active. Here is what different deposits commit you to.

The average cost column is the house edge multiplied by the wagering: £1,000 of play at 4% costs about £40 on average, which is still less than the £100 bonus, but that is a long-run average and any single session can land far above or below it. The bonus doesn't change the odds of the games you play. The £5 cap sits alongside the UK online slot stake limits, so an 18 to 24-year-old is limited to £2 a spin on slots anyway and would need at least 500 spins to wager £1,000.

Compare that with Coral's offer. Opting in there commits you to a £10 slots bet in exchange for 100 spins at 10p, or £10 of spins. If the selected game returned around 96% over the long run, those spins would pay back roughly £9.60 on average, and there's no wagering on what they win. The commitment is smaller and easier to understand, which is the honest trade-off between free spins and deposit matches.

UK rules on opting in to bonuses in 2026

Opting in sits inside a set of rules that protect you once you've agreed to a promotion. The Gambling Commission's guidance on the right to vary a promotion (opens in a new tab) says players must opt in to promotions rather than be enrolled automatically, and that operators must not use terms letting them change or withdraw a promotion for someone who has opted in, unless it's needed to prevent fraud or similar unlawful behaviour. Whether bonus terms can change after you opt in is covered in more detail in its own answer.

• Clear terms first. Significant conditions must be shown with the headline offer on landing and sign-up pages, with the full terms easy to reach before you sign up, under the Commission's transparency guidance (opens in a new tab).
• 10x cap. Since 19 January 2026, wagering on bonus funds can't exceed 10 times the bonus, so no offer you opt into at a UK-licensed casino should ask for more. See the 10x wagering cap.
• One product per offer. Since the same date, a single incentive can't mix casino with betting, bingo or lottery, which is why offers like 10bet's ask you to choose the casino welcome bonus. Our guide to choosing a sports or casino welcome offer explains the change.
• Your own money stays yours. You can withdraw your deposit balance while a bonus is active; wagering only applies to the bonus. See withdrawing your deposit with a bonus active.
• Harm comes first. Operators must stop marketing and stop you taking up new bonuses if there are strong signs of gambling harm, explained in bonuses and harm indicators.

Opting in to a bonus vs opting in to marketing

Sign-up forms often show two kinds of opt-in close together, and they do very different things. The bonus opt-in attaches a specific offer to your account. The marketing opt-in decides whether the casino can contact you about future offers.

Since 1 May 2025, remote casino, bingo and betting operators must let you choose marketing separately for each product (betting, casino, bingo) and each channel (email, SMS, phone), and those choices must be off unless you switch them on, under LCCP code 5.1.12 (opens in a new tab). You can take a welcome bonus and still say no to every marketing message. Our page on marketing consent rules has the detail, and how to stop bonus emails shows how to change your mind later.

Opted in but no bonus? The usual reasons

If you opted in and nothing appeared, one of these is the most likely cause. The answer to why a bonus wasn't credited goes through each in more depth.

• The deposit came before the opt-in, so it wasn't counted as the qualifying deposit.
• The deposit used an excluded method: Coral, Ladbrokes and 10bet all list e-wallets or prepaid methods that don't qualify (see how payment exclusions work).
• The deposit or bet was below the minimum, such as less than £20 at Casumo or less than £10 on slots at Coral.
• The qualifying bet went on a game that doesn't count, for example a table game when the offer needs a slots bet.
• The acceptance window closed before you claimed the reward.
• You joined through a different route from the one the offer names, or tried to combine offers.
• The account isn't fully verified yet, or isn't eligible (for example, PlayOJO's welcome offer excludes Northern Ireland).

You can see what's attached to your account in the bonus or promotions area; checking whether a bonus is active explains where to look and how a pending bonus differs from an active one.

Changing your mind after opting in

Opting in doesn't lock you in for good. Most casinos let you forfeit an active bonus from the bonus area or through support. With a deposit match, forfeiting usually removes the bonus and anything won with it, while your own deposit balance stays yours. With no-wagering spins there's normally nothing to cancel: unused spins simply expire.

Turning a bonus down is a perfectly sensible choice, especially if the wagering, time limit or max bet doesn't fit how you play. Our pages on whether to opt out of a bonus and how to opt out of bonuses cover the practical side.

Opt-in steps for our partner offers

None of our partners needs a code, but each has a claim step worth noting. Coral (18+, new players, offer runs to 1 February 2027): deposit with a qualifying method, bet £10+ on slots, then accept 100 free spins at 10p within 48 hours and use them within 7 days; no wagering on spin winnings, and Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify. Ladbrokes (18+, new customers): deposit and spend £10+ on slots, then claim 50 free spins at 10p before 23:59 each day for 10 days (up to 500), each batch valid 7 days, no wagering; prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits don't qualify.

PlayOJO (18+, new UK customers excluding Northern Ireland): join through the designated offer link and make a first deposit of at least £10 for 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each, with winnings paid as cash and no wagering; it can't be combined with other offers. Coral and Ladbrokes are both run by LC International Limited, so check the terms before trying to open new accounts at both. Whichever you choose, treat the offer as a way to try a casino, set a limit before you deposit, and remember that gambling costs money over time.

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.