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The best online casino bonuses for UK players

by ReadyBetGo Editor

With such a wide variety of choice in the online gaming market, UK players are some of the best compensated players around.

Never mind the huge variety of payment options available (Paypal, anyone?)ReadyBetGo EditorThere are occasions when we here at ReadyBetGo want to bring you interesting facts about the gambling industry  When something catches our eye, we will publish it for your enjoyment. 
  and masses of casinos sites from which to choose, it’s the online casinos bonuses where UK players really see their value.

But first:

An Overview of Bonuses and Promotions

Online casinos can be very lucrative places for all players, but it’s when the casinos are trying to win your custom that the best casino offers and biggest benefits can be seen.

Most online casinos will offer prospective players a huge welcome bonus package to get them to sign up, and which usually include some form of extra cash percentage on a first deposit. Some welcome packages might extend into players’ second and third deposits, and even beyond!

Otherwise, casinos will keep you interested after signup by offering further regular bonuses, promotions and even VIP programmes (and other extras), with their own set of (usually higher) promotions for players. These can be weekly, monthly, event-based (such as at Christmas), anniversary-related (such as your joining anniversary and birthday) or even ‘just because’.

Below are the most common types of online bonuses UK players can expect.

Match Bonuses

These are probably the most common types of bonuses across online casinos - and are especially popular as welcome bonuses.

You’ll usually see these written as X% up £X - for example, 100% up to £500.

What it means is, that any amount you deposit (after the minimum deposit required to activate the bonus, for example: anything over £10 means you’re eligible for the bonus. Either way, it’s best to check what that minimum deposit is) up to £500, the casino will give you the same amount you deposited.

If the match bonus would be 50% up to £500, then the casino will match 50% of your deposit, so if you deposit £100, the casino will give you £50, meaning you receive £150 to play with. Not bad, eh?

Free Spins

Sometimes, to try to attract players to play slot games, casinos will offer free spins.

These are free turns you have (sometimes on a specific slot, which will be named - e.g. ‘enjoy 10 free spins on Rainbow Riches’), where you get to play the slot for free - and any winnings you receive you get to keep (subject to the terms and conditions of the bonus and casino).

Free spins as bonuses are particularly great for online slots fans, and with some free spins triggering other sets of free spins, they can even net you a fair bit, if you're lucky!

Hybrid Bonuses

These are much more simple than they sound, and are actually just two bonuses offered together - such as a match bonus with free spins. For example: Get 100% up to £400 and 20 Free Spins.

Free Cash Extras

While it could be that ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’, these free cash bonuses really are what they seem - subject to certain terms and conditions. It definitely beats trying to find other ways to make money at a casino.

Players can expect to see free cash bonuses offered in a few ways, with the most common being something like: ‘Get £50 Free’, or ‘Deposit £10, play with £60’.

However they’re phrased, they both mean the same thing - you as a player can expect a little extra just for signing up or deposit, whatever the conditions may be.

Although it can be tricky to work out if cash bonuses or match bonuses make your money go further, in most cases, they actually give you the same amount.

For example, if you were to deposit £50, and you were faced with two bonus offers:

  • Deposit £10, play with £60, or
  • Get 100% bonus up to £100,

You would be receiving the same amount of extra cash in both cases - £50.

It’s always best, in any case, to do a bit of calculating before making a deposit with a bonus attached.

Otherwise, another type of bonus you may occasionally see if the no deposit casino bonus, where you are given free cash, free spins, or a benefit of the casino’s choosing, without even putting down a deposit. However, these are incredibly rare bonuses to find.

Bottom Line on Online Casino Bonuses

Casino bonuses are nice little extras for gamers looking to make their money go further, and while they’re not limited exclusively to introductory welcome bonuses, these are where players can expect to find the best deals. One way around this is to sign up to several online casino sites for their welcome bonuses, otherwise, a few regular checks of your chosen casino’s bonuses and promotions page should be able to offer you something you like. 

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