Best Slots Welcome Bonuses and Sign Up Offers 2023
Going through every single UK online casino to source a decent slots welcome bonus requires time and energy. Most players would rather focus on the fun part, which is playing the actual games. It would be a mistake to simply pick up the first slots bonus for UK players that you encounter, without knowing its terms, advantages and disadvantages.
Our expert team has done all the homework so you don’t have to, scouring the best slots websites to identify which online slots bonus is worth your time and your deposit. Below, you’ll find a list of our best scoring casinos slots bonuses, tried and tested.
Guide to picking slot bonuses
Nowadays, most UK casinos worth their salt will offer some form of slots offers to a player who’s registering for the first time. But not every online slots bonus is created equally. You will come across many different terms and conditions attached to a casino’s sign-up offer, and these can all affect your enjoyment.
Our experts go through a very rigorous process before deciding which offers to recommend and which to avoid. Below, we are sharing the list of criteria that we use and that will also help you decide which are the best slot bonuses UK for you.
Slot site’s license
We suggest that you avoid any slots site that doesn’t operate under a UKGC license. The approval of the British gambling regulator not only ensures that the casino itself operates to high safety and security standards, but also means that your rights are protected by British law should any disagreement between you and the casino arise. All our recommendations for the best UK slots bonus possess a UK Gambling Commission license.
Bonus size and percentage
Well, of course the bigger the better. We tend to recommend match deposits of 100% up to at least £150. Anything less is not exactly generous. As for free spins slots bonuses, we look for a minimum of 10. The very best slot bonuses offer a combination of both.
Bonus type
Do we prefer match deposits, free spins, no deposit bonuses, ongoing loyalty schemes? These all have their pros and cons, and it all depends on what you’re looking for. Players who enjoy flitting from one new site to another may not be so bothered with a loyalty programme. For low-rollers we’d recommend no deposit bonuses, while those with more bankroll at their disposal would benefit from a good match deposit.
Minimum deposit
How much are you expected to deposit to be eligible for the slots bonus? The more you’re expected to spend, the less likely that our experts will include that site on our list of best welcome bonus UK offers. Most of our recommended slots sign up offers with require a minimum of £10. Some go up to £20, and we’d only suggest these to medium-rollers.
Wagering requirements
The number of times that you must match the value of the bonus before you can cash out your bonus winnings. The best slots bonuses have a WR of 35x, with some sites even going down to 30x. If you’re looking at anything over 50x you need to question whether it’s viable for your budget – after all, you're looking for online casinos that payout, not ones that will hold on to your winnings until you wager an astronomical sum.
Winning limitations
This is another common condition attached to slots welcome bonuses, and casinos will often stipulate that your wins can’t exceed a specific amount when you’re playing with the bonus. A maximum of £500 is very common. Some sites impose a ceiling of £100, which is a bit too low for our tastes. Preferably, we're looking for a casino that will pay out instantly.
Game fairness & RTP – If you’re playing at a UK licensed online casino you don’t need to worry about this as all games are audited to make sure that the wins are randomly generated to ensure fairness. If the site offers titles with RTP percentages that exceed 95%, that’s definitely an indication that you’re onto some good slot offers as the chances of a payout are higher.
Time limits
We expect the best slots bonus UK to give us enough time to make use of our offer without piling on the pressure. Seven days minimum is expected, and some sites will even offer expiry terms of three months and more, making them our top-rated. We consider 24 hours to be too strict a time limit.
Max bet
When using your slots bonus UK cash you won’t be able to exceed a certain amount on a single bet. This is typically set at £5 at most casinos, which is considered fair as it can allow for a decent win without making the casino go out of business. Sites that impose £2.50 are considered inferior by our team of experts.
Game restrictions
It’s very normal to impose restrictions on which games are eligible for play with bonus funds. Some games with a very low house edge, for example, will be excluded, as will be progressive jackpots. Other sites may allow you to use your bonus funds only one the titles of a specific software provider, or on a selection of new slots. What we don’t like to see in the best deposit bonus slots is a stipulation that you can only use the offer on one title, as this isn’t fair on the player.
Payouts & cashier policy
Although we play for fun, nothing beats the adrenaline of a good win. And when that happens, we want access to our winnings as fast as possible. The withdrawals options offered by a slot bonus UK site play a role in determining whether we’ll recommended it. If a site doesn’t offer a convenient option for you, then it’s pointless to sign up. And we always advise players to take note of withdrawal times and limits to ensure that you won’t have to wait an unreasonable amount of time before the money reaches your account.
Types of Slots Bonuses
There are as many slots bonuses as there are online casinos. Ok, maybe not quite, but you’ll find a lot of different types of slots sign up bonus, each with different terms and conditions attached. Which make the best online slot bonuses? This depends entirely on what you enjoy as a player. Below, we’ll explain the most common types so you can make an informed decision.
Welcome slot bonuses
Finding the best slots welcome bonus is the dream. Expect to see a mix of matched deposit bonuses and/or free spins offered to players who are registering for the first time at a UK online casino. We’ll go into some more details about these below, as they’re not only limited to a slots sign up offer but are sometimes offered even to returning players.
There’s usually a limit imposed, which can be anything from £100 upwards. Any amount that you deposit that exceeds this limit will not be matched. Thus, if you deposit £200 but the bonus is a 100% match deposit of up to £100, you will be given a total of £300 to play with.
A deposit bonus, the most common and traditional offer type, can significantly boost your balance. The concept is simple, the casino matches your deposit with a specified amount of bonus funds, which you can convert into real money by wagering them.
The very best deposit bonus slots can even offer more than a 100% match up, going up to 200% or even 300%.
Slots deposit bonus
This is probably the most common type of slots offer that you’ll find, especially among new casino sites. The idea is to encourage a player to put down a deposit by boosting the actual amount they put down. A 100% match deposit will double up your initial bonus, so that if you decide to put down £10, you’ll be given £20 to play with.
Free spins
Players who enjoy a good go at the reels for free are all about the free spins. These can be offered on their own, or even combined with a match deposit for some extra oomph. Free spins are also a popular choice when it comes to rewarding existing players or even promoting a new slot so as to entice players to become more familiar with it.
It’s important to note that, unless stated otherwise, you’ll still need to put down a deposit to claim the free spins. This type of slots bonus typically comes with 35x wagering requirements attached.
Free spins no wagering
Many players will claim that these really are the best slot bonus. You can claim them exactly in the same way as with normal free spins. However, any winnings you make can be cashed out immediately without needing to meet any wagering requirements. These are very rare to find and are usually offered by the bigger brands.
A no deposit bonus is one of the most sought-after bonus types, and it's easy to see why. You get the opportunity to try a casino without making a deposit while still having the chance to win money in the process.
These bonuses can range from bonus funds to free spins, with some casinos offering up to £20 without requiring a deposit. The main difference between no deposit bonus funds and no deposit free spins is that bonus funds can typically be used on several different games, whereas free spins are typically limited to just one.
No deposit slots bonus
These are the unicorns of the UK online gambling world, and undoubtedly considered the best slots bonus. These offers do exactly what they promise, allowing you to put down real-money wagers without needing to put down any money yourself. They can take the form of free bonus cash or free spins.
Bear in mind that no deposit doesn’t necessarily mean wager-free, so check the terms and conditions carefully to make sure that any playthrough requirements are within your budget limits.
Reload slots bonuses
Created to entice players to continue playing at a casino, these kind of slots bonuses are common in the UK with a second, third or fourth deposit. The offer may take the shape of a percentage match to your deposit or an offer of free spins to be used on specific games.
Always expect to see wagering requirements attached to such offers, and many will have shorter expiry terms as they’re intended to get you to act on the offer fast.
Cashback slot bonus
Another type of slots bonus that targets returning players. Losing is an inescapable part of online gambling, but these promotions sweeten the deal by offering returning players a percentage of their losses back. This can be anything between 5% and 20% of your losses, depending on how much money you’ve deposited, and gives you the chance to extend your play time even after you’ve run out of bankroll.
New slots bonus
With new titles being launched every week, the online casino market has never been so competitive. What does an operator or software provider do to entice players to try out an unknown slot? Dish out a bonus on that title, of course. Look out for releases by the big players as they will invariably have some form of free spins or tournament offer.
Slots Bonuses Wagering Requirements & Limits
Wagering requirements are considered as a necessary evil, attached even to the very best slots bonuses UK. As stated earlier, it’s only when they are too high that they are considered unfair. Why are they needed? The reason is simple – if a casino were to give free cash and free spins and allow all players to simply cash out their wins immediately, then it would go out of business very fast.
One way to avoid this while still giving players an enticing slots sign-up offer is by making you deposit some more of your money before you take all your winnings and disappear. The way it works is very simple. Let’s say there’s a wagering requirement of 10x attached to the bonus funds. If you receive £100 in bonus cash, you will need to play through £1,000 before you can withdraw the winnings.
Sometimes, the wagering requirements are attached not only to the bonus money but also to the first deposit. In the above example, let’s say you deposited £100 and received another £100 in bonus cash. If there’s a 10x requirement attached to both, you’ll actually need to play through £2,000 before cashing out bonus winnings. This distinction is important when deciding which are the best slots sign up offers.
However, wagering requirements aren’t the only terms attached to online slots bonuses. Below, we explain what limits you can expect to encounter when using your slot deposit bonus.
Maximum cash-out on bonus fun
These set the maximum amount you can withdraw from bonus winnings. A fair limit might be around 5x-10x the bonus value. But if a casino sets the limit too low, like below the bonus value, we view it as unfair.
Game limits
Some online slots bonuses can only be used on specific slots. This can be fair if a wide range of games is included, but not if the eligible games are few and have a low RTP.
Playthrough limits
This refers to the percentage that a game contributes to the wagering requirements when using bonus funds. Most slots contribute 100%, so any wager you place will go towards fulfilling the requirements. Table games and live dealer games vary. Some casinos don’t count them at all, while some others accept a 10% or 15% contribution towards playthrough.
Bet size limits
When you set a wager using bonus money you won’t necessarily be allowed to go with the max bet per spin. Each site will inform you of the maximum bet in the terms and conditions, but a fair cap would be considered £5 per spin.
Time limits
This refers both to the time you have to use the bonus, and to the time you’re given to reach playthrough requirements. In both cases we expect a minimum of a week, although the best online slots bonuses UK offer 30 days or more. The higher the wagering requirement, the longer should be the time period to meet them.
Slots Bonuses FAQs
All your questions about slot bonuses answered.
Online slots bonuses are incentives offered by casinos to attract new players or to encourage existing ones to continue playing for real money. These bonuses come in various forms, like free spins, deposit matches, or no deposit bonuses, and can significantly boost a player’s bankroll.
Our experts have compiled a list of the best online slots bonuses for UK players. On this guide you’ll find an explanation of what makes these the best and how to claim them.
Online slots bonuses work by providing extra funds or free spins upon meeting certain conditions, like depositing money or signing up. These bonuses can then be used to put real money wagers on eligible games.
Common types of slots bonuses include deposit welcome bonuses offered to new players, usually upon making a minimum deposit of £10 or £20. Casinos also offer match deposit bonuses, free spins, no deposit bonuses, reload slots bonuses and cashbacks as a percentage of your losses.
Wagering requirements dictate how much you need to bet before withdrawing winnings from your bonus. These vary per casino, but a fair amount is considered to be 35x or under. The wagering requirements can be attached to both the first deposit and the bonus cash, or even to both.
Yes, you can win real money with online slots bonuses. However, you’ll need to meet the casino’s wagering requirements and adhere to any other bonus terms and conditions before you can withdraw the winnings. And always remember that winning depends entirely on luck.
To claim casino online slots bonuses, sign up or log in to your casino account, go to the promotions section, select the bonus you want, and follow the provided instructions, which may involve making a deposit.
Yes, sometimes casinos will offer no deposit online slots bonuses, although these are very rare. All you’ll need to do to activate these offers is to register and claim the bonus. However, no deposit slots bonuses can still have wagering requirements attached to them.