Online casino welcome bonuses

Start with the wagering, not the headline

"Up to €7,000" and "500% match" are written to be noticed. What you take home depends on three smaller numbers in the terms: the wagering multiple, what it applies to, and how much each game counts. Two real offers from our list show how far apart they can be.

VegasNova wagers the bonus only, at 35x. A €100 deposit with a 100% match gives you €100 of bonus and €3,500 to bet. Winolot wagers the deposit and the bonus together, at 35x, on a 125% match. The same €100 deposit brings a €125 bonus and €7,875 to bet. Same multiple, more than twice the work.

The kinds of bonus you will meet

A deposit match adds a percentage of what you pay in, up to a cap. It is the standard welcome offer, and some casinos split it over three or four deposits. Free spins are rounds on named slots; their winnings are nearly always wagered too. A no-deposit bonus gives a small credit at sign-up, with tight limits on what you can withdraw.

Cashback refunds part of your losses over a period, often a weekend, and tends to carry lighter terms. Reloads are smaller deposit matches for existing players. And a few casinos, such as Cazino Big, offer a no-wagering bonus: whatever you win is yours straight away.

Five lines to read before you accept

• Wagering above 40x makes an offer hard to clear on a normal budget.
• Maximum bet while the bonus is active, often €5 and €12 at Winolot. Going over can void your winnings.
• Cash-out cap on bonus winnings, common on free spins and no-deposit offers.
• Time limit, from 24 hours for some free spins to 30 days for the match.
• Excluded games that count nothing towards the wagering, or are banned while the bonus runs.

How we pick the offers

We rank offers by what they cost to clear, not by the biggest figure. A €200 bonus at 30x with no cash-out cap usually beats a €1,000 bonus at 50x with one. The full method is on our methodology page.

Bonus questions