Best Sign Up Bonuses

Whilst there are several factors to consider when choosing which online casino to join, there’s no denying that the casino welcome bonus plays a huge part in the decision making process. With such fierce competition within the online casino industry, the welcome bonus, which is sometimes referred to as a sign-up bonus or first deposit bonus, has become an integral feature designed to catch the eye of potential new customers. Want to get the best bang for your buck? Our guide to casino welcome bonuses is sure to get you off to a flying start at your next online casino.

Types of Sign Up Bonuses

Casinos can offer a lot to attract new customers to their site meaning that the types of welcome bonuses can be pretty varied. You will often find that as a new customer to a casino you will be eligible to claim sign up bonuses in the form of free spins or casino credit. These can be a great way to get a feel for a new casino or a new slot without having to wager any of your own money. It is important to note that many of these bonuses will come with wagering requirements. We highly recommend you understand understand in full these requirements before you claim any bonuses.

Let’s have a look at what you can expect to find:

Matched Deposits

If you’ve had a look around at what’s on offer, you’ll have noticed that the majority of new customer bonuses on offer come in the form of matched deposits. A matched deposit does exactly what it says on the tin. You place your first deposit and the casino matches it in bonus funds. While many casinos offer a 100% matched deposit, it’s not uncommon to find matched deposit offers as low as 50% or as high as 200%.

Here’s a common example of a matched deposit bonus:

• 100% up to $100. Deposit $100 and get an extra $100 to play with

This offer is broken down into two parts. The first is the percentage matched. In this example, you’re essentially getting your deposit doubled. The second is the maximum amount of free cash the casino is willing to give you. Of course you can deposit more if you wish, but the bonus funds you’ll receive won’t go beyond the stated limit.

Free spins at sign up

There are several promotional sign up bonuses that offer free spins to existing players, however, as a new customer, you’ll usually find free spins bundled with your deposit bonus.

Here’s a common example of a matched deposit offer with free spins:

• 100% up to $500 + 100 free spins

Getting your hands on free spins is never a bad idea. A few online casinos offer a standalone free spins welcome bonus, where you receive a certain number of free spins dependent on the value of your initial deposit. In most instances, you’ll find that your free spins come packaged with your cash deposit bonus. This allows you to use your cash bonus on games away from the slots category, should you wish to.

Of course, just like your bonus winnings, any winnings made using free spins will be subject to wagering requirements. Remember to keep an eye out for the terms and conditions to find out how many times you’ll have to play through your bonus winnings before they can be made available for withdrawal.

No Deposit bonuses

A no deposit is as straightforward as it sounds. All you need to do is create an account and the bonus is yours. The idea behind it is to give new players a taster of what the casino has to offer without the need to place a deposit.

While many no deposit bonuses come in the form of free spins or other game tokens, there are a few operators that give no deposit cash bonuses. Of course, there are wagering requirements and winning caps to prevent any huge losses being made by the casino operator.

Offers with No Wagering

There are a number of bonuses that may appear attractive at first, but come coupled with huge wagering requirements. This can make it quite difficult for you to get your hands on any bonus winnings, especially if you aren’t a frequent player.

Over the last few years a new, player-friendly form of welcome bonus has surfaced and it’s fair to say that it’s already a firm favourite. It should come as no surprise as any winnings earned using a no wagering bonus are immediately available for withdrawal.

There are a few no wagering cash bonuses out there, but the most common offer is no wagering free spins. An example of this is where you can get 1 no wager free spin for every $1 deposited (up to 50 free spins). So if you deposit $50, you’ll have that money to play with as you see fit, but you’ll also receive 50 free spins courtesy of the casino.

No Deposit, No Wagering for your welcome bonus

At some sites in Canada you’ll even get the best of both worlds. No deposit no wager bonuses give you a boost to your bankroll for absolutely free and allow you to withdraw your winnings as cash whenever you want. There will be other terms and conditions attached to these bonuses, so keep your eye out for those.

Follow these simple steps to claim your first casino sign up bonus:

• Compare online casinos. Welcome bonuses come in several shapes and sizes, so you need to find the right one for you. Our carefully curated list of Canada’s top online casinos features the best welcome bonuses available online today.
• Wagering. Remember not to be swayed by the big numbers. A bonus offer may seem generous on the surface, but take a closer look. Take your time to read the terms and conditions and keep an eye out for the wagering requirements. This will give you a much better idea of the true value of a bonus offer.
• Sign up. Once you’ve picked out a favorite, follow our link which redirects you to the casino’s registration page. From here, you’ll be able to sign up and become eligible for your exclusive welcome bonus. Creating an account takes just a few minutes, all you need to do is provide a few personal details.
• Deposit & claim. Unless you’ve grabbed a no deposit welcome bonus, you’ll have to deposit to claim your bonus. Simply head over to the cashier page of your chosen casino to make a payment. The top online casinos offer support for a range of payment methods, from bank transfers to Skrill.
• Play. Your welcome bonus is usually credited almost instantly following your deposit, so you’ll be able to get stuck in right away. Head to the games page to browse the casino’s collection and choose a title that appeals to you. You’ll find hundreds of slots games at the top sites, as well as a number of classic casino table games such as blackjack and roulette. All that’s left for you to do is play!

Wagering Requirements

Put simply, a wagering requirement is the number of times you’ll need to wager your bonus winnings before it can be made available for withdrawal. Casinos usually include wagering requirements in the terms and conditions of a bonus offer and state that players must meet them within a certain period of time.

Sign up bonuses will often come with a wide array of wagering requirements. You need to understand these requirements so that you are not caught off guard when you think you can withdraw potential winning after you wager the free bonus amount.

This can put the potential winnings out of reach for many customers who simply cannot and do not want to meet the wagering requirements.

Sing up bonuses can be used simply to get to grips with a new brand, and this is what many customers like to use them for. However, it is all too common for a new customer to claim a welcome bonus, wager that bonus and attempt to withdraw potential winnings without having met the wagering requirements. This causes a sense of confusion and frustration for the player.

What you choose to use your welcome bonus for is completely up to you. We want to ensure that anyone who receives a welcome bonus is aware of the wagering requirements associated with that bonus, and maybe more importantly understand what those wagering requirements actually mean.

All casinos will detail their wagering requirements for welcome bonuses in their terms and conditions. Be sure to check these out before signing up to a new casino.

Terms and Conditions

Another important feature of a welcome bonus is what, if any, limits are imposed by the casino. This information is usually found in the terms and conditions, but it’s important to take a look to ensure you don’t end up missing out on claiming any bonus winnings.

Time Limits

The most common limits are time constraints. You’ll want to know how much time you have to claim your welcome bonus (i.e. the time between creating an account and making your first deposit) and how long your casino welcome bonus is valid for.

We also recommend finding out how long you have to clear any wagering requirements, to assess whether or not this would restrict your ability to cash out your bonus winnings.

Game Restrictions

Certain bonuses may look pretty good value on the outside, but it may be the case that you can only use it on specific games. Free spins will most likely only apply to slot games, but other bonuses like matched deposits may only be played on certain table games and cannot be used in the live casino, for example. It’s worth making a note of where you can and can’t use your bonus before you claim, in case you had your eyes on making the most of a particular game.

Winning Caps

If you manage to find a bonus with no wagering requirements, you may think you’ve hit the jackpot. However, there are usually caps on winnings earned using these types of bonuses. A casino could hand out 50 no deposit free spins, for example, but cap your bonus winnings at $50.

Claiming Your Welcome Bonus on the Go

One of the best things about modern online casinos is that playing on the go is easier than ever before. Virtually every casino has the same offers across their mobile apps as they do on their desktop site. Some sites even offer mobile-exclusive welcome bonuses.

All of our featured Canada online casinos have a mobile optimized site, but the very best sites will give their players the option of a native app. With quick loading times and push notifications, mobile casino apps are one the best ways to play with a welcome bonus around.

Payment Options eligible with sign up bonuses

There are a lot of ways to pay at an online casino these days, with each option suiting a specific set of requirements. What payment method you choose can have an effect on your ability to claim your welcome bonus.

Sign up bonuses are typically the most common bonuses on offer by any casino. During our research of the top sites offering sign up bonuses we found that these bonuses were eligible with some, but not all payment methods available on each site.

Credit and debit cards are amongst the most commonly used methods at online casinos it is unusual for them not to be eligible for such bonuses.

E- wallets like PayPal, Skrill and Neteller are amongst the most widely used e-payment methods at online casinos, however not all bonuses are eligible with these banking methods.

Cryptocurrencies are not as widely available to be used to claim welcome bonuses and this varies from brand to brand. Keep an eye out for the terms and conditions before depositing using crypto currencies if you want to avail of the sign up bonuses on offer.

Read the terms and conditions that each casino has in relation to what payment methods can be used to claim sign up bonuses before you sign up to that site.

If you are using a credit/debit card or a leading e-wallet provider to deposit funds and a particular casino does not accept you payment method of choice, have a look at another brand in our list.

New Casino Offers

It may seem like a good idea to stick to the more established names when signing up to a welcome bonus, but new casinos can offer some of the best promotions out there. As a way to stand out from the crowd, new casinos offer some of the best value welcome bonuses to attract fresh customers. Some even offer no wagering bonuses that allow players to withdraw their money as soon they win it.

The most common sign up offers available at our top picks are deposit match bonuses, free spins, and no deposit bonuses.

Deposit Match – With these bonuses the casino will match a percentage of your deposit up to a certain amount. Some brands will match your deposit up to 100% meaning if you deposit $100 the casino will give you an additional $100 as a bonus. Each casino has their own limit to how much they will match and to what percentage they will match. The closer the percentage is to 100% the better.

Free Spins – Free spins are quite self explanatory. They are amongst the most common sign up bonuses on offer at our top picks. These bonuses will credit you with a number of free spins to used on any eligible game available on that site. They are a great way to contribute towards any wagering requirements as they often contribute 100% towards any wagering requirements.

No Deposit – While not as commonly available as the two aforementioned bonuses, you can still expect to find no deposit bonuses at select Canadian sites. They usually come in the form of free spins or cash bonuses. With these, the casino you have signed up for will allow you to avail of either free spins or free credit into your account without the need to deposit any money. In order to attract new customers you will often see new brands in the online casino space offering these bonuses.

Summary

Now that we have taken you through everything you need to know about welcome bonuses, it’s time to sign up and claim your very own. We are sure our carefully curated list of casinos will provide you with an option that caters to you. Simply check out our list, compare and sign up to become eligible for your casino welcome bonus today!