Casino welcome offers, for most people, are the best part of online gaming. Welcome offers are suitable for both newbies and experienced players looking for new websites to play at. If you’ve come to this page for guidance we are glad to let you know that you’ve come to the right place. We’re ready to help you grab your next welcome offer.
What’s more, welcome offers at online casinos are very straightforward and easy to claim. The casino will most likely help you with all the details you need to create an account and start playing. Like always, we recommend you to carefully read our casino reviews before joining a site as we’ll always tell you more about both the new player bonuses available at the casino and we’ll give you other details like game portfolio and licences. Claiming signup bonuses at a new casino in Canada is one of the most fun things about being a player, so read on to see the different online casino deals that you can expect.
How welcome offers work
Welcome offers are the most common type of online casino bonuses – as the name suggests, casino welcome offers are meant for new players that register at an online casino website for the first time. As competitiveness between online operators to gain new users is becoming fiercer every day, you’re often able to find all sorts of promos. All you’ll have to do is take your pick which website you like best in terms of bonuses and overall user friendliness. Online casinos have managed to overtake land based casinos in terms of traffic and one of the reasons that they’re so popular is thanks to the welcome bonuses. To qualify for a welcome bonus, you’ll have to create a new online account. Although most of the offers also require a deposit, some welcome offers can be redeemed even without making a qualifying deposit. We’ll discuss two of the most common welcome offers at online casinos.
No Deposit Welcome Bonus
No deposit welcome offers, as its name suggests, are welcome bonuses that are given away to users who have just created a new online casino account. The main features of a no deposit welcome bonus are:
- Deposits are not required to obtain this bonus.
- The welcome bonus, either in the form of free spins or cash prizes, will be automatically credited to your online casino account.
- The casino will state if there are other terms and conditions attached to the welcome bonus. A lot of players tend to overlook these terms as the lack of a required deposit makes them pay less attention to the details of the bonus.
- No deposit bonuses are mostly sticky and can’t be withdrawn. Often, gamblers can withdraw the winnings after meeting the wagering requirements. Sometimes this requires making a first deposit after all.
Deposit Bonus
The first deposit bonus, also called a deposit bonus, is a match bonus that is given away on players’ first deposit amount. Deposit bonuses are given away as a percentage of the total amount deposited by gamblers: common percentages are 100%, 150% or 200%. Often, online casino websites give away a first deposit bonus of 100% up to a certain amount while other casinos give multiple deposit bonuses: like a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd deposit bonus. The maximum bonus amount is redeemable if you make several deposits and meet the bonus terms. The main characteristics of a deposit welcome bonus are:
- Once you go to your account, you will need to opt for the welcome bonus. The casino will require you to make a deposit before the bonus is added to your balance.
- There are several terms and conditions you will need to take into account and we advise you to thoroughly do so as this bonus requires a real money deposit.
- Enter the bonus code if any. Bonus codes are usually very straightforward and made up of a combination of a few letters and numbers, usually a code that is easy to remember. If you’ve found the deal via a casino affiliate site, you will be guided to the right page. Make sure to copy the bonus codes before clicking on the affiliate link.
- It depends on the bonus terms and policies if the bonus is sticky or can be withdrawn. You will need to meet the wagering requirements and the other bonus terms before you will be entitled to withdraw the bonuses. Pay extra attention to the wagering requirements, the wagering contributions, and the bonus’ validity.
Some online casinos in Canada give you big welcome offers, sometimes consisting of complete packages, with several bonuses that are spread over multiple deposits. Some of these welcome packages include free spins on a selection of slot games. Whenever online casinos in Canada offer free spins, cash that is won by using those free spins is considered to be bonus money. This means that these also involve separate wagering requirements in addition to the roll-over requirements for the deposit money.
How to know if welcome offers are any good
So how do you tell a great welcome offer from a lousy one? There are typically three main characteristics to recognise whether online operators offer fair rewards or not: via wagering requirements, maximum bets, and the wagering contributions. This means that one bonus with a large amount of bonus money can actually turn out to be a lot less feasible than a lower bonus that does work with fair terms and conditions. There’s a lot more than just big numbers and going through the bonus terms is the best way to see if a welcome offer is any good or not. In order to get a better picture you’ll need to check every single term, including:
- Fair wagering requirements: the roll-over requirements stand for the amount of times that the bonus money needs to be wagered before it is cleared. Only after meeting these requirements, you’ll be able to withdraw any winnings. Wagering requirements apply to different parts of the bonuses, including the bonus money and the free spins. Out of all the bonus terms, this is the most important condition so make sure to pay some extra attention as this will significantly influence your casino experience. Common wagering requirements are 30x, 35x, 40x, 45x, and even 50x.
- Clear terms: generally speaking, bonus terms should be clear from the very first time you look up the bonus details. This means that the information needs to be both clear and easy to find on the casino’s website. Ideally, you’ll find the bonus terms on the same page as the bonus itself in clear font, wordings, and colours.
- Feasible validity: you’ll need some time to overthink before you make use of the bonus. This concerns both the moment of claiming the bonus and wagering the bonus after redeeming it. Validity of the bonus is usually listed in several ways with both the period of time the bonus needs to be redeemed and the period of time it remains valid for wagering. Although bonus money and free spins are often handed out simultaneously, it is common they have their own validity periods.
- Wagering contributions: most welcome offers are meant valid for slot games as this type of casino game represents the biggest part of a casino’s portfolio. This also means that bonuses aren’t always valid for table games and live casino games. Sometimes live games and table games have a partial wagering contribution instead of the full 100%. Although every casino has its own set of rules, it is quite common to encounter casinos that work with wagering contributions of 50%, 20%, 10%, 5% or 0%. Please note that some slots are also excluded from the online casino bonus.
- Maximum bets: most welcome offers work with maximum bets. The idea behind this is pretty logical as the casino doesn’t want players to make too much money with a lucky bet. Maximum bets are meant to limit any financial risks for a casino.
- Minimum required deposit: in order to claim a deposit bonus, players will often need to deposit a minimum amount before they become eligible to claim it. Most casinos in Canada require their players to deposit either $10 or $20 which are quite fair amounts if you ask us. At some casinos this is also the minimum amount you need to deposit, regardless if you want to claim a bonus or not.
- Validity across platforms: a lot of online websites offer other services than merely an online casino. It is quite common for online operators to include both a casino and a sportsbook on the same website which also influences the suitability of a bonus. Sportsbook bonuses and casino bonuses are often offered via separate bonuses. Although a casino might be well-known because of its great bonuses, this might not concern the platform you’re using, while the opposite is clearly true as well.
- Payment methods: although e-wallets offer a lot of benefits like instant transfers, the downside of using some electronic banking methods is that not all of them are valid if you want to claim a bonus. E-wallets like Paysafecard, Neteller, and Skrill tend to be excluded from some bonuses. Luckily, this doesn’t really affect deposits made via Interac. Alternatively, some payment methods have a lower wagering contribution.
Time to tick of the list
Now you know how to recognise whether welcome offers are any good or not, it’s time to go through the list above and draw a conclusion. Does the new player bonus tick off many of the boxes? Then we believe it’s fair to say we’re talking about a worthwhile welcome bonus. Although some personal preferences will make a difference in determining whether a bonus is good or not, both new and seasoned casino gamblers would agree that the checklist above gives a broader understanding of the appropriateness of casino welcome bonuses.
How to claim welcome offers
Signup bonuses are meant to do what their names say they do: make players sign up. Joining a new online casino is actually a lot of fun and that’s why most casinos work with very easy steps to make players claim a welcome bonus. As casino websites in Canada tend to be very reasonable they hand out extremely generous bonuses. This is mostly done to new users, both even existing players can get the most out of their casino experience by claiming other bonuses. If you’re new to gambling at an online casino in Canada you’d probably want to get some inside info on how to claim your own welcome offer. Here’s how:
1. Learn what type of bonuses exist
There are all sorts of bonuses and the good news is that they all give you some cool benefits. As new player bonuses are often a combination of different types of bonuses, we recommend you to do some research before you claim your next welcome offer. Normally a welcome offer is made up of deposit bonuses, but sometimes you’ll also receive free spins. These are technically two different types of bonuses that come with their own terms and conditions. Other common welcome bonuses give you cashbacks. Make sure you know what’s on offer before you sign up at a new online casino.
2. Pick a casino
Many casino websites in Canada offer welcome packages, each with their own terms and conditions. Before you set your mind on a new casino welcoming package, make sure to take the time to compare all available deals for Canadian players. This doesn’t only mean checking out the bonuses, but also concerns the overall trustworthiness of the casino you’re considering. Furthermore: look at the value of the bonus and the feasibility of the terms. If the terms are fair, a casino should be fair as well. All of this will help you pick the right casino.
3. Join the casino
Only registered users can claim new casino bonuses and promos, including the welcome package. In order to claim yours you will need to go to the“Sign Up”, “Register” or “Join Now” button and initiate the registration process. Fill in all the required personal info such as your name, email address, telephone number and other details. Think of a username and a password you won’t forget for your new online casino account. Make sure to verify the data you have filled in here and you’ll be able to log in with the credentials you have just used.
4. Go through the terms
Before doing anything concrete with regard to depositing your funds, always visit the promotions page and read through the welcome bonus conditions very carefully. Bonus terms are made up of a set of conditions which can be a bit tricky to understand which is why you will need to make sure to pay special attention to the following terms:
- Wagering requirements.
- Maximum win.
- Maximum bet.
- Available games for bonus.
- Required minimum deposit.
- Wagering percentages.
- Bonus validity.
If, for whatever reason, you do not understand something stated in the description of the bonus terms, feel free to contact the online casino support department for clarification. The responsiveness of a customer support desk should give you a better idea of the casino’s professionalism. If they help you out on this one, then their employees are well instructed.
4. Deposit your funds
Pretty much all new player bonuses require a deposit. When making yours, make sure to never deposit more than the maximum percentage you can claim. If a 200% bonus gives you a maximum top op of $200 then there’s really no sense of making a $300 deposit. The process itself is very straightforward as you will only need to go to the cashier and pick the payment solution you want to use to deposit your funds. Please note that some banking methods are excluded from welcome bonuses so you might want to avoid these for now.
5. Fill in the bonus codes, if any
Many Canadian casino websites require their players to fill in a bonus code which can be found on the promotions page. This won’t lead to a lot of difficulties as most casinos clearly list the codes on their page. You can either type these bonuses or copy-paste them into the right field on the cashier page. Needless to say you will need to pay attention here to actually use the right code. A lot of casinos have multiple deposit bonuses and each of these have their own bonus. You’ll most likely get a confirmation if you’re using the right bonus.
6. Enjoy and play!
The bonus money and/or free spins should be instantly added to your online casino account which means you’re fully ready to make your first wager. Stick to the casino games that are valid for the bonus and enjoy. Always ensure you’re playing in a responsible way and your best bet is to set your session and deposit limits as soon as you sign up at a casino. We recommend you to withdraw your winnings as soon as you reach the roll-over requirements.
How to make a profit from welcome offers?
Welcome offers become better if they make you win although all the terms and conditions are set up in such a way that it becomes very difficult to beat the casino. We really believe this should be taken as a challenge and we’re more than happy to give you some tips and tricks on how to make a profit from welcome offers at any Canadian casino. To get the most out of your casino promo, we recommend you to:
1. Check the wagering requirements
You should first check the wagering requirements of the bonus to find out whether a promo is actually worthwhile or not. Once you’ve done this and decided the bonus is worth it, you’ll have a clear objective as you know when to stop and claim what’s yours. This makes sure you won’t play any longer than necessary and risk any losses because you didn’t know when to stop. In the end, making a profit also means you’ll need to know when enough is enough. As soon as you’re ready, request a payout.
2 First finish all your existing credits
If you’ve already happened to sign up at a casino without accepting the welcome offer you might be still able to do so at a later time. In case you do, you will need to make sure that there are no credits left on your account as most casinos require you to first wager all your existing money before you use your bonus money. This also means that you might think you’ve made a win with your bonus credits while this is actually not the case. Therefore: wisely play through your existing credits without rushing things too much.
3. Check the wagering percentages as well
This concerns the wagering requirements as well, but the difference here is that some games or genres wager less than others. Usually a certain list of slot games is excluded from a welcome offer while it’s quite common that entire categories aren’t valid for the wagering requirements. The selection of slot games usually count for 100% while table games, live dealer games, and sportsbook games can be either partially valid or invalid.
4. Stay below the max bet per spin
Casinos are clearly running a risk by handing out free money to players which is why they prefer to limit these risks as much as possible. One way to do this is by working with a maximum bet per spin. This avoids players making a huge win with one single spin. Every spin that exceeds the maximum bet per spin will affect the overall validity of your bonus. If you don’t respect this rule you might blow up your bonus which is very unfortunate if you’ve had some good spins. Stay below the max bet per spin at any time.
5. Check the maximum pay out
The same is true for the maximum payout. Some new player bonuses work with a maximum payout which is why it would be unnecessary to keep on spinning if you’ve already met this amount. You might be in the winning mood, but if you won’t be able to cash out more than the max pay out your best bet would be to stop playing — after meeting the wagering requirements that is. Our hope? That you make it this far as this means you’ve made yourself a win. It’s time to cash out and enjoy the extra money you’ve just earned yourself. Now this is what we mean with a warm welcome!