This is one of the most common questions from beginners to online casino gaming. It's more surprisingly tricky to answer, however. The reason for this is that a no deposit bonus might be a welcome bonus, but a welcome bonus is not necessarily a no deposit bonus. They share much in common, yet there are some important distinctions — especially when contrasted with traditional deposit bonuses, which require you initially to put money into your account.
On this page, what we want to do is explain the difference between a no deposit bonus and a welcome bonus. In doing so, you will be able to understand the terminology behind these two terms better. While doing so, we also want to highlight the areas where they are similar.
A no deposit bonus is exactly that: a bonus that does not require you to deposit any money into your account. As you can probably guess, these bonuses are incredibly scarce. That's because most online casinos are not particularly enthusiastic about giving away free things. When you download do find no deposit casino bonuses, most often they will be from new online casinos — new websites who may not be able to attract players in by brand alone. These bonuses are also very often very restrictive on what you actually receive. Don't expect hundreds of pounds from a no deposit bonus.
As mentioned, keep in mind that the majority of online casinos won't even take the time to offer a no deposit bonus, and in most situations, it isn't worth going out of your way for an online casino just because of a no deposit offer. The bonus will likely be very small, and the terms very restrictive, so it won't be worth it. But if there is a no deposit bonus, i.e., at a casino you were already going to play at, then there is no harm in taking it.
Again, as I said earlier, a no deposit bonus may be a welcome bonus, but a welcome bonus is a no deposit bonus, no. A welcome bonus will most typically be something that you do have to deposit on your selected site.
Welcome bonus is any bonus an online casino will give you simply for signing up. These are far more common than no deposit bonuses. In fact, we can't recall ever encountering a reputable online casino that didn't offer some sort of welcome bonus.
Welcome bonuses can be rather diverse. These can include:
So why do online casinos offer welcome bonuses? Because it's an incentive to attract people in. Just as esports tournaments attract players with prize money and unique incentives, online casinos recruit new players with welcome bonuses. Both recognize that initial incentives make them worth leveraging for loyalty creation and retention in a competitive landscape. In an oversaturated online casino market (with thousands of websites), you need every advantage you can get in order to recruit new members — and welcome bonuses have been one of the best tools.
As mentioned, there are similarities between no deposit bonuses and welcome bonuses — beyond the fact that they're both reward.
The most important similarity is that no matter what kind, you will not be given free money you can exchange immediately. No business gives out money for free. Bonuses, though, will have conditions for wagering. What this means is that all the winnings won with bonus money must be played through a specific amount of times before you can take it out. This could be up to 40–50x. The chances of actually being in a position to withdraw the cash are usually quite low. A bonus is actually more of an exercise in checking out the platform with minimal financial exposure. No deposit bonuses typically have even tighter wagering conditions.
There will also be restrictions on which games you can play with your bonus (at least in the majority of cases). Once again, these are tighter when gambling using a no deposit bonus.
If you wish to view the exact terms and conditions, the online casino should have them within the terms and conditions. This is a legal requirement in the UK for license holders. So make sure you read the terms so that you are aware of what you are expected to do. You'll soon realize that restrictions are rather strict — so never choose an online casino based on the quality of its bonuses.
There are some variations between a welcome bonus and a no deposit bonus. A no deposit bonus will not require any deposit at all on the site, while a welcome bonus may or may not require a deposit. Both bonuses will have restrictions on any bonus cash you accumulate.