The Best Real Money Welcome Bonuses of 2023
Welcome bonuses are a major part of the first deposit process at an online casino. Since welcome bonus packages are the biggest perks a player receives from the casino site, many players make the first deposit bonus a key factor in which casino they choose.
Read our guide to real money welcome bonuses to learn how these offers work. We provide basic concepts that will save you money, a glossary of bonus terms, and a step-by-step guide to maxing out the welcome bonuses you’ll collect at USA online casinos.
How Real Money Welcomes Bonuses Work
Welcome bonuses are a common marketing strategy used by online casinos to attract new players. These bonuses are designed to give players an incentive to sign up and make a deposit at the casino.
- 1st Deposit Bonus: A welcome bonus is money added when a player makes a first deposit. A casino might offer a 100% match bonus of up to $500. This means that if a player deposits $500, the casino will add an additional $500 to the player’s account, giving them a total of $1,000 to play with.
- Welcome Bonus Packages: Some online casinos offer welcome bonus packages. These are a combination of a match bonus and free spins bonus. For example, a casino might offer a 100% match bonus up to $500, plus 50 free spins on a featured slot game.
- Wagering Requirements: Wagering requirements apply to any bonuses that are offered by online casinos. Players are required to wager a certain amount of money before they can withdraw any winnings that were generated from the bonus. If a player receives a $100 bonus with a 20x wagering requirement, they would need to wager $2,000 before they can withdraw any winnings generated from that bonus.
- Max Cashout Terms: These limit the amount of winnings that a player can withdraw from their bonus. This doesn’t always apply to welcome bonuses but might apply to a free spins bonus. In either case, if a player receives a $500 bonus with a max cashout of $1,000, they could withdraw a maximum of $1,000, even if they win more.
Welcome Bonus Glossary
| DEPOSIT TERM | DEFINITION |
| Deposit Bonus | The most common bonus type. A bonus that matches a percentage of a deposit up to a certain amount. |
| Free Spins | A bonus that provides a set number of spins on a slot machine without requiring a deposit. |
| Expiry Term | The length of time before a bonus or its associated winnings expire. |
| Game Contribution | The percentage of a bet that counts towards the wagering requirement for a particular game. |
| Minimum Deposit | The minimum amount of money required to activate a bonus. |
| Maximum Bonus | The highest amount of bonus funds that can be claimed. |
| Max Cashout | The maximum amount of winnings that can be withdrawn from a bonus. |
| No Max Cashout | This is the best option. The deposit bonus doesn’t have an upper limit. Any winnings are yours. |
| Playthrough | The same as rollover, referring to the total amount of bets required to meet the wagering requirement. |
| Rollover | The total amount of bets required to meet the wagering requirement. |
| Wagering Requirement | The number of times a bonus must be wagered before winnings can be withdrawn. |
| Welcome Package | A combination of bonuses and free spins offered to new players upon registration. Often denotes a bonus spread over multiple deposits. |
How to Collect an Online Casino Welcome Bonus
- Research Online Casinos: Before signing up, it’s essential to research various online casinos to find the one that offers the best welcome bonus that suits your preferences. Consider factors such as bonus amount, wagering requirements, game selection, and other terms and conditions.
- Sign Up at a Casino Site: Once you’ve selected a casino, visit their website and click on the “Sign Up” button. Fill in the required personal and banking information, and click “Submit.”
- Log in on the Homepage: Once your account is created, you’ll receive an activation code via email. Use this code to log into your account and activate it.
- Activate the Welcome Bonus: After logging in, visit the casino’s cashier page and select the welcome bonus offer. You’ll be prompted to accept the bonus, which will be credited to your account immediately.
- Remember Casino Bonus Codes: Some online casinos require players to enter a bonus code to claim the welcome bonus. If this is the case, enter the code in the designated field on the cashier page.
- Play for Real Money: To claim your bonus, you’ll need to play for real money. Choose from the casino’s selection of games and start playing.
- Play the Correct Games: It’s important to note that not all games contribute equally to the wagering requirements. Check the terms and conditions of the welcome bonus to see which games are eligible and choose accordingly.
- Clear the Wagering Requirement: Wagering requirements are a condition attached to most welcome bonuses, indicating the amount of money you need to wager before you can withdraw your winnings. Make sure to fulfill these requirements before attempting to withdraw your bonus.
- Make a Withdrawal: Once you’ve cleared the wagering requirement, you can request a withdrawal of your bonus and winnings. Make sure to follow the casino’s withdrawal procedures to avoid any delays.
Welcome Bonus Online Casino FAQ
What is the best first deposit bonus casino in the USA?
Two different casinos stand out right now for welcome bonuses: Wild Casino and Las Atlantis Casino. Wild Casino offers a $5000 Welcome Bonus to credit card depositors who use the bonus codes WILD250 and WILD150 on their first five deposits. Wild Casino offers a $9000 Bitcoin Bonus to crypto users who input the promo codes CRYPTO300 and CRYPTO150 on their first five deposits. These two offers apply to slots, along with select table games and video poker games.
Las Atlantis Casino offers a $14,000 bonus when players use the coupon code “LASATLANIS” to activate the “$2800 Slots + Cards” welcome bonus. It’s maxed out at $2800 for five deposits, so players receive a full $14,000 in bonus cash. This offer applies to slots, scratch cards, and keno.
That’s the main difference. If you’re a slots player, pick Las Atlantis Casino. If you’re a table games player or video poker player, pick Wild Casino.
Are the best no deposit casino bonus codes cashable?
Yes, they are. The term “cashable” might confuse players, though. If you mean that the no deposit bonus money is cashable, that isn’t always the case (though it often is). Some online casinos offer bonus cash as seed money for your online slot session. You receive the winnings from those free online slots spins but can’t keep the seed money. Others allow you to keep the bonus cash plus any winnings — what players often call a “sticky bonus”.
In either case, you must clear the wagering requirement before withdrawing money. All online casinos let you cash out winnings if you meet the terms of use. If by “cashable”, you mean sticky bonus, then only some online casinos have cashable no deposit bonus codes.
Which online casinos pay out immediately?
The casinos that support crypto deposits. Cryptocurrencies don’t require the lengthy verification process that credit cards, web wallets, and bank wire transfers require. The blockchain is transparent and anonymous, so it protects you from identity thieves while making it easy to verify. Bitcoin and crypto casinos pay out within 15 minutes in some cases — a few hours in other cases.
Read our online casino reviews. If the site review states that Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and other payout methods are supported, then the online casino pays out immediately.
