100% bonuses are a great way of enjoying extra funds to play with and giving you a shot at turning that bonus money into cash you can withdraw.
In a bid to put together the ultimate guide to claiming and using 100% bonuses, we analysed over 200 different match deposit bonuses at different casinos, so you can see how they compare to each other for such things as the amount you can claim and the relevant wagering requirements.
Our guide also explains how wagering requirements work, the steps needed to claim a 100% bonus, the best games to play when clearing the wagering requirements and how the 100% bonus compares to other popular casino bonuses. And we’ll round things off by answering the all-important question: are 100% deposit houses worth claiming?
- Demo Play
- Live Casino
- Progressive Jackpots
- UKGC Licence
#AD 18+. New players only. Min deposit £20. Max bonus bet £5. Offer is: 20 bonus spins when you make your first deposit. To claim the bonus spins you also need to wager a minimum of £20 of your first deposit on slots or Slingo games. Spins valid on Play’nGo slots only. Winnings from bonus spins are credited as bonus funds and capped at £20. Bonus funds are separate to Cash funds, and are subject to 10x wagering. Bonus funds must be used within 30 days, spins within 10 days. Affordability checks apply. Terms Apply. GambleAware.org.
- Loyalty Program
- Mobile app
- Progressive Jackpots
- UKGC Licence
#AD New players only | Deposit & wager at least £10 to get free spins | Offer must be activated before depositing | Free Spins winnings are cash | No max cash out | Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse | Skrill deposits excluded | Free Spins value £0.20 per spin | Free Spins expire in 48 hours | T&C’s Apply!
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Live Casino
- Loyalty Program
- Mobile app
#AD 18+ | New players only | Deposit & wager at least £10 to get free spins | Free Spins winnings are cash | No max cash out | Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse | Skrill deposits excluded | Free Spins value £0.20 per spin | Free Spins expire in 48 hours | Full T&Cs Apply.
What is a 100% Casino Bonus and How Does it Work?
The 100% casino bonus, also known as a 100% match bonus, has been one of the staples of online casinos ever since they first emerged in the mid-1990s.
As with the vast majority of casino bonus offers, it’s a way for the casino to incentivise a player to take an action. In this case: making a deposit. The casino wants the player to deposit funds so they play with real money, while in turn the player wants to get their hands on a chunky and generous bonus, by making that deposit.
Most of the time, a 100% casino bonus is what makes up a casino welcome bonus, though in some cases, it’s a 100% casino bonus and free spins that makes up the casino sign up bonus.
That means you get the best of both worlds: the bonus that you can generally use on any casino games you like, plus the free spins; you may or may not have the option of choosing which slots to play them on.
Where a player can get a bonus (of any description) when depositing real money for the first time, this is called a first deposit bonus.
Sometimes, the 100% casino bonus, also known as a deposit match bonus, is on offer beyond the welcome bonus. This could be the case where a player hasn’t deposited for a while, and the casino dangles the carrot of the 100% casino bonus to see if they do.
A 100% bonus means that whatever you deposit, the casino will match it. You deposit £100, the casino will add £100 of their own to it, and you’ll have a total of £200 to play with.
That said, the ‘money’ they match it with isn’t actually money; it’s bonus money, and we’ll come to the difference between the two in due course. A 100% match bonus offer also comes with casino bonus terms that dictate what you can and cannot do with it.
Which are the Best 100% Casino Bonuses Available Right Now?
It’s hard to say which is the best 100% casino bonus UK full stop, but here’s some key info that can help you decide for yourself which one ticks the most boxes for you in our casino bonus comparison.
| Rank | Casino | 100% Bonus Offer | Wagering | Max Withdrawable amount | Bonus Code | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dream Vegas | Up to £300 | 35x | Unlimited. | No code. | 9.6 |
| 2 | Karamba | Up to £250 | 35x | Unlimited. | No code | 9.5 |
| 3 | BetMGM | Up to £200 | 30x | £200 | No code. | 9.2 |
| 4 | Video Slots | Up to £200 | 35x | Unlimited. | No code | 9.0 |
| 5 | Hyper Casino | Up to £100 | 45x | Unlimited. | No code | 8.6 |
| 6 | Luckster | Up to £50 | 35x | £100 | No code. | 8.2 |
| 7 | Pub Casino | Up to £100 | 40x | Unlimited | No code. | 8.2 |
| 8 | Bluefox Casino | Up to £200 | 50x | Unlimited | No code. | 8.1 |
| 9 | Quickspinner | Up to £100 | 30x | Unlimited | No code. | 8.0 |
| 10 | PlayJango | Up to £25 | 30x | Unlimited | No code. | 7.8 |
Top 3 Best 100% Bonus Offers
Here’s why the casinos ranked in the Top 3 have the best 100% bonus offers compared to the others on this list.
Dream Vegas
Thanks to their Welcome Offer, you can claim up to £300 in bonus money, which is more than any other casino on the list allows you to claim. When you consider that the wagering requirements are 35x, lower than many other casinos on this list, and you can see why they’re ranked Number 1. And that’s before even mentioning that when you deposit £201 or more, you’ll also get 150 free spins to use on any eligible NetEnt slot.
Karamba
Just trailing the Dream Vegas offer is the Karamba one, that has the same wagering requirements of 35x, but just slightly lower maximum amount you can claim in bonus money; up to £250, rather than £300. If you manage to meet the wagering requirements, there’s no limit on how much you can withdraw.
- Demo Play
- Live Casino
- Progressive Jackpots
- UKGC Licence
#AD 18+. New players only. Min deposit £20. Max bonus bet £5. Offer is: 20 bonus spins when you make your first deposit. To claim the bonus spins you also need to wager a minimum of £20 of your first deposit on slots or Slingo games. Spins valid on Play’nGo slots only. Winnings from bonus spins are credited as bonus funds and capped at £20. Bonus funds are separate to Cash funds, and are subject to 10x wagering. Bonus funds must be used within 30 days, spins within 10 days. Affordability checks apply. Terms Apply. GambleAware.org.
BetMGM
It’s a slightly lower maximum amount you can claim in bonus money at BetMGM but then again, lower wagering requirements at 30x are in place here, the one downside being that the maximum you can withdraw, even after meeting the wagering requirements, is £200.
How Do You Claim a 100% Casino Bonus?
As with all online casino bonuses, you’ll only get to claim it and use it if you follow the necessary steps meticulously. Follow our how to claim a casino bonus guide, especially assembled for a 100% match bonus, and the bonus will be in your account and ready to be used, in no time.
- Choose a casino that offers a 100% casino bonus – We here at Squawka Casino are more than happy to do all the hard work, so you don’t have to. That’s why we’ve put together a carefully curated list of the best casinos that do offer 100% casino bonuses. It’s complete with additional information about their games, other online casino bonuses they offer beyond that one, and analysis of such things as their Responsible Gambling policies and the competency of their Customer Service team. Choose one or more casinos that appeal to you.
- Register and verify your account – Registering your account involves providing personal details, such as your name, address, e-mail, and date of birth. You’ll also need to choose a username for your account, and a password. The next step is to verify your account via what’s called a Know Your Customer (KYC) check. This involves providing documents, such as a utility bill that shows that you live at the address you say you do, and issuing a copy of your passport/driver’s license that proves you’re over 18.
- Make your qualifying deposit – Check the terms and conditions (ts and cs) of the 100% match bonus to see if there’s a casino bonus code that needs to be entered before you deposit. Next, check if there are any payment methods – such as PayPal or Skrill – that will exclude you from claiming the bonus. Lastly, there may well be a minimum amount you need to deposit to claim the bonus. It’s not practical for a casino to be giving out a 100% bonus on a deposit of just £1, so the minimum deposit for the bonus to kick in is likely to be £5 or £10. Now make the deposit, and the bonus will be credited to you, as per the ts and cs.
What Do the Terms and Conditions Really Mean?
If you’re new to playing at online casinos and to the online casino bonuses given out to customers, here’s what the key terms making up promotions actually mean.
Wagering requirements – Remember when we said that the ‘money’ the casino gives you by matching your deposit isn’t actually money, but rather, bonus money? Well, the key difference between the two is that when it’s money, you can withdraw it straight away. When it’s bonus money, you can’t.
That’s because of the wagering requirements associated with the bonus.
Let’s say the wagering requirements on the 100% casino bonus are 50x. A 50x wagering requirement means you must bet the bonus amount 50 times before withdrawing winnings.
For example, if you get a £10 bonus, you must wager £500 (50 × £10).
So, if you win £30 while playing, you can’t withdraw until you’ve wagered the full £500.
Game Restrictions – Bonuses are meant to be fair to both parties, so it’s not unreasonable for casinos to protect themselves from bonus abuse by limiting which games customers can play when using the bonus and meeting the wagering requirements.
The reason for that is the games’ house edge. Blackjack has a house edge of around 0.5% to 2%, whereas for slots, it’s anywhere between 1% and 15%. So the casino may say that every pound played on slots contributes 100% to meeting the wagering requirements, but that playing mechanical table games, like blackjack and roulette, only contributes 20%.
However, it’s rare for the casino to impose restrictions on which games can be played with the actual 100% bonus itself.
Maximum Bet Limits – Another restriction aimed at avoiding bonus abuse and one used, for example, at Hyper Casino, where the maximum bet while playing with a bonus is £5. The reason for that is for the casino to ensure players don’t get ‘too lucky’ with big wagers, so it restricts the max bet on both the bonus and when it comes to meeting the wagering requirements.
Time Limits – It’s not practical for a casino to award a bonus that sits in a customer’s account for months or years. So the casino will insist that the bonus is used within, say 30 days, as is the case at BlueFox Casino, with the same casino also establishing that the wagering requirements must be met within seven days.
Withdrawal restrictions – Additionally, the casino may say that the maximum you can withdraw, after meeting the wagering requirements, is x amount. For example, at Luckster, the most you can withdraw is £100.
How Do We Calculate Which Bonuses Offer the Best Value?
It’s not so easy, but let’s try to explain the maths behind bonus value analysis.
At the heart of it, is the Expected Value Concept, which can be defined as: an estimation of the average long-term gain or loss you can expect when claiming a casino bonus.
It’s summed up by the formula EV = (Bonus Amount × Completion Probability) – (Risk Cost). It considers two key factors:
- The chance of successfully converting the bonus into real cash, and
- The risk cost — the money you’re likely to lose while meeting wagering requirements.
Let’s assume that Casino A and Casino B each have a 100% bonus offer, with Casino A’s being up to £100 with wagering requirements of 50x, while for Casino B it’s also up to £100, but this time with wagering requirements of just 30x.
Casino A
With 50x wagering requirements, you must wager £5,000 (50 × £100) before withdrawing.
Assume:
- RTP of the games you play = 96% (4% house edge).
- Risk Cost = £5,000 × 4% = £200.
- The chance (Completion Probability) of completing the 50x wagering requirements without losing your balance is 30%.
Taking it to the next level:
EV = (100 × 0.30) − 200
EV = 30 − 200
Expected Value = −£170
So, on average, you lose £170 taking this offer.
And now Casino B:
Same £100 bonus, but 30x in wagering requirements = £3,000 in total bets.
- RTP = 96% → Risk Cost = £3,000 × 4% = £120.
- Completion Probability improves to, say, 45%, since you need to wager less.
Now:
EV = (100 × 0.45) − 120
EV = 45 − 120
Expected Value = −£75
In both cases, the odds are against you completing the wagering requirements, which as we know, is why they’re there. However, 30% plays 45% in terms of completing the wagering and – £170 plays – £75 in terms of what you’re likely to lose in the process.
The conclusion is clear: it makes a huge difference as to whether wagering requirements are 30x or 50x – the lower the better for you, of course – so if the maximum amount you can claim is the same, always go with the offer with the lower wagering requirements. Additionally, you’re also better off going with a lower maximum amount in favour of more generous wagering requirements.
What Games Should You Play to Complete Your Bonus?
Winning with your 100% casino bonus is only the first part of the process. There’s not much good in that if you can’t then complete the wagering requirements, and the key to that, is knowing which are the best games to play in order to do so.
We’ve compiled a table to outline it all but remember that casinos differ when it comes to the exact wagering contribution of the numerous games available, so we’ve taken an industry average as regards that.
| Game Type | Wagering Contribution | Recommended Strategy | Efficiency Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Volatility Slots | 50% – 75% | Bet moderate stakes so you’re securing small but frequent wins that are constantly contributing to wagering requirements, without much risk. | 7.5/10 |
| Medium Volatility Slots | 100% | Play slots with high RTPs to ensure better average payouts and also slots with potentially profitable bonus rounds. | 8.5/10 |
| Blackjack | 5% – 10% | Use Blackjack basic strategy charts which are available online to always make the correct decision from a probability point of view and don’t place poor-value side bets. | 5/10 |
| Roulette | 10% – 20% | Always play European Roulette with the single zero rather than the US version, which additionally has a double zero; and stick to the (almost) even money bets. | 6/10 |
| Live Casino | 10% – 20% | Play Blackjack and Roulette, which have the lowest house edges and keep stakes low. | 6.5/10 |
The reason that it’s medium-volatility slots that have the highest efficiency rating is that they contribute 100% to wagering requirements: every £1 wagered is £1 contributed. In the case of say Blackjack, only 5 to 10p of every £1 wagered contributes to the wagering requirements.
So even though a game like Blackjack has a slightly lower house edge than medium-volatility slots, you need to play Blackjack over a much longer period than slots, or for far greater amounts, to contribute the same to the wagering requirements.
How Do 100% Bonuses Compare to Other Casino Offers?
Let’s have a look at how different casino bonuses compare to our friend, the 100% casino bonus.
| Bonus Type | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% Bonus | Available as the Welcome Offer at plenty of casinos. | Wagering requirements of 30x to 50x aren’t easy to clear. | Finding your feet at a new casino with double the funds to play with, for real money |
| 200% Bonus | You’ll have 3x the funds to play with in relation to what you deposited. | 200% bonuses are rare to come by and wagering requirements are even higher on them than on 100% bonuses. | Players who want to play as many real money casino games as possible without being too concerned about withdrawing winnings. |
| No Deposit Bonus | You’ll never lose any money because you don’t need to deposit and you have a chance to win some. | Bonuses are for small amounts, while the maximum amounts you can withdraw are also small in comparison to deposit bonuses. | The budget-conscious player who likes a real ‘freebie. |
| Free Spins | Simple terms and conditions; winnings can be void of wagering requirements. | Free spins are generally for the slot’s minimum amount, and you rarely get to choose which slots to play the free spins on. | Slots fans looking for a shot at a win without risking any of their own money. |
It’s fair to say that 100% bonuses are the ones offering the best balance in terms of risk-reward. Whereas you do have to make a deposit to get them, unlike the no deposit bonus, a double-your-money offer with acceptable wagering requirements allows you to both enjoy your bonus and walk away, and by that we mean withdraw, potentially decent sums of money.
What Are the Warning Signs of a Bad 100% Bonus?
Not all 100% bonuses are created equally, far from it. Whereas they all have in common the fact that the casino will match the value of your deposit, that could be where the similarities end. Some are better than others, but these are the red flags to be aware of.
- Wagering requirements above 50x – It’s extremely difficult to clear 50x wagering requirements, let alone higher than that, so you might go on a good run with the bonus but may seriously struggle to withdraw winnings from it.
- Bet limits below £2 – The longer you play for, the more you’re giving the casino a chance to deny you a shot at walking away with a profit, both as regards playing the bonus, and clearing the bonus winnings. So if the maximum bet is really low, say below £2, they’re forcing you to have to play more, which plays into their hands.
- 7 days or less to play your bonus – It may not be practical or possible for you to play your bonus within seven days and if you can’t, it’s gone to waste. Forcing you to play a lot in a short period of time also goes against Responsible Gambling best practices.
- Unclear terms – This could be because the casino doesn’t know what it’s doing or because they deliberately make the terms unclear in a bid to take advantage of them at a later date. Whichever of the two it is, it’s a red flag.
Should You Always Claim a 100% Casino Bonus?
Absolutely not. If a casino bonus is preceded by the words ‘no deposit’ then sure, there’s no downside to it. Similarly, free spins awarded to you have no risk, either.
But a 100% bonus is dependent on you making a deposit. And not only are you risking your own money to get the bonus in circumstances where you may not have deposited if you weren’t after a bonus, but in many cases, the money you deposited ends up having wagering requirements associated with it, as well. The result is that even if you win with the money you actually deposited, not the bonus, you’re going to have to wager those winnings through as well, before you can withdraw them.
Following on from that, meeting 50x wagering requirements is nigh-on impossible, so always try to take 100% casino bonuses with wagering requirements of 30x or less, even if that means the bonus amount you get is lower.
Finally, a reminder that there are certainly plus sides to taking a 100% bonus, too.
Yes, wagering requirements are hard to meet, but they’re not impossible, especially if you have a very strategic approach to doing so, which we’ve covered above. Wagering requirements aside, let’s not forget that you’re getting double the funds to play with; even if that’s bonus money, not cash. So for the player keen to play real-money casino games rather than in freeplay mode, it certainly makes appeal.
Either way, the secret is to pick and choose the 100% bonus offers available and only go with the ones that offer the most favourable terms for you.
100% Casino Bonuses Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, of course. Most of the time you can claim as many as you want, although occasionally you might not be able to claim a second bonus if the casino is on the same network as the one from which you claimed the first bonus.
No. Neither bonuses, cash winnings or winnings from bonuses are taxable in the UK.
For casinos based outside the UK, yes. For UK-based casinos with UKGC licenses, no.
When it comes to the terms and conditions of them, yes. There may however be a difference to how you go about claiming the bonus, though.
Sticky bonuses have wagering requirements on both the money you deposited and the bonus. Non-sticky bonuses, which are obviously better, only have wagering requirements on the bonus part, and you can withdraw winnings from your deposit whenever you want.
Yes, many casinos offer a 100% deposit bonus well beyond the welcome offer.
If you have an account with a UK-licensed casino, then an administrator appointed by the UKGC may be in touch to explain to you how you can get your funds out, and possibly cash in on bonuses, too. You can also resort to IBAS, if needed.
If the casino doesn’t have a UKGC license, then you don’t really have any protection at all, in the case of it going out of business.