Information about no deposit UK casino bonuses
With no deposit bonuses being one of the most common promotional tools used by online casinos, finding the best ones for you can be a tricky task – especially if you're in the United Kingdom, where the abundance of gambling sites means you have many to choose from.
Casino Guru wants to make this process easier for you, which is why we've created this page to guide you towards the best UK no deposit bonuses. You might want to know which bonuses hold the most value, or which ones your favorite casino offers, and you'll find the answers to these questions here. You'll also find information about UK no deposit bonus legislation, the different types you can get, and how to use this page's filters to narrow down your options.
Table of contents:
No deposit bonus legislation in the UK
Gambling has been a popular pastime in the United Kingdom for centuries, with betting on sports such as horse racing playing a significant role in British culture. Indeed, the Queen Elizabeth II herself is known to enjoy the odd 'flutter', as British people like to say, at Royal Ascot, the country's most famous annual racing event.
Casinos have also been around for several decades and are dotted around the country, so it was no surprise when online gambling started to become popular at the turn of the 21st century. The rising number of sports betting sites and UK online casinos since then has led to some very competitive promotions designed to hook the interest of online gamblers – one of them being the no deposit bonus.
Popular with UK gamblers thanks to its offer of free credit or spins without a need to place a deposit, the no deposit bonus has enjoyed widespread success in recent years and proved to be a useful marketing tool for UK casinos. They can also be a perk for the customer, giving them the chance to 'test drive' a new casino and possibly make a bit of money, albeit a modest amount which is subject to certain terms.
However, proposed law changes could change the face of the UK gambling industry, and the availability of no deposit bonuses as a result. In 2020, the government announced it was considering legislation that would clamp down on promotions that might encourage problem gambling, with bonuses deemed to be one of those. Under the proposals, gambling firms would have to comply with stricter advertising standards, including reducing gambling perks such as 'free bets', and also implement maximum stakes of £2 on online casino games. The changes would be enforced by the UK's Gambling Commission (GC), the government's gambling regulator.
Note: Although these reforms haven't been passed at the time of writing in April 2021, they have caused some operators to rethink their advertising strategy, with many already promoting the GC's 'When the Fun Stops, Stop' gambling awareness campaign, a necessary cause after the rapid increase in online betting during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the measures, amateur UK gamblers don't have to pay tax on any no deposit bonus and associated winnings. That's because these casino earnings are tax-exempt under British law, although professional gamblers should declare it as part of their annual income.
We should point out, however, that it's a good idea to do your own research to support this information. Tax laws are liable to change at any time.
No deposit bonus types
No deposit bonuses come in two styles, both of which UK players can make use of: free credit or free spins.
The free credit option normally consists of a small figure that's added to your account right after you sign up. You might only be able to use this in certain games, and you can only access the winnings by meeting Wagering Requirements (WR). The WR is calculated by multiplying the bonus or winnings amount by a certain number of times, so if you get a $5 bonus with a x20 WR, you'll have to stake $100 to release your money.
Free spins are subject to similar terms, except your WR will have to be based on the winnings you earn from the initial spins. You might get as many as 50 free spins to use on certain slots games.
How to find the best no deposit bonuses in online casinos for UK players
Players from the United Kingdom have access to a wide range of no deposit bonuses, but choice can often pose a problem. Quantity doesn't necessarily mean quality, and it's important to find the best bonus for you, in terms of what it offers and the reliability of the casino that's offering it.
To help you sort through the options, the 'Recommended' puts the best bonuses from UK-licensed casinos at the top the page. Other filters include a 'Latest' option, which will give you the newest no deposit bonuses out there, and an 'All' tab that will give you the complete list.
The 'Exclusive' tab, meanwhile, shows a range of bonuses available only to Casino Guru users. Claiming this is easy – like with any other bonus, just read the instructions in the bonus's info box which will most commonly consist of one of the following:
- Enter a special promo code when you sign up
- Email the casino asking to activate the bonus (very rare)
- Do nothing. Just wait for the bonus to pop up in your account.
For each bonus, you'll see extra data about it, such as the highest bet you can put down, the waging requirement for that bonus, and the maximum win you can achieve. Also, don't forget to click on the casino's name to check out the review and rating of the site offering the bonus.
As a last note, our team work hard to keep this list up-to-date, so each bonus you see should be relevant for when you look at it.