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.
Terms and conditions of no deposit bonuses
In order to withdraw any winnings from your no deposit bonus or free spins, you will need to be aware of a number of terms and conditions:
- Wagering requirements – There will be no wagering needed on some no deposit bonuses, but most will come with wagering requirements that must be played through before you can withdraw any winnings. If the wagering requirements on a 50 free spins offer with a value of £10 are x25, then you will need to wager £250 before you can cash out.
- Maximum win – This relates to the total amount of money you can withdraw from your winnings earned through no deposit bonuses. Nearly every offer will come with a cap like that, and any winnings above this amount are typically forfeited.
- Maximum bet – You will often see a maximum bet amount linked to a no deposit bonus, which is the cap on individual stakes you can wager.
- Game restrictions – Usually your no deposit bonus or free spins will only be eligible on certain online casino games, sometimes only one specified title. Be sure to check what games your bonus is eligible for before you sign up.
- Expiry dates – No deposit bonuses will almost always come with an expiration date which means you need to use the bonus and meet any wagering requirements within this time frame. For example, you may have just seven days to use your free spins or lose them.
- Bonus codes – Some online casinos ask for bonus codes in order for you to claim your no deposit bonus; these will be provided and must be entered during the sign-up process or in the cashier section of the site.
- Spin value – When it comes to free spins, each round has a value, which is decided by the online casino, and you cannot change this.
Top slots for playing free spins
Online casinos will dictate which games are eligible for free spins offers – which is usually either a specific title or a small group of games.
Below, we've outlined two popular games you can play with offers on this page:
- Big Bass Splash – Fishing-themed slot with symbols including fishing equipment and different kinds of fish, as well as two special symbols – a fisherman and the scatter. You can win up to x5,000 your bet in the free spins round, with features including level-ups with increasing multipliers, nudges, stacked symbols, and more.
- Book of Dead – One of the most popular casino games available online, especially when it comes to free spins offerings. With straightforward gameplay and a classic bonus round with expanding symbols, this game is easy to follow and offers a maximum win potential of 5,000-times the bet.
How we produce our Safety Index when reviewing casinos
When it comes to reviewing casinos offering bonuses in our database, on this page we feature a Safety Index that assigns online casinos a rating and gives the players an idea of how secure they will be playing on a site. There are five main factors that go into dictating this rating:
- Size of the casino – The size of the casino is important for safe play because smaller sites may run into issues if one of their players hits a really big win. As these smaller casinos don't have big revenues, a huge payout could bankrupt them, while bigger casinos have thousands of players whose losses can cover any large wins incurred on their sites.
- Player complaints – These tell us exactly how a casino treats its players, and if there are a number of justified complaints about a casino, this is a clear indication that there are issues on the site that cause players to be dissatisfied.
- Deductions for restrictive or unfair practices – We then deduct points for various factors such as low withdrawal limits, low win limits, blacklists, unfair rules, hidden rules, bad support quality, fake games, fake licence, or no licence at all.
- Points added for positive qualities – We also add points for casinos that are doing something well or have qualities that are good for players, their enjoyment, or user experience. This could be a generous casino that has paid out a player when they didn't have to, or if a site is a chain of land-based offices, this adds to the user experience.
- Related casinos – Finally, we take into account whether online gambling sites are related to each other in multiple possible ways, as they will share revenues and complaints.
Other factors to consider when choosing a no deposit casino
Of course there are many other factors to consider when choosing the right no deposit online casino in addition to the offer in question, such as:
- Other bonuses and promotions – It's great to get a no deposit bonus that you don't have to dip into your bankroll to receive, but the best online casinos follow this up with a range of ongoing promotions for existing players and rewarding loyalty programs.
- Game variety – You'll want to know there are thousands of casino games you can choose from after playing through your no deposit bonus, covering all types of slots, table games, and live casino.
- Licensing and security – We only recommend online casinos that are licensed and regulated by respected governing bodies such as the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) and Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).
- Payment methods – There needs to be a wide range of accepted payment methods, including cards, e-wallets, and even cryptocurrencies.
- Customer support – 24/7 live chat is now an expected prerequisite at online casinos, as well as FAQs, a help centre, email and phone support, and even social media accounts.