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The sign-up bonus has become a rare part of UK welcome bonuses
To greet new Players most UK betting sites will offer a welcome bonus of some kind. But as the betting market has matured the generous free play bonuses at sign-up of the past are almost completely gone; Opportunistic punters have systematically been claiming sign-up offers only to move on the next bookmaker after it has been utilised and this has forced betting sites to change approach.
The classic ‘free bet’, at least in return for merely signing up, is a rare sight nowadays but when making a deposit they still abound. UK betting sign-up bonuses are instead more inclined to take the form of ‘risk free bets’, or triggered by making a real money bet – which in strict parlance would not classify them as sign-up bonuses, but rather as a ‘first deposit welcome bonus’.
Another reason why free bets have become less common is the Gambling Commission’s stricter marketing rules. To claim that something is free when in fact it is not due to wagering requirements and other lock-in mechanisms is not allowed, and this has also made betting sites more careful when structuring their betting welcome bonuses. This is also reflected in the phrasing of today’s UK betting bonuses. ‘Risk free’ is referred to as ‘money back’ or ‘bet and get’, etc.
For Players this is an overall improvement and something that has made the UK betting bonus landscape much easier to navigate, but the absolute value of betting bonuses can arguably be said to have somewhat diminished.
Deposit Bonuses at UK Bookies
It makes sense, from a bookmaker’s point of view, to require something more than a name in return for a bonus with actual value - and the first deposit bonus is when bookmakers will be most inclined to offer a betting bonus of significant value.
A first deposit bonus will be on offer as part of the welcome bonus at all of the featured bookies here at ThePlayer.com and taking advantage of this fact is a good way to save some money. What needs to be taken into account, no matter what type of betting bonus you will be rewarded with for making your first deposit, can be summarised in a three questions which we also coincidentally ask when we rate a UK betting bonus;
- How much does one have to deposit? (minimum deposit requirement)
- What is the value of the bonus in relation to the deposit? (bonus value and type)
- How can this reward be used? (terms & conditions of the bonus)
Our ratings of UK betting bonuses try to take all of this into account, but if you have a specific criteria you can use the sorting option (found on top of the bonus list) and override our rating in favour of your own preference.