How Do Welcome Offers and Promo Codes Work?

Okay, so what is one thing that instantly has your attention on betting platforms and online casinos? Welcome offers and promo codes, yes?

Undoubtedly, welcome offers are often the first factor a player considers before signing up on a betting platform. This is why big bookmakers offer attractive welcome offers.

Most promotional offers have a code associated with them such that you are required to enter this code while signing up on the platform.

So what exactly are welcome offers and promo codes? And how do they work? We will find this and more in this article.

What Are Welcome Offers In A Casino Or Sportsbook?

Welcome offers are a promotional tool used by betting sites. These offers could be anything – like a few free spins on a casino or a few free bets on a sportsbook. The idea is simple. They want you to get started on the platform.

The welcome offers can be offered on specific sports, on daily events, weekly or monthly events, or even as scratch cards. There are a lot of varieties of welcome offers, but one thing that unites them all is that players love them.

What Kind Of Welcome Offers Do Betting Sites Offer?

Welcome offers are the best feature of a betting site. They are attractive and lure in new players. As a result, sites can have extremely competitive welcome offer features. Take, for example, some of the welcome packages offered by the biggest casinos in the UK –

• 888Sport – Bet a minimum of £10 and you will get £30 in Free Bets.
• Betiton – Bet a minimum of £15 and get £10 in Free Bet.
• 10bet – Unlock a 100% Deposit Bonus up to £50
• bet365 welcome offer: Visit bet365 for details

Now, there are some different types of welcome bonuses. You can decide which type of bonus suits your interests and look for a casino offering this.

Types of Welcome Bonuses

Deposit Bonus

These bonuses can be available when you make the first deposit. You mostly get a percentage match. Like a 100% deposit match up to £100. This means, when you add the first deposit to your account, the website will give you an equal amount of bonus money. If you have added £10, your account will have £10 + £10 = £20. You will have a wagering restriction on this money. That means, you have to place at least 20 – 50 bets (depending on the terms of the site) with the deposit + bonus money before you are allowed to make a withdrawal.

No Deposit Bonus

Some betting sites (increasingly rare) will give you bonus money even when you have not paid a deposit. You will be awarded this money when you have opened an account successfully. There will be a wagering requirement on this money, but don’t let that dishearten you. This is free money you can play with. And the best thing is, the money you win after satisfying the wagering requirements will be real money that you can withdraw into your bank account.

Free Bets

Instead of giving you cash to play with, some platforms also offer free bets. You can read the terms and agreements for using the free bets and place a bet on a chosen sport. The money you win from this will be added as a bonus in your account or turned into real cash based on what the policy of the betting site is.

Free Spins

Free spins are provided by casinos that you can use to play in their casino in selected games.

What Are Promo Codes?

The majority of online gambling platforms have some kind of offer for newcomers. Players will be credited with a certain amount of bonus cash for playing in the casino when they sign up. Some sites have a promo code for accessing this. A promo code is usually a combination of numbers and letters which allow you to unlock the bonus offered by the site.

The promo codes accepted at the site will be mentioned in the promotion section. They are usually formatted to look like ‘BETBIG100’, ‘NEWGUY1’, etc. You can take the promo code, and enter it on the page while registering.

What Is In It For The Betting Sites? Don’t They Incur A Loss When They Are Practically Offering Free Money? 

Technically, yes. A big example of this was the no deposit bonus. Many casinos and sportsbooks were giving them out. The players didn’t spend any of their own money, and the betting sites ended up losing cash. This is why these offerings become increasingly rare.

Nowadays, welcome bonuses are a lot more calculated and come with a string attached. They have a minimum wagering requirement which keeps the betting site from losing money. The wagering requirement will tell you that you must place a bet n-times before you can withdraw the winnings.

Sure, some people will win much more money than they have placed on the site. But many players will end up losing all of it because betting takes skill and patience. This is where the betting sites recover their lost money.

What If A Welcome Offer Does Not Specify A Promo Code On The Official Website?

Look for betting promo codes online and you can find a lot of them. As it goes – some of these codes work, and some don’t. If you are curious about a promo code, it is always the best practice to check the official website.

Most casino and betting platforms have a completely separate section for promotions. You can see all the ongoing promotions here.

Doing so will also help you drill down into the details of the promotion and the required eligibility criteria along with the promo code that you must add. If there is no promo code mentioned to claim the welcome offer, it usually means you are automatically eligible. So, when you create the account, the bonus amount or spins will be added to your account automatically after you have completed the requirements. The basic requirements are usually funding your account for a minimum euro value, placing a qualifying bet, and so on.

I Did Not Opt For The Promo Code, What Can I Do To Get The Bonus?

Most platforms require you to add a promo code while registering. More often than not, you will be required to add the promo code on the final page of the registration process. However, if you forget to add the promo code, you have no way of getting it in the same account. The bookmaker will not give you the bonus in this case.

What you can do is, delete this account and create a new one. You cannot use the same username, email details when registering the new account. You can create a new email account exclusively for the registration.

Remember to add your promo code next time.

Pro tip: Some bookmakers are strict about creating multiple accounts from the same IP. If they suspect that you have suspicious activity, they could ban you from the platform. If you have used your laptop to create the first account, don’t use the laptop to create the second one. Plus, use different username details.

Why Did I Not Receive The Welcome Bonus?

This is a question that comes up often with new players. And this is why we saved the best for last. If you did not receive the welcome bonus, here are the possible reasons–

• You did not qualify for the welcome bonus. Most online casinos and betting platforms have a lot of rules and regulations guiding who can access the bonuses. The minute details of what qualifies for the welcome bonus can often get nitpicky. You should always read the details. It could be that that particular bonus is not available in your country. The bet you have placed does not qualify, or you have withdrawn it before it has settled. Reading the fine print will save you from a lot of heartbreak and trouble later.
• You did not deposit the minimum required amount. All sites have a minimum deposit amount which makes you eligible to claim the deposit bonus. This will be mentioned in the promo section.
• You did not opt for it. Many sites will tell you to choose the promo code, or welcome package when you are registering. If you have missed out on providing the promo code selection while registering, the casino is not liable to pay you the bonus amount.

If you have verified all of these possibilities and you still can’t figure out, you can reach out to customer care. They are experts in this domain and will quickly find out what the issue is. If they have made a mistake, however, they will also credit the welcome bonus to your account. So, this is always a good idea.