Welcome bonuses

What a welcome bonus is

Casinos use welcome bonuses to win new customers, and they come in a few forms:

• Deposit match. The casino adds a percentage of your first deposit as bonus money, up to a cap. A 100% match doubles the deposit; the cap sets the most you can receive.
• Free spins. A set number of spins on named slots, each at a fixed stake chosen by the casino.
• Welcome package. Several matches spread over your first few deposits, sometimes with free spins attached to each.
• Sportsbook offer. Casinos with a sportsbook may let you choose a sports welcome offer instead. Those work differently, as our sports betting bonus guide explains.

Bonus money is not cash. It sits in a bonus balance until you meet the terms, and until then you cannot withdraw it.

Sticky and non-sticky bonuses

A non-sticky bonus keeps your deposit and the bonus apart. You play with your own money first, and if you win before touching the bonus, you can usually withdraw by giving the bonus up, with no wagering to complete. A sticky bonus is part of your balance from the start: you cannot withdraw it, and it is deducted when you cash out. The terms say which kind you are getting, sometimes in different words, so look for how your real money and bonus balance are used.

How it works in dollars

The examples below use made-up figures to show the arithmetic. They are not any casino's offer.

Worked example 1: the wagering requirement

As a worked example only: a 100% match up to $200, and you deposit $100. You receive $100 in bonus money and start with $200.

• If the terms ask for 35x the bonus, you must place $100 x 35 = $3,500 in bets before the bonus turns into withdrawable money.
• If the terms ask for 35x the deposit plus the bonus, it is ($100 + $100) x 35 = $7,000. Same multiple, twice the play.

Our wagering requirements guide works through more cases.

Worked example 2: what the wagering costs on average

Every casino game returns slightly less than it takes over time. On a slot with a 96% return to player (RTP), the average cost of $3,500 in bets is 4% of $3,500, about $140. That is more than the $100 bonus. Any single session can land far above or below the average, but the arithmetic shows why a large bonus with a high multiple is often worth less than it looks, and why a smaller one with a low multiple can be worth more.

Worked example 3: free spins

As a worked example only: 50 free spins at $0.20 each have a face value of $10. If you win $12 and those winnings are credited as bonus money at 40x, you need $12 x 40 = $480 in bets before you can withdraw them.

The terms that decide its value

• Wagering requirement. The multiple, and whether it applies to the bonus alone or to deposit plus bonus.
• Game weighting. Slots usually count in full; table games and live casino often count for a fraction or nothing. If blackjack counts 10%, a $10 hand adds $1 to your progress, so a $3,500 requirement would take $35,000 of blackjack bets. Some games are excluded entirely.
• Maximum bet. While a bonus is active, the terms set a maximum stake per spin or round. One bet above it can be enough for the casino to remove the bonus and everything won with it.
• Expiry. There are often two clocks: one to claim the offer and one to finish the wagering. If time runs out, the remaining bonus and its winnings are removed.
• Maximum cashout. Some offers cap what you can withdraw from bonus winnings. As a worked example only, if you win $900 and the cap is $500, the other $400 is removed when you withdraw.
• Eligible payment methods. Terms can exclude deposits made with certain methods, such as some e-wallets or prepaid vouchers. The bonus is then not credited, or is removed later.
• Minimum qualifying deposit. Each offer sets its own. A deposit below it gets no bonus at all.
• Codes and opt-in. Some offers need a bonus code or a tick box at the cashier before you deposit. SpinsPilot prints a code only when the casino's partner data confirms it.
• Withdrawing early. Asking for a withdrawal before the wagering is done usually cancels the bonus.

Identity checks before your first withdrawal

Before a casino pays out anything won with a bonus, it checks who you are. This is known as KYC (know your customer), and it is usually triggered by your first withdrawal request. What casinos commonly ask for:

• Photo ID: a driver's licence, passport or provincial photo ID card, with all four corners visible.
• Proof of address: a recent utility bill, bank statement or government letter showing the same name and address as your casino account.
• Proof of payment method: for example a screenshot of your online banking showing your name, the account you sent an Interac e-Transfer from, or a card photo with the middle digits covered.

Bonuses are limited to one per person, and the terms usually extend that to one per household, address, device or IP address. Opening a second account to claim an offer again is a common reason casinos confiscate bonus winnings. Upload your documents soon after you register, so a payout is not held while they are checked.

Province exclusions in the offer terms

The casinos on SpinsPilot Canada are for players outside Ontario and Alberta. Beyond that, two sets of terms decide whether you can use an offer. The casino's general terms list the countries and provinces it does not accept at all. The bonus terms can add their own list, so an offer may be closed to players in a province where the casino otherwise takes players. Read the restricted territories clause in both before you deposit. If you are not sure whether your province is covered, ask the casino's support in writing and keep the reply.

Canadian details that change the numbers

• Currency. Choose Canadian dollars at registration if the casino offers it. If your account is in euros or US dollars, the bonus, the wagering and any caps are counted in that currency, and your bank converts every deposit and withdrawal.
• Interac e-Transfer. It is the deposit method Canadian casinos support most. Before you deposit, check that the bonus terms do not exclude it, and check that the casino pays withdrawals by e-Transfer too. Our Interac e-Transfer guide explains deposits, withdrawals and fees.
• Credit cards. Big banks that mention casino charges in their cardholder agreements treat them as a cash advance, with a fee and interest from the first day. See the Canadian banks guide.
• Old payment lists. Interac Online was retired in 2024 and InstaDebit closed in 2026. Terms or reviews that still list either of them are out of date.

Red flags in welcome bonus terms

• Wagering on deposit plus bonus at a high multiple, which doubles the play needed.
• A maximum cashout on a deposit bonus, which limits what your own deposit can win.
• Terms you cannot read before you deposit, or that only exist in another language or currency.
• A "bonus abuse" or "irregular play" clause vague enough to cover ordinary play.
• A clause that lets the casino change the terms of an active bonus without notice.
• Countdown timers and pressure to deposit before you have read anything.
• Codes from unofficial sites that the casino's own pages do not confirm.

You can say no

A welcome bonus is never compulsory. Without one, every dollar in your balance is yours to withdraw at any time, and you can play any game at any stake. A bonus makes more sense if you were going to play slots anyway and are not in a hurry to cash out. It makes less sense if you prefer table games, live casino or quick withdrawals. Many casinos let you decline at the cashier, and support can remove a bonus you did not mean to accept, as long as you have not played with it yet.

Responsible gambling

A welcome bonus is a marketing tool, and its terms are built to keep you playing longer than you would without it. Set a deposit limit in your casino account before you claim anything, decide in advance how much you are prepared to lose, and stop when you reach it, whatever the wagering counter says. Online gambling is for adults only: 19+ in most provinces, 18+ in Quebec and Manitoba. If gambling stops being fun, our responsible gambling page lists free, confidential help for every province we cover, and our self-exclusion guide explains how to take a break.

Where to find the current offers

This page explains how welcome bonuses work. It does not list them, because offers change often and the terms decide what an offer is worth. Every casino on our Canadian list has its own page on SpinsPilot, with the offer and terms as the casino supplies them in its partner data. The full list is on all casinos. If a casino's page shows no such offer, we have no confirmed one for it. To see every current offer in one place, go to all bonuses.

Read the full terms on the casino's own site before you deposit: the casino can change or end an offer at any time, and its terms are the ones that apply. SpinsPilot may earn a commission when you sign up through our links, which never changes how we rate a casino. See our affiliate disclosure and how we rate casinos.