To attract players an online casino may have a welcome bonus. There are many different types, but they're usually a kind of discount or extra money added to the first deposit. An online casino may have one that adds 100% to your first deposit: You pay, say, $50 and receive another $50 to play with as a welcome gift. Other casinos may not ask you to make a deposit at all. The best casino welcome bonus is a matter of perspective: Do you pay to get more, or are you happy with free admission? Your choice.

Gambling sites attract customers by offering them special deals. First-timers get the best deals: Their reward is usually the most generous. There are various types of deals. By far the most popular is an arrangement where the player's first real money deposit is matched up to a degree. For example, if the player deposits $50, an operator may add another 50% to that amount. The newly registered user now has $75 in his account. The offers are usually restricted to deposits of up to $200. These days players can choose from a wide variety of operators and pick what they think is the best casino welcome bonus.

Of course there are other deals as well. Another common incentive is the No-Deposit Sign-Up: The newly registered player gets a fixed sum to play with as soon as his registration is completed. A first real money deposit isn't necessary to start playing. Also, there's the Fixed Sign-Up promotion: Players have to pay a minimum deposit, but will get a fixed amount of money added to their account to play with.

Getting people to sign up is essential, and offering rewards for it, and later on also for staying, is the only way for an operator to make sure people stay with them. A lot of operators are quite flexible and actually offer bonus plans for the players to choose from. Players should keep in mind though that signing up for a welcome bonus is usually definite and that the deposits cannot be withdrawn. The requirements differ from site to site, so make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully.