Thinking of signing up to a 500 first deposit bonus casino but want to know if it’s really worth it? You’ve come to the right place.
Our guide explains why you’ll enjoy using gambling sites that offer you the chance to earn a deposit bonus when you start a new account.
We cover all the important information you need to know about these casino sites, including:
Free spins
Welcome bonus
Bonus funds
Safety and security
Games tips
And more.
We give you everything you need to make an informed decision about whether using a 500 first deposit bonus casino is right for you and recommend some great sites to use.
All you need to do is read our guide and decide which sites to sign up to.
How we review the top online casinos
OnlineCasinos.co.uk has a robust and repeatable method for reviewing the top online casinos, one that’s focussed on ensuring you have a safe and fun gambling experience.
Our team of expert reviewers try out each online casino we assess and treat them as a player.
The team looks at the games the casino sites offer, the sports they allow you to bet on and the bonuses they advertise. These are some of the key things they look out for:
Games
What’s the total number of games available?
What range of games is on offer to players?
Is there a good mix between live and video games?
Sports
Are all of the key sports covered?
What odds are on offer from the site?
What range of bets can you place?
Bonuses
What’s the welcome package like for new gamblers?
What bonuses are available to returning players?
What terms and conditions come with the bonuses?
Alongside these important aspects of online gambling, our experts also make sure every site they review is safe for you. They do this by checking if the site is registered with the UK Gambling Commission, any other national regulators and responsible gambling organisations.
Our expert team is made up of casino gambling fans, sports betting followers and industry specialists. But most importantly, they’re players who just want their fellow gamblers to have a great time at their favourite casinos. This is why you can be sure that our reviews are fair, accurate and comprehensive.
Safety and security at casino sites
Safety and security is a top priority for OnlineCasinos.co.uk. We want you to be certain you’re only placing bets and playing games at reliable casino sites, which is why we carry out stringent checks on every online casino we review.
Our team checks to see that the casino has a UK gambling license number, to be sure it meets the standard expected by UK players — you can find the license numbers of the casinos covered in this guide by checking out the expand section at the top of the page.
We also make sure each site is regulated by all the other appropriate authorities, including:
Government of Gibraltar
Malta Gaming Authority
Spelinspektionen
But that’s not enough to make us satisfied that you’ll be safe and secure at the top online casinos.
What we also demand to see is that casino sites have a commitment to responsible gambling and help their players to bet responsibly. This is why we also look for icons of the following organisations that support responsible gambling:
GameCare
GAMSTOP
If you’re ever uncertain about how safe and secure a casino site is, check the footer of the website or app and look for the icons of the organisations we’ve mentioned above. You should be able to see them clearly displayed, along with the UK gambling license number.
How to play games at online gambling sites
Playing your favourite casino games is the most important part of online gambling. Games are what bring you fun and excitement, along with the chance to earn some money if you have a winning session.
You should expect a diverse range of casino games from the best online casinos, with these being the three main categories at the top sites:
Table games
Live dealer games
Slot games
These categories cover a wide range of games, from casino slots to live dealer blackjack. While it’s very rare for a site to feature every game covered in these categories, every casino will have the following games:
Slots
Roulette
Blackjack
Poker
Below, we’ve listed some top tips to help you have a fun gambling session when you play these games at the top UK casino sites.
Tips for playing casino slot games
Check the RTP (return to player) to know what your odds are of winning
Remember that all casino slots games are based entirely on chance
Decide what type of casino slots you want to play at an online casino — these are some of the options:
Progressive
Mega spin
Multi-payline
Multipliers
Three reel
Five reel
Check out our guide to online slots rules to get some more detailed tips on how to play slots games. Once you’ve absorbed our recommendations, read our new slots sites page to find a list of the best online casinos for slots games.
Tips for playing casino roulette games
Review the different strategies for winning at roulette games
Remember that the table limits are higher for live dealer roulette games
Decide if you want to play American roulette or European roulette
If you want to test your knowledge of roulette before playing games for real money then you can try some of these great free roulette sites first. Once you feel comfortable and confident then you can work your way up to betting at some of the best high stakes roulette sites.
Tips for playing casino blackjack games
Learn the rules of blackjack gambling
Absorb the basic blackjack strategy
Keep in mind that games are between you and the dealer
You can put your knowledge to the test by playing some free blackjack games first. Remember, though, that these free games are between yourself and a computer — you want to play blackjack against a real dealer then you’ll need to play some live dealer games.
Tips for playing casino poker games
Know the different families of poker games
Start with Texas hold 'em because it’s the simplest variant to learn
Learn the poker hand rankings before you play
We recommend starting with Texas hold 'em because you can learn the basics of the game pretty quickly and it’s the most popular variant, with millions of fans around the world. Because of this, there are many liver dealer poker sites where you can play Texas hold 'em.
What you need to know about online casino bonuses
Pretty much every online casino will offer bonuses of some description — we’ve yet to see one that has no bonuses.
There are many different types of bonuses available to both new and returning players and you’ll generally find that bonus funds expire after a certain amount of time. This can make it tricky to know which bonuses are right for you.
In the following sections, we explain what the key casino bonuses are.
What are deposit bonuses?
Deposit bonuses are rewards that are linked to the money you deposit to your casino account. It’s common for an online casino to offer a deposit bonus, as it encourages players to add money to their account.
These are some of the main deposit bonus offers you’ll find at UK casino sites:
1st deposit bonuses: a first deposit bonus rewards the opening contribution you make to your account and will often need to be made within a strict timescale, such as 48 hours after setting up your profile.
Minimum deposit bonuses: a minimum deposit reward demands that you make a base contribution to your account, for example, it could be a £500 first deposit bonus that requires you to make a minimum contribution of £500.
No deposit bonuses: a no deposit bonus doesn’t require you to add any money to your account to get the reward, which means it’s a bonus that’s rarely offered by an online casino.
Deposit bonus slots offers: a deposit bonus slots offer can cover a wide range of rewards, all of which share the basic feature that the bonus is to be used on slot games.
£500 deposit bonus: a £500 deposit bonus is a reward that requires you to contribute £500 of your own cash to earn some additional money — the extra bonus funds will depend on the individual casino but it’s not uncommon for site’s to offer you the chance to double your money.
What are free spins bonuses?
Free spins bonuses are one of the most frequent rewards available from casino sites. This is because slots is often the best catered games category at gambling sites and these casinos want to encourage people to play them by offering some bonus spins.
Below, we highlight the main type of casino bonus you get from slots games:
Free spins: one of the most popular casino bonuses, free spins give you some bonus funds to use on leading slots titles by giving you some plays free of charge. One thing to note about this type of casino bonus is that your free spins are often limited to specific slot games — sometimes even just one title.
What are welcome bonuses?
A welcome bonus is a reward specifically for new players and is available to them when they open their account.
These bonuses come in a variety of formats but they’re generally either bonus spins credited to a players account, or a chance to earn some additional cash based on the amount of money deposited — though, some sites do offer no deposit bonuses to new players.
These are the welcome bonuses you’ll most often see at a casino:
Cash welcome bonus: a cash reward for new players.
Free spins: some free plays on leading casino slots.
No deposit bonus: a reward that doesn't require you to make a deposit.
Why do casinos offer 500% first deposit bonuses?
The simple reason that casinos offer a 500% first deposit bonus is that they want to attract new players to their site.
Offering players the chance to boost their first deposit by 500% is an attractive offer because it gives them a huge amount of additional bonus funds to use, which means they can play more of their favourite games.
An important thing to keep in mind with any 500% first deposit bonus is that there will be conditions attached to you getting the full benefits of the reward.
These conditions relate to things such as how quickly you must make your first deposit and how much of your own money you need to wager to be able to get the full benefits of the offer.
With this in mind, you should always read the T&Cs of any offer you’re interested in before you sign up for it. Doing so will ensure that you know if the reward is really right for you.
Can a 500 first deposit bonus take different forms?
In one sense a 500 first deposit bonus can take different forms. But in another sense, a 500 first deposit bonus can’t take different forms. We’ll explain what we mean by this.
The main way that a 500 first deposit bonus can take a different form is in the amount of money you stand to get back from your initial deposit. Offering this bonus will be consistent in the amount you can get being 500% of your first deposit. However, this initial deposit amount could range anywhere from £5 upwards.
The most important way that a 500 first deposit bonus can’t take different forms is in the number of deposits you need to make. While it might work alongside a broader welcome package (such as a free spins offer) you will need to meet the conditions of this offer in your first deposit.
Is a 500 first deposit bonus worth it?
Whether a 500 first deposit bonus is worth it really depends on what you want from your gambling experience.
If bonuses are an important part of the fun you get from your favourite casino sites and you’re willing to make an initial deposit to get them then it could be worth your while signing up to a 500% offer.
But if your focus is on limiting the amount of money you spend at a gambling site and you want to keep tight control over your finances to bet responsibly then a 500% bonus might not be for you. This is because the nature of the offer is that you need to invest a significant amount of your own cash to get the full benefits of these rewards.
Where Can I get a 500% First Deposit Bonus?
You can get a 500% first deposit bonus from one of the UK’s leading casino sites. These deposit bonus casinos offer rewards to new players to encourage them to sign up to their site ahead of rival casinos.
You can find the leading sites offering a 500% first deposit bonus by using a respected online casino reviews site, such as OnlineCasinos.co.uk.
Once you’ve decided which casinos you want to use, you must head to the promotions page of the site to get your 500% first deposit bonus. It will be simple to find the promotions page, as all gambling sites want to make it as simple as possible to sign up for their bonuses.
After locating the promotions page, you then need to sign up for the offer and satisfy the terms and conditions. Once you’ve done this you’ll be able to get your bonus money.
Wagering requirements
Wagering requirements are a key consideration for any casino bonus. This is because wagering requirements tell you how much of your own money you must wager before you can get the full benefits of the reward.
Wagering requirements are represented by a number and then x. This shows how many times you must wager the amount of the bonus to be able to get the offer. Using the example of a £500 first deposit bonus, here’s how wagering requirements work:
10x wagering requirement: you must wager £5,000.
20x wagering requirement: you must wager £10,000.
30x wagering requirement: you must wager £15,000.
All bonuses offered by UK gambling sites must publish the wagering requirement demanded of players. You can usually find it in the advertisement for the bonus but if it’s not clear then you’ll be able to see it in the terms and conditions.
Terms and Conditions
There are terms and conditions attached to every single UK bonus, whether it’s a free spins offer, deposit bonus or reward that’s included in the welcome package.
T&Cs are incredibly important because they tell players what they need to do to get the full bonus amount advertised. This not only makes sure there’s no false advertising of rewards but also helps players to gamble responsibly, as it lets gamblers know the conditions they need to meet to get the money on offer — if it ends up being more than they expected then they can opt to play responsibly by avoiding the offer.
Can I Withdraw From a 500 First Deposit Bonus?
You can withdraw the money you earn from a 500 first deposit bonus, so long as you’ve met the conditions that allow you to do so.
The key condition you must meet to withdraw from a 500 first deposit bonus is the wagering requirement of the bonus. This requirement is the amount of your own money you need to wager before the casino releases the bonus funds to you.
Something you should keep in mind when thinking about withdrawing your winnings is to keep your bonus funds separate from your own money wagered during your gambling sessions. This is a great way to gamble responsibly because it means you know exactly how much you’re actually spending on your favourite casino games.
3 best casinos for 500% bonuses
The Grand Ivy Casino
Credit: The Grand Ivy Casino
The Grand Ivy Casino is one of the best 500% first deposit bonus sites for UK players. It has a superb welcome package, an enormous amount of games and an array of promotions to reward its loyal gamblers.
Three things that’ll keep you returning to The Grand Ivy Casino once you’ve got your deposit bonus:
Great selection of table games
Incredibly user-friendly website
Superb loyalty rewards scheme
Casino bonus rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Read our review of The Grand Ivy Casino now to find out all the other great things about this outstanding gambling site.
Bgo Casino
Credit: bgo Casino
If you’re a fan of casino slots then you’ll adore bgo Casino. This great site is known to offer a 500% first deposit bonus that you can use on its many slot games and also features some brilliant slot tournaments, giving a variety of gaming that few casinos can match.
Three things that’ll keep you returning to bgo Casino once you’ve got your deposit bonus:
Low betting limits for many of its slot titles
Exceptional RTP (return to player) for blackjack games
Massive amount of vegas casino slots
Casino bonus rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Check out our bgo Casino review today to learn more about this superb casino site.
Coral Casino
Credit: Coral Casino
Coral Casino is a site that’s great for both new and returning players. New players can benefit from its 500% first deposit bonus, while loyal gamblers can choose from a huge range of casino games and sports betting options.
Three things that’ll keep you returning to Coral Casino once you’ve got your deposit bonus:
Excellent selection of baccarat games
Loads of sports for you to place bets on
Great rewards package for loyal players
Casino bonus rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Visit our Coral Casino review page to discover all the other top things about this leading gambling site.