How Welcome Offers Work

A welcome offer is what a casino or sportsbook gives a new customer who signs up. This page explains, in plain English, who qualifies, what bonus credit is and is not, which terms to read first and how MyWager earns money from the links on our offer pages. 21+.

Last verified: 13 October 2026

What a welcome offer is

A welcome offer is a promotion an operator makes to people who have never had an account with it. The operator sets it, writes its conditions into its terms and can change or end it at any time. MyWager does not set offers. Where we show one, we show what the operator lists, with the end date when the operator states one.

The name of an offer tells you little about how it works. Two offers that both say “bonus” can pay out in very different ways, so the terms are the part to read.

Common kinds of offer

Operators use their own names for these, and one offer can combine more than one.

Bet and get: You place a qualifying bet or wager and the operator adds bonus credit to your account. Some offers pay the credit in one piece and some pay it in parts over several days.
Deposit match: The operator adds credit in proportion to what you deposit, up to a stated limit.
Loss-back: If your first day, or another period the terms name, ends with a net loss, the operator returns part of the loss as bonus credit, up to a stated limit.
Spins: A set number of spins on named slot games, sometimes released in daily batches rather than all at once.

Who qualifies

Age. The operators on our partner pages require you to be 21 or older.
Location. You must be physically in a state where the operator is licensed. The app checks your location before you can place a bet or play.
New customer. Welcome offers are for new customers. Read how the terms define one, including whether an account with the same company’s other product counts.
Identity. You may be asked to confirm who you are before you can deposit or withdraw.
Opt-in or code. Some offers apply only if you opt in or enter a promo code at sign-up. The terms say which.

What bonus credit is, and what it is not

Bonus credit is an amount the operator adds to your account under conditions. It is not the same as money you deposited, and the terms can treat the two differently. Conditions you may meet include:

An expiry time after which unused credit or spins are removed.
A rule that the credit itself cannot be withdrawn, only what it wins.
A list of bets, games or markets that count toward the offer.
A wagering requirement: a number of times credit or winnings must be played before withdrawal.
A cap on how much you can win from the credit.

Some offers pay out only the winnings from a bonus bet and not the bonus amount itself. The terms say which applies to the offer in front of you.

Questions to answer before you sign up

Who qualifies? Look for the definition of a new customer, the states covered and the minimum age.
What do I have to do? Look for a qualifying deposit or bet, an opt-in step or a promo code, and the date by which you must do it.
When does the credit arrive? Some credit arrives at once, some on a schedule and some only after a bet settles.
When does it expire? Credit and spins usually carry a deadline, sometimes counted in hours.
What can I use it on? Terms can limit credit to certain bets, games or markets.
What must I do before I can withdraw? Terms can require credit or winnings to be wagered a set number of times first.
What is the most I can receive or win? Many headline figures are maximums, written as “up to”.

If you cannot find an answer in the terms, ask the operator before you deposit.

How MyWager shows offers

Each partner page carries a last verified date, the day we last checked it against our offers data and the operator. Where an offer changes often, the page shows it in a live panel that loads from our offers data, and the page text states no amount, so it never repeats a figure that has been retired.

A state appears in a partner page’s table only when the operator accepts players there and we promote the offer there. We start from every state and Washington, DC, then remove the states the operator excludes and the states where we do not promote offers. A state that is missing from a table is one where we do not currently publish that offer, and eligible states can change.

How MyWager earns money

MyWager may receive compensation when you click a link marked as sponsored and sign up with an operator. That compensation can affect which offers appear on MyWager and where they are placed. Our ratings are our own editorial scores, set by hand.

Play within your limits

A welcome offer is not a reason to deposit more than you planned. Set a deposit limit before your first deposit, and look in the operator’s account settings for limit, time-out and self-exclusion tools. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Responsible gaming resources

Welcome offers: common questions

Is bonus credit the same as cash?

No. Bonus credit is added to your account under the operator’s conditions. The terms say whether it can be withdrawn, when it expires and what happens to winnings made with it.

Can I claim a welcome offer more than once?

Welcome offers are written for new customers, so the terms usually limit each one to one per customer. The operator’s definition of a new customer is in its terms.

What if the offer on the operator’s own site looks different?

Offers can change or end at any time, and the operator’s own terms are the final word. If the two differ, follow the operator’s terms and check the date on the offer.

Why is there no offer amount in the text of some MyWager pages?

Where an offer changes often, the page shows it in a live panel and keeps the amount out of the page text. That way the text never shows a figure the operator has retired.

See the offers

You must be 21 or older. Terms apply. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. This page is information, not legal advice or a recommendation to sign up.