UK Betting Sites with New Customer Offers
Most online gambling websites and apps have new customer offers and promotions. When you first sign up to a betting site, there’s likely to be an offer there to entice you to play. The offer is also designed to keep you away from joining a competitor site (and they will likely also have new joiner offers). If you are new to betting, you might be asking yourself which betting sites new customer offers are the best. How do you find them? What do they do? And are they safe and regulated? Here is what you need to know.
What is a New Customer Offer?
A new customer offer is an incentive for a customer to join a particular betting site. For example, a common form of new customer offer is where you receive an amount of money for free after depositing and spending X amount. This money is an add on, and does not come out of your bank account, but is a gift from the site. This money cannot be withdrawn unless it has gone through the process of being placed as a bet (for example, you cannot join the site, deposit money, receive free money and then withdraw it all without playing).
Why do New Customer Offers Exist?
Betting sites new customer offers exist to attract new customers. With so many online betting shops popping up, each bookmaker needs to remain current and appealing. There are currently around 1.6 billion people worldwide gambling, with a good proportion of these switching to online betting sites and away from brick-and-mortar establishments. Finding a betting shop online is so much quicker and easier than finding one in the high street. Conventionally, gamblers would attend their nearest bookmaker, regardless of which brand it is, due to convenience and location. But in online gambling, all you must do is put ‘sports betting’ or ‘casino’ into your search engine and dozens if not hundreds of betting shops will be available at an instant. For this reason, online betting shops need to be competitive and offer their very best promotions to attract these visitors.
Are Betting Sites New Customer Offers Safe?
Most betting shops are fully regulated. But many aren’t. It is estimated that 200,000 people every year use unregulated betting shops online in the UK. And most of these people won’t know about it. You can check whether a betting site is regulated by finding this information either on the home page or in the About section. If you are struggling to find this information, it is a bad sign, as most regulated betting shops will want to display this information loud and proud. Always check this information before using any betting site and if you are unsure, you can contact the help department of the betting shop or contact customer services.
As for new customer offers, they are safe so long as you fully read and understand the terms and conditions of the offer. Online betting shops tend to make their new customer offers look very appealing, with colourful graphics, tempting offers and a ‘too good to be true’ vibe. This is why it is critical that you read the terms and conditions of any offer before signing up to it. This way you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.
Types Of New Customer Offers
The most common type of new customer offer is to receive X amount of betting money after depositing and spending a specified amount. But other offers exist too. You might be given free spins if your betting site has a casino. In other cases, you might receive a bonus that is a percentage of what you bet. Or in some cases you might even receive a voucher or a gift for signing up, such as Uber Eats vouchers. In these cases, you must always remember to read the terms and conditions to avoid disappointment and to keep yourself safe while gambling online. Customer offers tend to be time limited, so if you see one, make sure you check when the offer expires. It could be that, if an offer isn’t that tempting, a better one will come along in a few months or weeks’ time.
Dangers Of Too Many Sign-Ups
Some people find betting sites new customer offers extremely tempting. Especially bonus cash offers. This can make it more appealing to sign up to multiple betting sites at once. After all, if you are going to spend a small amount of money just to receive a large amount of free betting money, why wouldn’t you sign up to a few sites at the same time? Well, first, this logic might persuade you to spend more than you originally intended to spend when deciding to bet online. Instead of signing up to one site with a specified amount of money affordable to you, you find yourself signing up to 3 or 4 sites and spending more than you can afford. In most cases, gamblers lose rather than win, and one alarming study even showed 95% of gamblers have lost money in the last 12 months. This highlights the importance of sensible, aware gambling patterns and only ever spending what you can afford to lose. Of course, you can always be hopeful for a winner, but you should also be comfortable losing your bet without it causing you any hardship.
Browse Your Options
Lastly, with so many online betting sites new customer offers out there, it’s important you browse all your options before committing to a site. You may have found a sweet deal, but an extra 5 minutes of research could find you an even sweeter one. As a rule of thumb, you want a sign-up offer that means minimum deposit for maximum free bets or spins, as this will minimise your risk and maximise your chances of getting a pay-out. And remember to read all the terms and conditions on each online betting site you browse, as well as their regulatory commitments.