Noun
A promotional cash offer provided by an online casino or poker room to entice visitors to make their first real money deposit at the website.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Many sign-up bonuses have detailed requirements that must be met, and terms and conditions vary significantly from poker room to poker room. The award of the sign-up bonus often falls into one of three stages: awarding it before the criteria are met but with a restriction against withdrawing the funds, providing it in steps as a portion of the criteria are met, or providing it entirely after all criteria are met. Sign-up bonuses may be a fixed amount or a percentage of the initial deposit.
EXAMPLE: "I've found that a lot of the poker rooms that offer large sign-up bonuses add a lot of restrictions for getting the money. Other features of the poker room, like how reputable the site is, how much I like the software design, and how many other players, are a much bigger factor in my choices."
APPLIES TO: Online Venues
RELATED TERMS: Bonus, Reload Bonus