You may think that there’s no such thing as free money, and typically you would be right. But in the case of online casinos, they need to get creative to entice customers to sign up. That’s where free cash bonuses come in, which are also called no-deposit bonuses.
What is a free money bonus?
Well, it’s a bonus that offers you bonus cash without you having to make a deposit first. Hence the more common name of “no-deposit bonus”.
As you know, most bonuses you may wish to claim require you to first make a deposit. And it’s almost always a minimum deposit of at least €10 or €20. Only then, you can get your hands on some bonus cash.
In the case of a no-deposit bonus, you don’t have to worry about that. You simply claim it and receive some bonus cash.
How does a no-deposit bonus work?
Apart from not having to make a deposit prior to claiming a no-deposit bonus, you still don’t just get it anywhere anytime. Indeed, surprisingly few online casinos offer them. And in almost every case it’s a bonus you receive after registering at a casino as a new customer.
It’s usually an added bonus you can claim before making your first deposit and receiving the usual welcome bonus.
Often, no-deposit bonuses may be restricted in their use. That means casinos choose a few games for you to use that bonus on. A good casino will select a range of different games, such as slots, various table games, video poker and other games. Rarely live games mind you.
Then you can use your free cash to play these games and thereby get to know the casino and how it operates.
How much free money can you expect?
Not a lot, to be perfectly honest. After all, the casino is giving you something for essentially nothing. And no casino can afford to give away hundreds of thousands, considering that most casinos have at least a few thousand customers.
On average, most online casinos offer between €10 and €50. One of the most generous offers of a no-deposit bonus you will encounter is the one at 888 casino, where you can get €88 in free money. Any offer above €100 will have to be viewed with doubt at best. That is most likely a fraudulent offer from a rogue casino, so be sure to thoroughly check the casino offering such a bonus before signing up.
By the way, free spins that don’t require a prior deposit may also fall into the no-deposit category. In this instance, free spins can be viewed as a cash alternative, but tend to be restricted to one particular slot.
No-deposit bonuses and their wagering requirements
Every type of bonus you will ever encounter at an online casino has bonus conditions. And a major aspect of those are the wagering requirements. No-deposit bonuses tend to have particularly strict wagering requirements because the casinos want to avoid fraud as well. It is a type of free money, so they won’t make it easy on you to eventually withdraw some of it.
As such, you need to be aware of a few particulars when it comes to wagering requirements of no-deposit bonuses:
- They’re almost always higher than for deposit bonuses – between 50x and 100x
- Winnings are usually capped
- It’s rarely possible to withdraw the free money itself even after you completed wagering – usually you can only withdraw the winnings
- Free money bonus funds will expire sooner than for regular deposit bonuses
- Violating the bonus conditions will result in forfeiting the bonus money and any winnings
Free money bonuses are intended for customers to play around at a casino without them having to invest their own cash yet. You are allowed to claim some of your wins, which is considered an added incentive, but ultimately the casino wants you to deposit your own money and play with that.
An online casino is a business. And it’s rarely good business practice to keep giving away things for free. If players were allowed to use free funds indefinitely, they might never make a deposit, which is not in the interest of an online casino.
The advantages and disadvantages of free money bonuses
Given how restrictive these types of bonuses are, why would you want to claim them anyway? Well, regardless of the bonus conditions, by claiming such a bonus you’re not risking any of your own money just yet.
You’re allowed to try out the casino’s features and figure out whether you even like the casino and the games they have to offer. Some online casinos don’t allow you to play in the ‘Demo’ mode without a registered account and often you won’t even be able to see the full range of games, promotions and services unless you have an account.
Whilst you can get to know the games in the ‘Demo’ mode as well, there’s no chance at all to take home any winnings. With a free money bonus, however, there is an opportunity to win something. At 888 casino you may even play progressive jackpot games and win the jackpot that way.
The main disadvantage of a free money bonus: the attached conditions. That goes without saying and we have detailed for you what to expect.
If you’re not worried about wagering requirements and withdrawing any winnings at some point, there’s no reason not claim a free money bonus when you can find one.