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Free Money - No Deposit Casino Bonuses

Photo by Chris Harley

One of the best (and safest) ways to test out an online casino that you are unfamiliar with is through a no deposit bonus offer.

For those new to online casinos and unfamiliar with the term, a no deposit bonus is simply an offer of free money to new players so they can try out the services being offered. That means no handing over your credit card details, no outlay of your own money - the casino wants your business, and they are prepared to pay you for it.

I know what you’re thinking - sounds like a perfect deal, doesn’t it? In some cases, yes it is, you’ll get all the benefits of playing at the casino with real money, and none of the worries that go with risking your own cash,,, at other times the deal can be a little more clouded. Here are seven things to look for when choosing a no deposit bonus to play:

1. Read the terms and conditions. The first thing you need to do is read any terms and conditions that apply to this bonus (you can usually find that information by clicking on the ‘promotions’ link on the casino’s website and searching for the bonus information). Make sure you read and understand them fully, no deposit bonuses in particular can often have some strict and sometimes convoluted terms associated with them. Failing to meet them all will probably ruin your chances of receiving any winnings.

2. How much free money do you get? No deposit bonuses typically range from about $8 - $20 free for the more traditional type of bonus to the more recent trend of offering a virtually unlimited amount of money for you to play with, but setting some kind of time limit and capping the maximum amount of winnings you can collect.

3. What are the wagering requirements? Each bonus needs to have an end point, you can’t just claim a bonus and then immediately ask for a withdrawal without playing any games. A casino awards bonus money to get you playing, and consequently add wagering requirements that need to be met before a withdrawal can be successful. On a no deposit bonus these requirements may be anything from 10x-40x the amount of the bonus, or stipulated as a number of games or even a time limit.

4. What is the maximum amount of winnings you can cashout? Most no deposit bonuses limit the amount of money you can withdraw. Typically this could be around 10x the amount of the bonus or at most a couple of hundred dollars, but it’s something you need to keep in mind from the start. Any winnings you have above that amount are going to be void, so don’t get too excited if you win a slots jackpot when you’re playing with no deposit bonus money - you’re not going to get it all.

5. Are there any other conditions you need to meet before you can cashout? A recent trend with no deposit bonuses is to have them lead into what is essentially a match deposit bonus. A casino may typically give you $1000 free chips to play with, or set a 60 min time limit and let you keep all your winnings up to say $200. However ‘the catch’ is that you must make a minimum deposit before those winnings will be paid into your account (as a bonus on that deposit - meaning you’ll need to meet additional wagering requirements before you can actually withdraw the money).

6. Are there any games excluded from the promotion? Some casinos limit their no deposit bonuses (and indeed most of their bonuses) to only a handful of their higher margin games such as slots, keno etc. while others allow you to play all games, but may add longer wagering requirements for the smaller margin games such as Blackjack and Baccarat, etc.

7. Is there anything else that might exclude you from this promotion? Most casinos limit no deposit bonuses to only one claim per person, for obvious reasons. If they do allow you to claim more than once then they probably aren’t completely risk free (see point #5). Other reasons that might stop you from claiming a bonus could be the country you reside in (some bonuses are only claimable by players from a certain country, usually ones the casino is trying to build their player base in), the bonus may have already expired. or you may have already claimed a no deposit bonus at a casino owned by the same group.

It really is in your best interest to understand every bonus you claim before you start playing, if you don’t, then you jeopardize your chances of collecting any money that you might win.

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