What Are No Deposit Casino Bonuses and How Do They Work?
No deposit bonuses are probably the most sought-after type of casino bonus offers. They give new casino players an opportunity to play and win real money without the need to make a deposit. Even though the amount you can win from these is generally very limited, players still like the chance to try out a new casino absolutely for free.
In this no deposit bonus guide, we will take a look at the basics of these free bonus offers, how they work, why casinos offer them, and – most importantly – what you should look out for if you wish to take advantage of them.
Table of contents:
How no deposit casino bonuses work
The basic idea of no deposit bonuses is pretty simple. Casinos give new players an opportunity to play without having to spend their money by crediting their newly created accounts with bonus funds or free slot machine spins. Players can then play games and even win some money. But, of course, it is not as great as it may seem at first glance.
Most importantly, the value of no deposit bonuses is generally low. Most casinos only give new players less than €/£/$10 worth of bonus money. Players then have to play with that money, while following the bonus terms and conditions
What is more, the maximum amount of real money that can be won from free bonuses is almost always limited. Casinos need to impose these limits, as they need to stay profitable. Giving free money to all new players without any restrictions would go against that.
After the player wagers a sufficient amount of money and meets all bonus conditions, there are additional procedures that need to be taken care of before they are allowed to withdraw their winnings:
- Firstly, the player needs to verify their identity through a so-called KYC (Know Your Customer) check if they have not already. This generally involves sending a copy of your ID card, driver’s license or passport, as well as a copy of something that verifies your address (utility bill, bank statement, etc.).
- The casino may also want you to make a small deposit, so that they can link a payment option to your account and make sure that they are sending your winnings to the right person.
Note: We focus on no deposit bonuses for new players in this article, but casinos sometimes also offer free bonuses to existing players. These work basically the same, although there might be some differences. For example, you will not have to go through the KYC process again if you had already.
Types of no deposit casino bonuses
There are two basic types of no deposit bonuses offered by online casinos:
- Free cash bonuses
- Free spins bonuses
When you get a free cash bonus, a certain amount of bonus funds is added to your casino account. You can then play any games you want, although there may be some exceptions, like specific types of games, or titles from specific game providers.
Once you meet the wagering requirements
Free spins bonuses are a bit different. Instead of straight-up bonus funds, you get a certain number of slot machine spins that can only be used on selected slots. Once you play all the spins, the accumulated winnings will be added to your account as bonus funds, and the rest of the story will continue the same way as with a free cash bonus.
Why casinos offer free bonuses to new players
You might be wondering why online casinos would give away money for free, but the reasoning is quite simple. The online casino market is extremely competitive, so sites need something to attract new players. And because people love getting stuff for free, no deposit bonuses are an extremely effective form of marketing for online casinos.
Additionally, the low value of no deposit bonuses and their terms and conditions mean that casinos do not lose that much money on them. And even if some players win, casino websites can be pretty confident that the customers they gain thanks to free bonuses will make them more money in the long run.
Note: The competitive nature of the online casino market makes it difficult for new casino sites to build a solid customer base. That is why new sites often offer interesting bonuses, as it is one of the main ways for them to grow.
What to look out for when taking a free bonus
If you are new to online casinos, there are some things you should know before you take advantage of your first no deposit bonus.
Firstly, you should pay attention to the reputation of the casino. There are some unscrupulous online casino sites that use unfair practices to trick players. If you play at one of those, you will most likely not be able to win anything, even if you are offered a seemingly amazing bonus. That is why we advise players to check out the casino’s review before creating an account.
Another important thing you should pay very close attention to are the terms and conditions of the bonus. As already mentioned, casinos use these to protect themselves and limit the ability of players to win money.
You will have to wager a certain amount of funds to convert bonus funds into real money, avoid playing restricted games, make sure you do not go over the maximum bet, etc. And, most notably, the amount you will be able to win will be limited to a relatively small amount.
Note: Not all bonuses are available to players from all countries. Before you create your casino account with the intention to take advantage of a bonus, make sure that you are eligible to receive it.
Terms and conditions of no deposit bonuses
When accepting a no deposit casino bonus, you should be aware of all the rules and limitations that apply to you when playing with bonus funds. These have the form of terms and conditions, which you have to agree with when creating a casino account or claiming a bonus.
In this section of the article, we will go over the most common terms and conditions of free casino bonuses and what they mean to you as a player:
- Wagering requirements (WR) – Before you are able to withdraw your winnings, you first need to roll over the bonus amount a certain number of times. For example, a €10 no deposit bonus with 20x WR means that you need to wager €200 in total to convert your bonus funds into real, withdrawable money.
- Wagering contribution – Additionally, not all games contribute 100% of wagered funds towards the wagering requirements. The contribution of table games or slots from some game providers is often lowered, which means that only a certain percentage of placed bets counts towards the WR.
- Game restrictions – Additionally, some games might be restricted altogether. This means that you simply cannot play certain games with bonus funds. Either the casino will not let you play them at all, or they might use playing restricted games as a reason for canceling your winnings.
- Country restrictions – Online casinos don’t offer the same bonuses to players from all countries. Make sure the bonus you are about to claim is actually available to you.
- Maximum win – As free bonuses are, well, free, it only makes sense that the amount you can win from them is limited. This can be a fixed amount (e.g. €100) or a multiple of the bonus amount (e.g. 20-times the initial bonus value). For free cash bonuses, you can easily multiply the bonus amount to get the maximum win, while for free spin bonuses the multiple is applied to the amount you win from your free spins.
- Maximum bet – When playing with a bonus, you are generally subject to a maximum bet limit, which means you can only place individual bets lower than a certain amount. If you break this rule, the casino will most likely confiscate your winnings.
- Bonus expiration – The time you have to play with your bonus is also often limited. If you do not complete the wagering requirements by then, the bonus will be deducted from your account. Additionally, free spins bonuses can have another restriction, which limits how much time you have to play your free spins.
Where to find no deposit bonuses
Our list of no deposit casino bonuses is a great place to start. We take pride in building and maintaining the biggest and most accurate database of online casinos and their bonus offers on the internet, so you should have plenty to choose from there.
Note: You can also find some no deposit bonuses on the Casino Guru forum.
However, remember to also take a look at the quality of any given casino before you decide to start playing there. We have thoroughly reviewed all online casinos in our database, following a rigorous review process to help players identify honest online casinos and stay away from unscrupulous ones, so make sure to take advantage of that.
We also recommend you read our article about how to gamble safely, as well as other resources about problematic gambling habits, so that you stay safe while playing online.
