There’s no better feeling than playing online casino games for free, but it has its disadvantages. Many operators offer a freebie to new customers a way of allowing them to effectively test-drive their casino without having to spend a penny and it usually comes in the form of free spins, but are they only type of no deposit bonuses out there? No, which you’re about to find out in this guide! Many people are under the illusion that one can simply sign up to a casino, accept a no deposit bonus and walk away with the funds, but they’re wrong. These types of bonuses should be considered free trial bonuses and therefore, they’re virtual funds that cannot be withdrawn.
No deposit casino offers have seen a steady decline over recent years with new strict gambling laws taking the blame, but in fact, the reason for the lack of no deposit bonuses comes down to tax! Back in 2016, George Osbourne was the UK Chancellor at the time, and he announced new legislation for the UK licensed and regulated operators, and it came as a big blow to many! A tax would be applied to free bet offers; from online bingo freebies to online casino freebies, each no deposit bonus would be slapped with a new 15% general betting duty! Prior to the new rules, operators would only need to pay a fee if the player who accepted the no deposit bonus were to lose from that bonus, but from 2016, win or lose, operators are now required to pay tax on those free bets, which is why many have decided to pull the plug on such offers.
The online bingo industry effectively found a loophole within the new legislation and instead of offering a free trial bonus, they would instead offer free to play bingo games with a bonus offered to those who managed to call house! Free bingo games are a major attraction for online bingo players, but we’re yet to discover a loophole within the online casino sector.
Best No Deposit Casinos
The Dark Terms Behind No Deposit Casino Offers
Wagering requirements is a term that often sends shivers down our spine, but what does it mean? If you’re attempting to play online casino games for real money, you need to understand what is meant by the term. Wagering requirements are slapped on everything; from the welcome bonus to those free spins you trigger via loyalty schemes, and it’s a term used to stop player’s cashing out their winnings too quickly!
Typically, wagering (play-through) is shown as a multiplier value and usually, wagering will require players to play through their bonus (and sometimes the deposit too!), the number of times stated before being able to request a withdrawal. An example; You claim a 100% deposit bonus on a £50 deposit – you know have £100 to play with (£50 bonus and £50 deposit). Wagering stipulates you must play through that 100% bonus a total of 30x, this equates to; £50 x 30 = £1,500! If you need to include your deposit in that too, the sum doubles to £3,000.
There could be a win cap on how much you can win too, which is why it’s always important to read the terms and conditions before accepting any offer – even no deposit bonuses which are notorious for sky-high wagering! So how does wagering work on freebies? If you were to receive a £10 no deposit bonus, the wagering terms could be as high as 99x, which means playing through that tenner to the value of £999 before being able to request a withdrawal. And then, it’s not always that simple, there are other terms which stipulate you must make a deposit before being able to withdraw and some even require you to spend a certain amount in real cash before being able to cash out your winnings!
Can I Keep What I Win from a No Deposit Bonus?
First of all, if all online casinos were to hand out free money to customers, they’d go bankrupt and there would be no more casinos, which is why no deposit bonuses come with rules – many rules. To keep what you win, you will be required to jump through hoops; win a certain amount, meet wagering requirements and make a withdrawal more often than not, however, there are a few exceptions to the rule!
In the past, we have seen casino giants such as William Hill and Coral offering a no deposit free spins bonus to new customers, who have then gone on to make a withdrawal without having to deposit a penny! These instances are extremely rare and are only available for a short period of time.
The Deposit Welcome Offer
It’s popular and easy to claim, but only if you’re a new customer. There are rules and regulations in place which state that any player who attempts to create additional accounts to purely benefit from no deposit offers, they will be excommunicated – John Wick style, which means no more access to online casino games for you!
To claim this type of offer, you need to supply your details; name, address, date of birth, email address and then choose a password. A payment source is required at the point of registration – this is standard and rest assured, no monies will be taken from your account unless you wish to make use of the welcome offer. Your payment details are needed for verification purposes – to effectively confirm you are of gambling age and that you’re not pretending to be someone else. Once complete, your no deposit welcome offer will be credited to your account and you are able to start playing instantly!
No Deposit Casinos
The list of no deposit casinos will change regularly. As we sit down to list the details on all available freebies, those will come to an end and new ones will become available! To bring you the very latest up-to-the-minute information, we will touch on the online casino who are renowned for their no deposit offers, however, as previously mentioned, offers can be withdrawn at a moment’s notice, so it’s always a good idea to keep checking the following casinos regularly so as not to miss out on a freebie.
- NetBet Casino: Founded in 2001, NetBet Casino is home to a plethora of casino games from Microgaming, NetEnt, Leander Games, High5Games, GameArt and many, many other software developers. Customers can expect unlimited withdrawals, a mobile-friendly layout, on-going promotions and big jackpots, all while knowing they have been proven to be fair at all times by iTech Labs.
- Rizk Casino: Powered by Microgaming, NetEnt, Play’n GO, NextGen Gaming, Quickspin, Yggdrasil Gaming, Thunderkick, Red Tiger Gaming, Nyx Interactive, Big Time Gaming, Evolution Gaming, iSoftBet, Nolimit City, Oryx Gaming, Slingo, High5Games, Lightning Box and Push Gaming means a substantial gaming lobby with themes raging from safari to horror, ancient Egypt to classics! Perks of Rizk Casino include exclusive promotions and rewards, live chat 24/7, fast withdrawals and big jackpots!
- Fun Casino: Established in 2014, Fun Casino is completely instant-play with a staggering selection of games from top-tier software providers and your gaming adventure usually begins with a no deposit free spins offer! Popular slots here include Megaways titles, Reactoonz, Slingo (bingo and slots with heaps of fun!) and Book of Gods. Promotions include tournaments where you compete against your fellow slot spinners for a spot on the leader-board for cash and bonuses.
- Casino.com: Coming from the Mansion Europe Holdings Ltd Casinos list of establishments means Casino.com is from the same stable as Mansion Casino and Slots Heaven Casino, all of which are highly rated within the online casino industry. Established in 2008, players are treated to a huge range of promotions as well as jackpots and live chat is always on-hand should you need it! Available in both instant play and download, Casino.com delivers plenty of choice, plenty of chances to win and lots of fun no matter what size your budget is!
- Slots Heaven Casino: Like Las Vegas only online – Slots Heaven Casino is powered by Playtech, meaning you’ll find nothing but Playtech titles to keep you entertained. As disappointing as this sounds, the list of games is substantial and varied. Playtech’s progressive jackpot network is one of the largest and offers a series of progressive jackpots that can be won from triggering a bonus round, randomly on any spin! Click the icons on your screen and match three identical symbols to win the corresponding jackpot! Popular titles here include Kingdom’s Rise Guardians of the Abyss, Age of the Gods Norse Ways of Thunder, Great Blue Jackpot, Grease, Beach Life, Deal or No Deal World Slot and Dirty Dancing!
Can I Win a Jackpot from a No Deposit Bonus?
Why not! There’s no saying you won’t hit a jackpot from your no deposit offer, however, being able to keep your winnings is another matter! We’ve already touched on wagering requirements, but there are some operators who state that any jackpot wins derived from a free bonus will be void, meaning the winnings will be confiscated! As alarming as this sounds, these operators are few and far between! Typically speaking, you can win a jackpot only you will have to meet wagering requirements!
Popular No Deposit Casino Games
Top-tier software providers include Microgaming and NetEnt and these along with scores of other developers are often found upon the pages of no deposit casinos. The more software providers featured, the more games on offer! There are literally thousands of online slots and casino games to choose from, whether you be playing for free or splashing the cash with high roller bets and each one offers many ways to win with exciting bonus features!
Evolution Gaming’s live casino games are popular among no deposit bonus players, what with an immersive gaming experience offered through fun-filled features! Lightning Roulette with multipliers of up to 500x applied to winnings in each round and Mega Ball – the online bingo game with a live casino twist are just two of the more popular games being played. Over to the table games now and blackjack and poker are firm favourites, but no game is as popular as the slot machine!
Slots are usually tied into no deposit bonuses, but which slots can you play? Now, the answer to that will depend on where you are playing, because no two online casinos are the same and the same goes for promotions and bonuses! More details on this type of offer can be found in the next section.
No Deposit Free Spins
No deposit free spins are what it is – a no deposit bonus in the form of free spins which are usually credited to one specific slot. Popular slot games that make up this offer include:
- Starburst: NetEnt’s 5-reel, 10 win line title delivering wins from left to right and right to left and a re-spin bonus. Land those colourful rainbow crystals on reels 2, 3 and/or 4 to witness a re-spin like no other!
- Book of Dead: The ancient Egyptian slot from Play’N Go with base game wins, multipliers, wilds and free spins feature where one randomly chosen symbol will become an expanding symbol for epic win potential.
- Fluffy Favourites: Powered by Eyecon, a software developer who are usually linked with online bingo-style slots, deliver all the fun of the fair through a highly animated reel engine. Join Nellie and her stuffed friends as she aims to uncover a fortune through an arcade-style claw bonus, instant wins and free spins!
NetEnt are usually the software provider of choice for this type of offer with free games being credited to other favourites too including:
- Aloha! Cluster Pays: Head to the tropics in search of hot wins in Aloha! Cluster Pays, the 6-reel slot packed with cascades, free spins, multipliers, clustery pays and wilds! Coconuts, pineapples, shells, Tiki – the grinning Moai and plenty of other refreshing symbols aim to create a tranquil experience, but with so much fun crammed into one reel engine, playing is anything but tranquil!
- Jumanji: Based on the popular 90’s movie of the same name, players are invited to enter a game where suspense, surprises and a host of features wait to be discovered! Free spins, wilds, a mystery feature, sticky wilds, multipliers and a whole lot of fun are guaranteed in this mobile-optimised slot machine!
- Reel Rush: You certainly get a ‘real’ rush of excitement with this cluster-pays slot machine! The ore winning combinations appearing, the bigger the gaming area becomes and the bigger the gaming area, the more chance you have of landing epic wins!
- Gonzo’s Quest: A Spanish explorer aims to uncover the lost golden city of El Dorado to make off with all its treasures! Will you manage to unearth it’s 25,000x jackpot? This 5-reel, 20 fixed pay line slot delivers cascading symbols, free spins, multipliers and wilds from as little as 20p a spin!
Pros and Cons of No Deposit Casino Bonuses
Advantages of No Deposit Bonus Casinos
- Play for free without risking your funds
- Try new games for free
- Experience what the casino has to offer for free
- A no deposit bonus allows you to see how games work so when you play with real funds, you know how to win and how to trigger bonuses
Disadvantages of No Deposit Bonus Casinos
- Freebie is to be treated as virtual money
- These types of offers come with many terms; maximum bet limits, the maximum amount that can be won and the dreaded wagering requirements.
- The bonus will stipulate where you can use your no deposit bonus and it’s usually on one specific slot machine.
Bankroll Boosting Opportunities
Once you’ve claimed your no deposit bonus, it’s time to move on to bigger and better things. If you enjoy what the casino has to offer, there will be a lavish welcome offer waiting to boost your bankroll, your time playing and your chances of winning, but it will require a deposit. You should be mindful of any promo codes that may be needed because failure to add these when making your first deposit, will result in you forfeiting the welcome offer. There are many types of welcome offers on the table, including:
- Deposit Bonus: A bonus which is triggered upon a deposit and this is the most common online casino bonus of them all. A minimum deposit will be required and sometimes a promo code too. Once you have credited your account; the deposit bonus will be instantly credited to your bonus bankroll.
- Cash Match Bonus: The value of your deposit will be matched, it’s as simple as that! If you were to deposit £100, you would receive £100 in bonus funds, giving you a total of £200 to play with!
- Free Spins: We all love free spins (which is why the majority of online slots offer a free spin bonus), and now you can get your hands on plenty of free spins for making a deposit at many an online casino. PlayOJO casino is just one offering this type of welcome offer and it allows new players to claim a set number of spins depending on how much they deposit. Only unlike the vast majority of other operators, PlayOJO allow you to keep 100% of your winnings as there is no wagering requirements ever!
- Deposit Package: Usually, this comes in the form of both a deposit bonus and free spins. A percentage (usually 100% but could be more!) is applied to your first deposit with a set number of free spins. Once you’ve played through this bonus, a second and third (and possibly fourth!) bonus is applied on those subsequent deposits.
- Reload Bonus: A sum which is applied to your bonus bankroll on subsequent deposits. Once welcome offers have been claimed, the reloads kick in.
- Cashback: A popular feature of many online casinos where a percentage (usually up to 10%) of losses is credited back to players accounts. If you were to spend £100 and lost all of it, 10% (£10) would be put back into your casino account once calculated (could be the following day). However, these schemes are usually in onus form and this means you have wagering requirements to meet.
- Loyalty and VIP Perks: The offers don’t just dry up because you’re no longer a newbie – they get better as you play! Some operators offer a loyalty system where the more you play the more you unlock while others offer a VIP program packed with exclusive rewards, gifts, days out and much more, but you’ll need to become an elite player (high roller) to benefit from such a scheme.
- Spin the Wheel: Bgo Casino are famed for their spin the wheel welcome offer where new players could trigger as many as 500 free spins on their first deposit! But is this offer as lavish as it seems? In terms of playing time, it’s as good as it gets – 500 free spins could last a while, but in terms of ‘terms and conditions,’ it’s not the wisest of moves. This specific offer not only states you can only win a maximum of £8 per 10 spins, but the overall sum you win will be subjected to a 65x wagering requirement clause, which means; if you win £100 from all your free spins, you will need to play through that £100 65x before being able to request a withdrawal – that’s £6,500!
What’s the Best Type of Bonus?
The best type of casino bonus is the one where you can cash out anything you win! If you claim a bonus with hefty wagering terms, you’re less likely to be able to withdraw your winnings. You’re not obliged to accept any welcome offer put to you – if you’d rather not claim an offer with so much red tape. Head to live chat and request to be removed from bonuses and promotions. There’s no harm in claiming a no deposit bonus because after all, it’s free!
