Casino Free Spins
What are online casino bonuses?
Casino bonuses come in many different forms, and depending on how you use them they can go a long way in adding a little extra to your winnings. To take advantage of online casino promotions, you first need to understand what is being offered, and how to effectively use the online casino bonus to your benefit. That may sound straight forward, but there is more to casino bonuses that first meet the eye, and you might be surprised at how many variations are out there.
We’ll take a closer look at the most common and popular casino bonuses, with Casino Free Spins being the most popular for casino players. Other types of bonuses can be offered by certain online casinos but it is unlikely you’ll come across an obscure bonus that is not included in our list.
How do Free Spin bonuses work?
Casino Free Spin bonuses are highly popular and equally as common. The reason for that is that they do exactly what you would expect – you get to spin for Free. For example, if you receive 10 Free Spins on a specific Slot, all you need to do is open up that Slot and boom – the Free Spins will be there. You can spin 10 times without using your own money and any winnings you make from the spins will be transferred to your betting account. The winnings on your Free Spins may be, but not necessarily, subject to wagering requirements. This means that you will have to play your winnings a certain number of times – we’ll explain wagering requirements fully further down.
Free Spin promotions are pretty straight forward, but as mentioned not everything is simple as meets the eye. Free Spins will vary from online casino to online casino. There are a few factors that can change; amount, Slot specific, value and wagering requirements.
Amount is easy, you get 10, 20, 30 etc. so it’s easy to identify which offer is the most generous, but you do have to consider the value of the Free Spins too. If you are offered 10 Free Spins at a value of €0.50 per spin, the value of the offer is €5. If however, you’re offered 20 Free Spins at a value of €0.25 the value is still €5. So the amount here does not mean you’re getting a better online casino bonus. It’s up to you to decide if you’d prefer to have a chance a winning a higher amount, or more chances of winning a lower amount.
Free Spins may also be ‘locked’ to a particular Slot game, say ‘Gonzo’s Quest’. Meaning that you are restricted to playing your Free Spins only on that Slot. Other Free Spin bonuses are available to use on any slot you choose, so again you need to look out for that if you’re perhaps not keen on the Slot with the Free Spins added.
It is also important to know some of the key terms describing Free Spins. Those with a bigger value are now commonly referred to as BIG Spins and SUPER Spins – the value of these will not change regardless of what online casino you are playing on.
BIG Spins: These are worth €1 each, giving you a BIG chance at hitting a decent win, when you see these Spins on offer – we would recommend snapping them up!
SUPER Spins: These massive Free Spins are worth a whopping €3 each! This means you have a chance at winning some serious cash – it’d be crazy to turn these down!
What is a deposit Bonus?
Deposit bonuses are the next most issued online casino bonus. A deposit bonus can also be referred to a Reload bonus, and usually will be called as such if you become a regular player at any online casino. A deposit bonus is a percentage that will be added to what you deposit. For example, an online casino offers you a 50% deposit bonus and you deposit €100; your deposit will have a further 50% added, so you’ll have €150 to play with. Wagering requirements are almost always added to these types of casino bonuses.
As with the Free Spins bonus, this can come in different variations. Obviously the percentage could change – the most typical amounts are 25%, 50% and 100%. A 100% deposit bonus may also be called a ‘Match bonus’, as the online casino will match exactly what you deposit. You may also be restricted on where you can play your deposit bonus, as it will sometimes be locked to specific Slots or tables etc.
What is a Cashback bonus at an online casino?
A less common, but certainly well used bonus is the Cashback. A Cashback bonus is applied on your losses over a certain period of time. As an example, you opt to take part in a 10% Cashback promotion over a week, whatever your net losses are within that week, 10% will be given back to you. So if you lose €500 overall, you’ll get €50 back in your account to play with, just to soften the blow a bit. The nice thing about this online casino bonus is that normally it is not subject to any wagering requirements and is paid in cold hard cash in to your betting account.
As you’ve probably guess by now, the Cashback is variable. The online casino can limit which game, or even which table the Cashback will be available on, and for what period. To get the Cashback you will probably have to ‘opt-in’ to the promotion so make sure to look out for that to avoid disappointment.
Also note that it will be paid on your NET losses, over the period of time what you win – what you lose.
Can you get Free Bet bonuses with online casinos?
Yes, you can. Often associated with a Sports Bonus, Free Bet bonuses can also be offered as online casino bonuses. These are to be used on either Blackjack or Roulette. You’ll get say a €20 Free Bet to use on a specific Roulette table to try your luck. The only ‘catch’ with this type of bonus is that the Free Bet needs to be used with one bet and cannot be split. If you win, the winnings will also highly likely be subject to wagering requirements.
Do ‘No deposit’ bonuses exist?
They do! A no deposit bonus will normally come in the form of a small cash amount, around €5, or it can even come as a casino Free Spin bonus. This one is a straight forward as it sounds, all you need to do is register at an online casino to receive the bonus. As expected, this bonus will 99% of the time require you to wager the winnings, if any.
Welcome Bonus
Welcome bonuses have turned into a fierce competition between online casinos with each trying to out-do one another – which is great news for you!
A normal online casino Welcome Bonus will consist of a combination of a Free Spins bonus and a deposit bonus, although some casinos will favour one over the other. If you have a preference for one of these types casino bonus then shop around until you find your perfect mix – we’re pretty sure it exists!
Are there any restrictions I need to know about?
Restrictions may apply. Firstly, bonuses can vary from country to country, for example you may not be eligible for the Free Spins section of a Welcome bonus, or the % amount could be lower. It is also possible that certain payment methods may not count. Skrill and other e-wallets will often be ruled out, and you may not be eligible for the bonus if you deposit with these so be sure to read the small print.
What are wagering requirements?
The all-important wagering requirements! These can also be called ‘turnover’ over of ‘play through’ and as mentioned it indicates how many times you need to wager your winnings, or amount. These can also be different per bonus type.
Free Spins wagering: It is possible that Free Spins can mean free, and that all winnings will automatically be able to withdraw the winnings; however some form of wagering is usually required. For example, you will need to wager your winnings on Free Spins, let’s say 10 times.
You win €25 with your Free Spin, you will need to play through €25 x 10; therefore €250 before you can withdraw.
Deposit bonus: This will apply on the bonus amount you receive. So if you received €100 on top, you will need to wager that, for easy sake, we’ll say 10 again. Of course, if you lose and re-deposit, the wagering is no longer required – it only applies if you win.
With these bonuses, you will always play with your real money first – so if you hit a big win and want to withdraw, you will be able to as long as you haven’t started using the bonus funds. If you do withdraw, you will forfeit the bonus amount.
Other bonus: Other bonus types follow the same as above.
How can I get a casino bonus?
You will normally receive an online casino bonus when you sign-up, as per the Welcome Bonus section. Casino Free Spins will be awarded to you randomly, and will be communicated through, Email, SMS etc. you will also receive a message pop-up when you log in to your account to alert you, so if you prefer not receive communications – you’re not obliged to.
The same applies for other bonus types, it is at the discretion of each individual casino but you can check their on-going promotions to get an idea of what is coming up!