Online casino gaming presents various advantages over land based casinos in these times, one of which includes No Deposit Bonuses. It is quite common that many online casino game players get notifications about no deposit bonuses from various sources. This may seemingly present exciting opportunities for you to make money without any deposit risk. Is that so? Well, this article will give a detailed analysis of no deposit bonuses and seek to make you understand why it is not free at all.
What is a No Deposit Bonus?
As the name implies, this is a type of bonus that is offered by casinos for no deposit at all by the customer. This is done to achieve several things such as attracting new customers and allowing users to test the casino and its games at no cost/risk.
The free deposit bonus may take either of two forms depending on the casino. These are:
- No Deposit Free spins – In this case, the casino gives free spins that can be used on several slot games as specified by the casino, and winnings are then converted to the punter’s cash, subject to meeting the wagering requirements. This type of bonus is available world over and no deposit free spins in Ireland, for example, allow users use their free spins on selected slots such as the popular Gonzo’s Quest, Starburst and many other popular games.
- Free cash No Deposit bonus – With this bonus, you will receive “free cash/money” that can be wagered on casino games as specified by the casino operator. These normally come in small amounts such as 5 GBP, and winnings can be withdrawn as cash provided the user has met the wagering requirements of the casino. This may also come in the form of a No Deposit Welcome Free Cash. As the name implies, here you will receive a welcome bonus for no deposit at all after the completion of the registration and/or account verification modalities.
As earlier mentioned, each type of no deposit bonus comes with wagering requirements that need to be carefully read and understood as any winnings may not be withdrawn before these are met.
Why are No Deposit Bonuses Not Free?
Whilst the selling point is that the no deposit bonus is given for no risk at all from the punter, it would be folly to ignore the fact that this comes at a cost. What would be the cost of using no deposit bonuses? The drawbacks of this type of bonus are as follows:
- Very high wagering requirements – Most often, the wagering requirements are quite stringent and in some cases require the punter to wager in the range of 100x of the bonus amount. In the example of a 5 GBP bonus, you would need to wager 500 GBP to be able to withdraw the winning, which is a tall order. It is often more likely that the winnings may be lost before the wagering requirements are met. Wagering requirements are time-bound as well, and you would need to keep this in mind lest your bonus and winnings may be forfeited.
- Casino game choices – Casinos restrict users to play only a certain type of games with this no deposit bonus, and punters may find that their preferred games are not available for such. One would need to be prepared for this limitation in the number of games they would be able to play with this bonus.
- Minimum Withdrawal amount – Provided you have met the wagering requirements, you would still need to meet the minimum withdrawal amount requirements to take out your winnings.
- Deposit first to withdraw your winnings – You may think you have made it to the wagering requirement line, but wait! Some casinos may even require you to make a deposit first before you can withdraw your winnings!
Tips for Making Withdrawals from No Deposit Bonus Winnings
As mentioned earlier, withdrawals of no deposit bonus winnings can only be made after wagering requirements have been met. Take note of the following:
- In most cases, the actual bonus amount given by the casino is not withdrawable, and only the winnings may be withdrawn from the account.
- Minimum withdrawal amount – You would need to check first if you meet the minimum withdrawal amount requirements for your winnings less the bonus amount. Otherwise, you would need to continue wagering.
- Check if you need to make a deposit first before withdrawing. This may be a requirement from some casinos.
Is a No Deposit Casino Bonus worth it after all?
After all the discussions, one may realise that whilst the no deposit bonuses offer punters opportunities to have fun, explore casinos and games at no risk at all, they have to take note of the terms and conditions first before fully committing. If one is prepared to satisfy the terms and conditions, this is an exciting opportunity to explore and have fun for no deposit at all!