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What are no deposit casino bonuses?
As gamblers, there is almost an endless selection of online casinos to choose from. New casinos are setting up shop in the UK every month, wanting to get a piece of the multi-billion UK casino market. Both new and old casinos are having to deal with more competition than ever before, and casino players are becoming more picky about which casinos they spend their time and money at. In order to attract new players, the sites have to do a lot more than just offering great games. One effective way of getting players to sign up and start playing is by offering a no deposit bonus that fresh players can get just by signing up an account.
Whether you are an experienced slots player or just starting out, there are several benefits to look for free bonus no deposit offers. First of all, they let you try out a casino without having to put in any of your own money first. You can use the bonus to look around and see if the casino lobby has the games that you enjoy, and that the website is up to your standards. But the obvious benefit of playing with a free casino no deposit bonus is that they give you a chance of winning real cash without risking a single penny. Every free casino bonus can potentially lead to a nice withdrawal that you didn’t risk anything for, and although there are many restrictions and wagering requirements one needs to keep in mind, there is nothing to lose by going for it.
There are several types of casino bonuses such as welcome bonuses, free spins bonuses and reload bonuses, but no deposit bonuses are rarer to find as they are not the same as a deposit bonus. Handing out thousands of free bonuses every month can become costly in the long run, so most casinos are applying strict restrictions and wagering requirements to their no deposit bonuses. We will come back to the different types of no deposit bonus casino offers in the next section of this guide, and we will also show you how you can maximise your chances of turning your free bonus money into actual cash on your bank account.[casino-cards slug=bc-uk-no-deposit-bonuses-cards]
Types of no deposit bonuses
In this part of the guide, we’ll focus on the most common no deposit bonuses and how to get your hands on them. There are different types of bonus structures, as some casinos have no deposit free spins while others hand out free bonus cash. At the end of this section, you’ll know how the different no deposit casino bonuses work, and how to start playing with one.
Sign up bonuses
As we wrote earlier, the competition has never been stronger in the online casino UK market. Some of the best casinos are attracting new players by offering them a free welcome bonus no deposit casino offer. When you see a bonus like this, it means that you just have to register an account to start playing immediately, without entering your payment details first. While most casinos with no deposit welcome bonuses give their new players free spins, some of them automatically credit a small bonus amount to your balance. When you have a free bonus, you are usually required to follow a few rules, and you are probably not allowed to play every game in the casino. We will come back to the most common no deposit bonus terms and conditions a bit later in the guide.
No deposit free spins
Some casinos will give you free spins when you register, or just for being a loyal player. Free spins must be played on a specific slot, and everything you win with them will be credited to your account as bonus money or real cash, depending on the casino’s bonus structure. For example, if you get 10 no deposit bonus spins and win £5, you can take the winnings and play on other games with it. As a loyal player, you might get no deposit free spins from casinos from time to time, and often if a new hit slot is released. Check out our free spins guide to learn more.
Free casino bonus money
When you receive a no deposit cash bonus, you can use the bonus money to play the slots that you really want to check out, instead of having to play a specific game. Many players prefer bonus cash over free spins, as it gives them more freedom to explore the casino and play exactly what they want to. However, bonuses like these are quite costly for the online casinos so they can be hard to stumble upon. They also come with a few rules such as maximum cashout limits, wagering requirements and excluded games. Still, it’s always worth to take a valuable bonus such as a free welcome bonus no deposit required when the opportunity arises. Who doesn’t like free money, anyway?
VIP bonuses
In the gambling world, VIP players get the best treatment from online casinos. Some players are considered high rollers because of how much they wager, and in return, they are often rewarded with VIP bonuses such as no deposit bonuses or even free casino cash without any wagering requirements.
When you have completed the registration process at a casino that offers free bonuses, you should be able to start playing immediately. At some casinos, you can choose which slots you wish to play the free spins on, and you will find that NetEnt slots such as Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest and Twin Spin are classic free spins games that are available almost everywhere. Many no deposit bonus cash offers are meant for slots only, so be careful to play table games or live casino games before you check the specific bonus terms.
No deposit bonuses when playing online
At Bestcasino.com, we do our best to guide our players to the most trustworthy and licensed UK online casinos. We have tested countless gambling sites, and only the cream of the crop are featured in our top lists. If you are looking for a no deposit bonus, we have written several reviews of casinos that offer free bonuses upon registration. However, there are plenty of bad casinos out there, so we have written a list of things you should look for when searching for a no deposit casino UK site. The saying “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is” rings true in the casino world as well, so whenever you come across a no deposit slots bonus at a casino you haven’t heard about before you can follow these guidelines to check if it’s a reputable casino.
- License: A casino that operates in the UK must be licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The requirements for achieving this license are high, and the site must follow strict rules in order to keep it. With the protection of UKGC, you can safely play while knowing that your funds are kept safe and that you will receive your winnings. You can find the license information in the footer section of every casino.
- No deposit bonus: Most casinos that offer no deposit bonuses give away a bundle of free spins or between £5 – £20 in bonus cash, providing you with a fair shot at hitting some wins that eventually can lead to a withdrawal. But you can come across sites that advertise giving out bonuses that seem way out of proportion. For example, if a casino promises you a free bonus of several hundred pounds or free spins, it usually means that getting to the point of cashing out the winnings becomes virtually impossible due to enormous wagering requirements or heavy restrictions. Whenever you claim a free casino bonus, make sure to read the specifics closely.
- Welcome bonus: Once you’ve played your no deposit bonus, you might decide that you like the casino and want to stick around. The next step is making your first deposit, and this is where the welcome bonus comes into play. A good welcome offer will give you more bang for your buck and boost your starting balance, thus increasing your chances of hitting some sweet wins.
- Games selection: When you play with a no deposit casino bonus, you’ll get a chance of exploring the games selection and try out some of the slots. If you like a particular slot or software provider, you can make sure that they are available in the casino lobby. Some of our must-have favourites include NetEnt, Microgaming, Blueprint, IGT and the fantastic live casino games from Evolution Gaming.
- Mobile casino: Many of us like to play a bit on our phones when we’re out and about, and a mobile casino should be a great alternative to the PC version. The first thing we do when testing a mobile casino is browsing the games selection and making sure that the site runs well on our devices. Most casinos also have a dedicated app for their mobile site these days.
- Payment methods and withdrawal times: If you prefer using a specific deposit method, you should be able to use it at the casinos you like playing at. Nearly every casino in the UK offers the most common deposit and withdrawal methods such as credit card, bank transfer, Skrill, Neteller and Paysafecard. The withdrawal times are also crucial since few things are worse than having to wait days before a cashout is processed.
- Customer support: When something goes wrong, you’ll want to be able to get in touch with a real support agent for help. The biggest casinos have 24/7 live support via chat, email and phone, but some sites are much better than others when it comes to response times and the quality of support.
If you want more information about the best UK casinos, you can always check out some of our recommended sites by browsing our in-depth reviews.
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Common no deposit bonus terms & conditions
Every bonus has a list of terms and conditions that must be followed by the players. It should be easy to find and read the bonus terms due to regulations set by the UKGC. To give you an idea, we have listed the most common rules that come with bonus terms and conditions. However, you should always use a few minutes to read through the individual terms for each bonus so that you don’t miss out on any essential details.
- Wagering requirements: If you’ve ever played with a deposit bonus, you probably know how wagering requirements work. The free bonus or the money that you win from your no deposit free spins usually have wagering requirements attached to them. Before you can make a withdrawal of the winnings, you must wager through the bonus amount a specific number of times in the casino. When it comes to free casino no deposit bonuses, these requirements can be quite high – but beatable, with some good luck.
- Maximum cashout limits: The aim of playing with a bonus is naturally to cash it out in the end, and nothing is better than winning free money. However, some casinos have maximum withdrawal limits in place to limit the significant risk that comes with handing out free bonuses. The terms and conditions should state how much of the bonus winnings you are allowed to cash out. Anything you win above this limit will be removed, but it’s hard to complain when we’re talking about risk-free money anyway.
- Restricted games: You will quickly find that certain slots and casino games are restricted for bonus play across many casinos. This is because they can be abused by those wishing to do so, and your bonus winnings could even be forfeited if you play a restricted game by accident. Always check the list of restricted games in the bonus terms and conditions before you load up the first slot.
- Maximum betting limits: When playing with a bonus, you aren’t allowed to bet more than the maximum limit set in place by the casino. Most sites will let you bet up to £5 per spin on slot machines, but it varies a lot from casino to casino.
- One no deposit bonus per person: Unfortunately, there are players who are trying to score a free win by registering multiple accounts to claim the no deposit bonus over and over again. This is against every casino’s terms and conditions, and only one free casino bonus can be used per person, household or IP.
Some of the best casinos offer no deposit slots spins that are entirely free from wagering, and anything you win by playing with them is credited to your account in real cash. In this case, you are allowed to do whatever you want with the money, such as withdrawing them immediately if you’re lucky and score a big win!
How no deposit bonus wagering works
Nearly every no deposit bonus comes with wagering requirements. Handing out free bonuses left and right is not a cheap affair, so the casinos add wagering requirements to limit the risk of losing a lot of money. If you are a new player, you might not have encountered wagering before and wonder how it all works. In this part of the guide, we’ll go over wagering requirements specifically for no deposit casino bonuses. We’ll teach you some tips and tricks that will make the wagering a lot easier, thus increasing your chances of scoring a completely free win from your bonus.
Although it varies a lot from casino to casino, most no deposit offers have a wagering requirement of between x35 and x60. The lower the requirement is, the easier it is to fulfil. The wager amount is essentially how many times you must play through your bonus money or free spins winnings before it turns into real, withdrawable cash. Let’s have a look at two examples: you get a £5 no deposit bonus with a wagering requirement of x40. In this scenario, you must play through the £5 bonus a total of 40 times before you can withdraw it or any of the winnings gained from it. £5 times 40 equals £200, which is exactly how much you must wager before you can make a withdrawal. In our second example, let’s take a look at free spins. You are given 20 free spins and win £10 by playing with them. These free spins also have a wagering requirement of x40, meaning everything you win must be played through 40 times. The total wagering requirement of the no deposit slots bonus would be £400.
Bonus wagering might sound a bit confusing in the beginning, but you’ll quickly get into it and learn how it works. Luckily, many sites let you follow the wagering progress live as you play. When this handy feature is in place, you don’t need to keep track of how much you have played for and how much more you need to wager before you finally can make a withdrawal. The most important thing is to stay away from table games and games that are restricted or limited for bonus play – this can heavily slow down your wagering progress and in worst case void the winnings. When you try to wager a bonus balance, the goal is to complete the wagering while still keeping your balance topped up and healthy. If you lose too much, you might not get to the point of making a withdrawal at all. The best games to play are slots that have low volatility. These slots can keep you going for a long time, as their low variance makes sure that your balance stays stable. The lower the volatility, the better – just make sure that the RTP is as high as possible (preferably over 96%) as that is essential to your wagering.
Some slots won’t contribute 100% towards the wagering, but you are still allowed to play them if you want to. NetEnt’s Blood Suckers is a classic example of a slot that limits the wagering contribution. It is a good idea to stay away from these games while wagering, as you have to bet more money to wager the same amount as another slot with slightly higher volatility. Slots from NetEnt and Quickspin are regarded as excellent wagering slots, as many of their games have low volatility. Once you have started playing and claimed a few no deposit bonuses, you will quickly learn what works the best for you.
Games to play with no deposit free spins
When you have played your free spins or casino bonus, you’ll be able to explore the casino lobby and play pretty much anything you’d like. One of the things that make bonuses like these so great is that they let new players dip their feet in the water and try out a few slots before making a deposit. If you are completely new to online gambling, you might not know what to spend your free spins or bonus winnings on. The ultimate goal of playing with free bonuses is to turn it into a free cashout, but you usually need to win some more before that happens. To get you going in the right direction, we have made a list of some of our favourite game providers along with some of their top games. If you’re looking for a place to start, these are all excellent choices:
- NetEnt: NetEnt is one of the most famous game providers on the internet, as they have been making cutting edge slots for many years. Their games are usually packed with innovative bonus features, and there is a wide variety of fantastic slots to choose from. Some of the best NetEnt slots include Wolf Cub, Jack and the Beanstalk, Joker Pro, Mega Fortune and BerryBurst.
- Microgaming: If you visit any UK casino, chances are that you’ll find slots from Microgaming there. The company was behind one of the first online casinos in the world, and they have been one of the biggest players in the online gambling industry ever since. Some of our favourites are Dragonz, Immortal Romance, Highlander, Playboy and Tarzan.
- Blueprint: Blueprint has always been a very popular games provider among players from the UK. They are known for making creative slots with many bonuses, and their games are often based on famous films and series. Check out great games such as Ted, El Jackpotto, The Goonies, Wish Upon A Jackpot and The Pig Wizard.
- Quickspin: Quickspin is a Swedish slots maker that has grown a lot over the past few years. Their games have low volatility, which makes them perfect for new players and no deposit bonus wagering. Some of their best games are Sakura Fortune, Sevens High, Big Bad Wolf, Mayana and Goldilocks
- Play’n GO: We have to include Play’n GO on this list, as they make some of the most polished slots of any gaming company. If you are looking for a fresh slotting experience, you can try out games such as Reactoonz, Cloud Quest, Chinese New Year, Moon Princess and Grim Muerto.
Those are 25 of our favourite slots that also happen to be great choices for new players, but it all comes down to your personal taste. If you are just starting out, you shouldn’t be afraid to try out games that you think look cool. Remember that all games have an info sheet that you can read before playing, and many casinos let you try out their games in demo mode so that you can practice a bit for free first.
No deposit bonus conclusion
In the casino world, few things are as popular as no deposit bonuses. The competition in the UK casino market is getting stronger every year, and new casinos have to do more to get players to choose them instead of their competitors. One effective way of doing that is offering free spins and free bonuses upon registration. These types of bonuses are incredibly popular, as they let players play casino for free without paying a single penny for it. Gambling comes with a certain amount of risk, but sign up bonuses give you a chance of winning cash without risking any of your hard earned money for it first.
There are a few essential things that one need to keep in mind when taking a no deposit casino bonus. Some bonuses look really good on the surface, but once you look a bit more closely you’ll find that they have terms and conditions that make completing the wager almost impossible. Renowned and trustworthy casinos have much better practices in place, and it is very possible to turn their no deposit free spins and registration bonuses into a withdrawal. At Bestcasino.com, we only feature the best casinos that have fair bonus terms and wagering requirements. When you have played your free spins or casino chip, you are often required to wager the winnings before a withdrawal becomes possible. In one of the previous parts of the guide, you can learn how bonus wagering works and how to increase your chances of beating it. Knowing about the bonus terms and conditions is equally important, and although we listed the most common ones in this article, you should always check out the specifics when claiming a free bonus.
If you are looking for great casino promotions and generous bonuses, you have come to the right place. Check out our reviews to learn about the best online casinos in the UK, and browse our casino guides to get more info about the thrilling world of online gambling!
