Is There Such a Thing as ‘Free Casino Money’?
Is There Such a Thing as ‘Free Casino Money’?
Free money is always likely to get attention. The idea of getting something for nothing is by no means unique to online casinos, but it is a heavily used promotional strategy. Casinos need to fight tooth and nail to find new customers, and they’re prepared to pay a pretty penny to get the attention of those would-be gamblers floating around the Internet in search of somewhere to place their bets.
Free casino money offers are everywhere – like at Pogo, and you don’t have to look too far to find a casino offering free cash, simply from signing up for an account and gambling through their site. But is this really free money, and what are the strings attached?
As you’d expect, it’s a little more complicated than free cash in your hand. But is free money a thing, or is it all just a clever marketing ploy?
Welcome Bonuses
The most obvious free money you’ll see advertised from casinos all over the web is the welcome deposit, usually presented as an eye-catching amount. Get £200 as a free bonus. Sign up for an account to receive $1000. While these are big claims, it is definitely possible to take them up on the offer, and to get your hands on this free cash.
However, welcome bonuses always come with restrictions, and the terms and conditions attached to each bonus will vary depending on the nature of the offer. In almost all cases, you will need to deposit matching funds. So to get your hands on £200, you’ll usually need to deposit £200 of your own, in the case of a 100% matched bonus. The percentage and the amounts vary, but generally you’re only eligible for a match on the amount you actually deposit.
In the above example, if you deposit £100, you should still receive £100 in free credit. You can use this to gamble in your new account, but there’s a further common restriction on your winnings. In order to withdraw any winnings from these bonuses, you need to meet a wagering requirement – a specific multiple of times you need to gamble yje amount of your bonus in order to be eligible for a withdrawal. In some cases, this can be as high as 50x or even 100x – that would mean you need to bet anywhere from £5,000-£10,000 to get your hands on that £100 bonus.
So welcome bonuses are free money, in a sense, but you’re by no means free to withdraw it willy nilly. But are there other offers of free money that are easier to claim?
Free Spins
This is technically slightly different, in that you’re not being awarded any free money at all – rather, these bonuses come in the form of free spins on real money slots, where you can keep any winnings you make from those spins. This is another common sign up bonus offered by casinos to attract new players to their slots sections – and one of the most popular we are reliably informed courtesy of the webmasters at an English Monopoly Slot site. While the spins might be limited to one or two games, they can be converted into free money if you happen to win anything. There’s a snag here too though – wagering requirements will still apply, depending on the amount of free spins and the terms the casino has in place. You might also be subject to a maximum win amount, so if you hit the jackpot with one of your freebies, it’s best not to get too excited until the money is in your account.
No Deposit Bonuses
Some casinos offer no deposit bonuses, in the form of a free amount of gambling credit simply for signing up – there’s no deposit needed to trigger the bonuses, as the name implies. This is the most common genuinely risk-free way of getting some free cash from the casinos. As you’d expect, the amounts on offer are much lower than with matched bonuses, so you might only be looking at £10 or £20, and still you’ll face wagering requirements and other restrictions. However, they can be a good type of bonus to put to use in trialling out new casinos and new sites, or for trying your hand at new games. They probably won’t make you rich.
Loyalty Programmes
Another way casinos funnel free money offers to players is through their loyalty programmes. You’ll find that the more you play, the more casinos are willing to offer you, in terms of further deposit match bonuses, free spins and other free cash offers. The usual caveats apply, but this can be a good way to get more for your money if you regularly play at one particular casino.
It’s clear from the above examples that there is such a thing as free money, and casinos are queuing up to pay it out to new and loyal players. The downside is that, as you’d expect, these casinos need to speculate to accumulate. This means you won’t get wads of free money for nothing, and you will almost always have to meet some form of stringent wagering requirements to get your hands on anything you win. However, if you play by the rules, and get some luck along the way, it’s entirely possible to enrich yourself with free casino cash.
