Who doesn’t love freebies? The affection for free goodies is even more pronounced in the gambling community.
Punters love bonuses, especially a bonus without deposit, which they can enjoy with almost zero financial commitment to that bookmaker or casino.
Before we examine how to make the best of no-deposit bonuses and identify red flags associated with them, you may be curious why casinos offer these bonuses in the first place.
Why no-deposit bonuses?
Casinos know bettors want to ideally test the waters before depositing real money into their accounts.
Such bettors want to have as much realistic feel of the gaming environment, examining the legitimacy of the gameplay, payouts, etc., without exposing themselves to risk.
Testing before depositing is becoming critical for punters in the online casino industry, which is increasingly riddled with fraudulent bookmakers.
Casinos– especially just entering the market with no golden reputation to bank on – attract such punters with no-deposit bonuses to encourage these punters to try the casinos out.
But are all no-deposit bonuses genuine? The answer is a disappointingly loud NO.
Before subscribing for a no-deposit bonus, here are some essential aspects to confirm if the bonus is legit and worth your time.
Is the casino offering the bonus genuine?
A massive no-deposit bonus from an illegitimate casino is a painful waste of time. So before you claim a no-deposit bonus, ensure to peep at the site where that bonus would be expended in gameplay.
No matter how generous the bonus is, don’t fancy if the casino lacks regulatory licenses. Check the jurisdiction where that online casino is operational.
Do they have reputable permits from authorities in that region?
Another aspect you must investigate is the caliber of their software providers.
If these games are not provided by the respected likes of Microgaming, NetEnt, Play’N Go, and Evolution Gaming, the chances are high that such games can be rigged to reduce your winning edge.
Enormous no-deposit bonuses on rigged games will do you no good for sure.
You also want to check their online reputation, especially regarding the fluidity of their payment methods.
It is no revelation that some bookmakers deliberately mine the withdrawal process with bottlenecks to frustrate punters withdrawing their hard-earned winnings.
Checking through reviews (on multiple sites) about the casino will give you a general overview of its credibility.
Don’t jump into bonuses without studying the terms and conditions
With lots of viral videos to watch on Tiktok, it is hard to spend time thoroughly reading through the T&Cs on an offer before checking the box, right?
However, when it comes to no-deposit bonuses, we highly encourage you to spare some time to go through the conditions associated with such bonuses.
However unnerving this may seem, being adequately informed on such conditions gives you the best chance of maximizing such bonuses when betting.
Mainly, you want to be sure of the wagering requirements the bookmaker slapped on the no-deposit bonus.
The wagering requirements are the conditions to be fulfilled before the bonus becomes withdrawable into your account.
Also known as the turnover requirements, these are commonly the number of successful bets you need to make before the bonus becomes real money.
There is no denying that some bookmakers criminally raise their wagering requirement to totally strip you of the possibility of withdrawing such bonuses.
We have seen casinos setting wagering requirements at 60x, which is far too steep. We have also seen casinos with fairly comfortable wagering requirements set at 5x.
How high is the cash-out margin for the bonus?
The cash-out margin is the highest amount you can withdraw from your bonus. Cash-out limits are more prevalent with new casinos.
Compared to deposit bonuses, cash-out limits for no-deposit bonuses are lower.
Obviously, the higher the cash-out limits, the better for you. This allows you to move larger portions of winnings accrued from your bonus into real money.
Avoid casinos that set ridiculously low cash-out limits. It is no use.