If you’ve ever gambled online (and according to statista.com, 36.6 million of us have), you might have come across a particular term: ‘no-deposit bonus’. While most of us are loathe to admit these sorts of things, you wouldn’t be alone if you were confused by what this meant.
That’s because, when something sounds too good to be true, most of us expect to find some hidden pitfall. After all, no one gives out free money, do they? There has to be some cleverly concealed cost to make it seem less appealing in reality.
It’s time to set your cynicism aside because this is a blog that knows its stuff when it comes to spending. In fact, no-deposit bonuses are exactly what they profess to be: a chance to game – and potentially win – without first paying for the privilege.
So what’s the catch?
How no-deposit bonuses work
Source: Pixabay
As we specified above, no-deposit bonuses are designed to act as a free cash incentive for those who are curious about what’s on offer. While they do tend to be quite low in value, because casinos do need to cover their overheads, they’re also hugely popular, and with very good reason.
Utilised by casinos across the globe, you can find such deals no matter where you’re playing, from London and Paris through to New Jersey. Indeed, there are entire directory sites, such as bonusfinder.com, set up to share offers, so it’s supremely easy to find a promotion that’s local to you.
The idea behind these promotions is that they give players a taste of the action without asking them to commit financially, and herein lies their appeal to the casino. While it may initially be difficult to conceive why a business would give away free money, these bonuses act to incentivise curious consumers, in the hopes that once they’ve had a taste, they’ll then want to pay to play too.
So how do they benefit the consumer? First and foremost, they’re free. More than this, they’re a good way to get a feel for the different kinds of casino games that are available, so you can experiment without a constant eye to your budget.
What do you have to pay?
Source: Pixabay
Crunch time comes if you win. In a lot of cases, casino bonuses come with a built-in wagering requirement. That’s because these entities are a business first and foremost, and as such, they’d really like you to stick around and spend some money once you’ve taken advantage of their offer.
This is the part that confuses a lot of people, so we’ll explain how it works, using an example to do so. Imagine that the casino is offering a £5 no-deposit bonus when you register and that the wagering requirement is 15x its value. This would mean that in order to claim any winnings, you’d have to spend £60 within a set period (30 days, perhaps, for the purpose of our example).
So could this save you money? That all depends on whether you’re one of the many Britons who game or would like to game online, with the gamblingcommission.gov indicating that the industry is booming.
This means, essentially, that if you’re not and were never intending to play, you’re not going to be making a saving, but if you’ve ever considered giving internet gaming a go, you could be benefiting from some free cash to spend.
