9 Reasons Why Casino No Deposit Bonuses Suck

No deposit bonuses are definitely among the most-popular offers in online gaming. After all, they provide a chance to win free money.


These bonuses deliver money or free spins upfront after you sign up— no deposit necessary. You keep winnings generated through these offers upon meeting terms and conditions.

Many gamblers look for no deposit deals when searching for a new online casino. They only see upside because they’re not risking anything.

However, no deposit bonuses aren’t entirely perfect. As you’ll see below, they suck for 9 different reasons.

1 – No Deposit Bonuses Aren’t Very Big

Some real money online casinos offer deposit bonuses that are worth up to $1,000 or more. These deals let you earn a large sum of money if you’re willing to make a big deposit.

No deposit offers, on the other hand, are very small in comparison. You might only receive a $20 no deposit bonus or 30 free spins after completing registration.

The good thing about these offers is that they don’t require you to do anything other than sign up. However, they don’t exactly give you much money/spins to work with.

Your chances of generating a significant amount of winnings through $20 or 30 free spins are low. Chances are, you won’t earn much, if anything, from these deals after meeting terms and conditions.

2 – Winnings Are Capped

Continuing off the first point, online casinos limit how much you can earn from a no deposit bonus. For example, a gaming site might limit no deposit winnings to $100.

You’ll still likely be thrilled if you’re able to turn a $10 or $20 no deposit bonus into $100. Nevertheless, you could earn more through the average deposit bonus.

The fact that casinos limit winnings from no deposit offers seems unfair. However, gaming sites are just protecting themselves in the event that you win a significant amount.

For example, they wouldn’t want to pay you a $500,000 jackpot that comes via a no deposit offer. They solve this issue by capping how much you can win right away.

3 – These Bonuses Aren’t “Free” Money

No deposit bonuses create the illusion that you’re chasing free money. In reality, you’ll only collect funds when you make it through a gauntlet of terms and conditions.

As I’ll discuss in the following points, you must satisfy playthrough and other terms. These T&Cs force you to work for the money.

Luckily, your only cost includes the time spent filling out a registration form. But you shouldn’t automatically assume that you’ll get any free cash out of these offers.

4 – High Play Through Nixes Your Odds of Making Money

Playthrough (a.k.a. rollover) is the most-notable term behind no deposit bonuses. It refers to a multiple of the bonus that you must bet before cashing out no deposit winnings.

Here’s an example:

• You sign up at a gaming site.
• The casino gives you a $10 no deposit bonus.
• Playthrough is 30x.
• You keep any winnings left over after satisfying rollover.

The lower the playthrough, the better chance you have of pocketing some money in the end. The problem, though, is that some online casinos jack up the rollover to incredible heights.

I’ve seen gaming sites that feature no deposit playthrough ranging from 60x to 80x. You have very little opportunity to earn anything from a bonus with these wagering requirements.

Of course, you can always focus on casinos that feature low rollover (i.e. 20x or less). Just keep in mind, though, that many gaming sites attach higher playthrough to no deposit deals.

5 – Other Terms & Conditions Apply

Rollover is far from the only term that you must meet before capitalizing on no deposit bonuses. Gaming sites also feature several other terms and conditions that must be satisfied.

First off, you need to avoid betting over a certain amount with an active bonus. For example, your bets may be limited to $100 or less while meeting playthrough.

You’ll probably also have to enter a specific bonus code to qualify. In some cases, you may only find these no deposit bonus codes through affiliates.

Next, you often must make a deposit before withdrawing winnings. You don’t necessarily need to bet any of your own money after depositing. Nevertheless, some casinos want you to fund an account first so that you feel comfortable depositing with them in the future.

Gaming sites typically ban certain countries from qualifying for their bonuses as well. They restrict the countries that are most likely to abuse bonus practices for profits.

6 – You Might Lose Out on a Deposit Bonus

Some online casinos let you take advantage of no deposit and deposit bonuses. This way, you get the best of both worlds when playing at a new site.

Other casinos, on the other hand, only let you qualify for one or the other. If you take the no deposit bonus, you won’t be able to get the deposit offer later.

This scenario is perfectly fine if you don’t really care about the deposit bonus. However, the latter gives you a chance at far more money than a no deposit deal.

That said, you should definitely check the terms and conditions to see if taking a no deposit offer excludes you from a deposit bonus.

7 – You May Only Be Able to Play a Certain Game

The main reason why online casinos offer no deposit bonuses is to draw new players. They fully realize that the prospect of free money is a strong motivator for many gamblers.

However, a secondary reason for offering these deals involves getting people to try a specific game. For example, a casino may provide 20 free spins on their latest hit slot.

Such a deal still allows you to accumulate money through free spins and make a profit. However, you’re relegated to a single game in this instance.

The best no deposit offers allow you to play most/all of a casino’s games. If you’re looking for these types of deals, then you may dislike any no deposit bonus that restricts you to one game.

8 – Minimum Cash out Requirement Applies

Every gaming site features a minimum withdrawal amount. The latter stipulation prevents them from dealing with requests for $3 cash outs, for example.

The average minimum withdrawal requirements at internet casinos range from $10 to $20. If you don’t meet the casino’s minimum amount in this case, then you won’t be able to cash out your funds.

Here’s an example of what happens if you do win money with a no deposit bonus, yet don’t meet the minimum withdrawal amount:

• You receive a $20 no deposit bonus.
• The casino’s minimum withdrawal is $20.
• You satisfy rollover and have $10 left.
• You’ll either need to place a deposit or keep gambling until you have $20.

You at least have two different options for getting your money in this case. However, you’ll be wishing that you’d earned $20 or more in order to cash out immediately.

9 – These Bonuses Confuse Beginners

One final reason why no deposit bonuses suck is that they’re confusing to beginning players. Anybody who’s new to no deposit bonuses may think that they’re getting free money just for registering.

The reality, though, is that they must jump through hoops before the funds are actually theirs. They may not understand why they’re not allowed to withdraw the bonus money right away or need to meet stringent terms and conditions.

Of course, no deposit beginners can still benefit from these deals. But they should thoroughly read the terms and conditions before going after such offers.

Conclusion

The point of this post isn’t to make no deposit bonuses seem like the worst casino deals of all time. No deposit offers are actually beneficial for a few reasons:

• They provide an opportunity to win money without risking anything.
• No deposit bonuses provide a great chance to test out a casino.
• No deposit deals with low rollover give you a stronger opportunity to win profits.

However, the main idea here is that no deposit bonuses aren’t the offers to end all offers. They have several flaws that you should consider before wasting your time with the signup process.

I recommend that you take advantage of no deposit bonuses when possible. At the same time, though, you should keep the drawbacks in mind. Additionally, you should always make sure that there are reasonable terms behind these deals.