No deposit bonuses are highly coveted in the online gaming world. They offer the chance to win money without having to risk anything. All you need to do is complete registration to collect a no deposit bonus.
Of course, you may wonder how online gambling sites can afford to give away free money. After all, they rely on beating players to win profits.
Several reasons exist behind why online casinos can comfortably afford to offer no deposit bonuses. You can read about these reasons below along with why casinos have little worry.
These Deals Are Pretty Small
Few no deposit bonuses are worth $50 or more. Instead, the majority of them lie in the $10 to $25 range.
Free spins bonuses aren’t usually anything to be amazed over either. Most no deposit free spins bonuses offer between 10 and 30 spins.
While starting off at a new casino with $10 or 20 free spins is better than nothing, it won’t usually help you win lots of money.
Contrast these offers to deposit bonuses, which are much more lucrative. Deposit bonuses can offer hundreds or even thousands of dollars in cash along with 100 free spins or more.
For Example:
One of the best online casinos, Las Atlantis, offers an incredible 280% up to $14,000 welcome bonus. If you’d like to learn more about the lucrative bonus offerings from Las Atlantis, check out this page dedicated specifically to their bonuses.
Playthrough Is Usually Higher on These Games
Playthrough (or “rollover”) refers to how much you need to wager before actually earning a bonus. You won’t be able to cash out bonus funds until satisfying rollover.
The average deposit bonus features between 30x and 50x playthrough. Meanwhile, the average no deposit bonus features between 50x and 80x playthrough.
These discrepancies make for a huge difference between both types of offers. Higher rollover lowers the chances that you’ll win anything from a bonus before cashing out.
Here’s a comparison between a deposit and no deposit offer to illustrate this point:
Deposit Bonus
- You qualify for a $100 deposit deal.
- Playthrough is 40x.
- 100 x 40 = $4,000 must be wagered
No Deposit Offer
- You qualify for a $100 deposit offer.
- Playthrough is 70x.
- 100 x 70 = $7,000 must be wagered
It’s still possible for you to meet the 70x rollover and make money from the no deposit bonus. Then again, the odds of you doing so are much lower than if 40x playthrough was involved.
The Highest Paying Games Are Usually Excluded
The easiest way to make money from a no deposit bonus involves playing games with the highest return to player (RTP). This way, you boost your chances of winning money, or at least losing less of it, while chasing bonus cash.
However, online casinos sometimes exclude certain games from satisfying playthrough. Alternatively, they can reduce the amount that a high-paying game contributes to rollover.
The idea here involves making it harder to profit from bonus deals. By excluding, or reducing playthrough for games with 98% RTP or higher, a casino can better accomplish this goal.
Here’s a look at how a game with reduced rollover compares to one that contributes 100% towards playthrough:
Online Slot
- You qualify for a $50 bonus.
- Playthrough is 40x.
- You play online slots to earn the bonus.
- Slots contribute 100% towards rollover.
- (50 x 40) / 1.0 = $2,000 must be wagered
Online Blackjack
- You qualify for a $50 bonus.
- Playthrough is 40x.
- You play online blackjack to earn the bonus.
- Blackjack contributes 20% towards rollover.
- (50 x 40) / 0.2 = $10,000 must be wagered
Winnings Are Capped
Imagine getting a no deposit bonus and winning a six- or seven-figure online slots jackpot. You could get rich just by registering for an account and playing slots.
Of course, real money online casinos aren’t in the business of giving people free chances to earn life-changing money. Instead, they cap the amount that can be won through no deposit offers.
Usually, you won’t be able to win any more than $200 through a no deposit deal. In some cases, the maximum amount of winnings will be even lower than this.
You could technically earn more than the max amount. When you go to withdraw the bonus cash, though, the excess funds will disappear.
Here’s an example of this:
- You receive a $10 no deposit bonus.
- Winnings are capped at $100.
- You turn the $10 into $150 by the time rollover is met.
- You move to cash out the $150.
- The $50 disappears when withdrawing.
- You end up with the $100 in maximum winnings.
Other Terms and Conditions Apply
Playthrough, game restrictions, and maximum winnings are the only terms that you’ll need to know when chasing no deposit bonuses. Real money gambling sites will throw other terms and conditions at you as well.
First of all, you need to visit your account area and actually claim or activate the bonus. Otherwise, the offer will disappear within a few days after registering.
You also need to watch your bet sizes. Mobile casinos cap the amount that you can wager with an active no deposit bonus.
For Example:
They might limit you to a max bet of $100. You’d have to be careful not to exceed this amount to avoid nullifying your bonus deal.
You’ll probably also need to use a bonus code when signing up. This term isn’t overly difficult to satisfy. If a code is required, though, then you should find and enter it before completing registration.
Should You Still Bother With Casino No Deposit Bonuses?
As you can see, no deposit deals aren’t the gravy train of online gambling. Nevertheless, they’re still worthwhile offers under the right circumstances. You can see some good reasons for going after these bonuses below.
Chance to Win Free Money
Despite the obstacles, you still have an opportunity to earn free money through no deposit bonuses. In some cases, you can win up to $200 or more.
You normally need some luck on your side to complete playthrough and all of the other requirements. After all, the higher rollover makes it more difficult to collect profits with these deals.
Of course, you could go on a hot run and easily complete the playthrough while earning profits. Your chances of doing so are even better when you search for no deposit bonuses with lower playthrough.
Great Opportunity to Try a New Online Casino
Mobile casinos don’t offer no deposit bonuses to be patron saints. Instead, they want you to sign up and check out their sites.
This arrangement is beneficial to you as well. You could use a no deposit deal to thoroughly check out a gaming site and determine if it’s worthwhile.
You might even end up finding multiple online casinos that you like. Even if not, you’ll at least get to take advantage of multiple deals.
You Will Win Money Sometimes
The whole point of a no deposit bonus is the expectation that you’ll win money. As alluded to throughout this post, though, you’re more likely to not win anything.
Regardless, all you have to do is sign up for an account to qualify. Provided you’re okay with spending a few minutes on the signup process, then you’ll find no deposit bonuses to be worthwhile.
You can then proceed to taking a shot at earning some money. You’ll be able to cash out winnings accrued through the bonus.
Here’s an example to illustrate this point:
- You receive a $20 no deposit bonus.
- You use this offer to generate $50 in winnings.
- You’ll be able to withdraw the $50 as long as you’ve met all of the terms and conditions.
Plenty of Opportunities Available
No deposit bonuses aren’t rare and mystical deals. Instead, many of the best online gambling sites offer these bonuses as a way to attract new players.
You can take advantage of all of these opportunities by hopping from casino to casino. You’ll enjoy plenty of chances to win free money in the process.
Of course, going after all of these bonuses is time-consuming. You might consider limiting how many deals you chase. If you have the free time, though, then you could still pursue as many no deposit bonuses as possible.
Conclusion
Online casinos usually don’t have to pay anything on no deposit bonuses. They set strict terms and conditions to make it harder to earn money through these deals. In this manner, they can give out no deposit offers without getting burned too badly.
Nevertheless, you can still make money off no deposit bonuses. You’ll especially have a better chance at doing so when the playthrough is lower.
Even if you don’t make money off a certain deal, you can always move on to the next casino site. The more opportunities you go after, the better your chances will be of eventually collecting winnings.
Michael Stevens
Michael Stevens has been researching and writing topics involving the gambling industry for well over a decade now and is considered an expert on all things casino and sports betting. Michael has been writing for GamblingSites.org since early 2016. …