Casino bonuses come in all shapes and sizes. Some are lucrative. Some are not.

Understanding different casino bonuses can actually give you a profitable edge at an online casino. However, that doesn’t come overnight and it’s certainly too intricate a topic for a single article. The premise is a pretty simple one though and it’s that premise that underscores the main reason why no deposit bonuses are the best!

No Deposit Means No Risk

A no deposit bonus is a promotion offered by an online casino that doesn’t require a player to use any of their own money. They sign up to a casino offering the bonus and play the free spins or bonus cash credited to their account. If they win some money, they complete any wagering requirements associated with winnings and the bonus becomes real money to do with as the player sees fit.

No deposit bonuses work as a powerful lure to new players since they genuinely do offer a chance to win real money. However, the casinos don’t enjoy giving away their profits even if it does mean they retain a few loyal players in the process. For that reason, they keep no deposit bonus amounts low and make wagering requirements on any winnings high. Rather than the hundreds or even thousands of pound bonuses you’ll see in deposit promotions, no deposit bonuses will rarely exceed £10 or 20 free spins.

Even though the bonus amounts are low, this is a completely free shot to win something. You have equity at the casino without paying a thing. This is a very rare scenario in gambling. Obviously, you are highly unlikely to drop a life changing amount of money but profiting long-term from gambling isn’t about fluking a win. It’s about taking shots that are more likely to win than lose. Since the likelihood of “losing” (you bet nothing, remember?) is zero, a free punt shouldn’t be overlooked – particularly if you’re determined to build a bankroll from nothing.

For those interested, in finding no deposit bonuses, you could aimlessly browse online for casinos. Or, you can find loads of promotions in one place at a site like NoDepositWorld.

Let’s Not Get Ahead of Ourselves

Welcome bonuses, particularly no deposit ones, are marketing ploys by casinos. They want you to create an account and they want them to be your first choice when you feel like taking a punt. They understand that their marketing activities will incur a financial cost. Marketing always does. However, casinos aren’t prepared to go bankrupt on advertising.

Almost all casino bonuses are subject to heavy wagering requirements. Players must bet their winnings multiple times over before they can make a withdrawal. The idea for the casino is to make the deal appear as alluring as possible in a way that grabs attention on an advert, but to attach all kinds of stipulations that limit the actual profitability of an offer.

No casino bonus is subject to these kinds of limitations more than the no deposit bonus. As well as large wagering requirements and restrictions on games with the highest return to player ratings, players will often be forced to surrender winnings at a ridiculously low level. Even if you actually win the jackpot on a slot machine, will the casino take all but £10 of it when you’ve finished wagering?

 

Play as Sensibly as Possible

There is no strategy that will consistently win at an online casino. It’s all based on a random number generator and all the games slightly favour the casino in terms of expected value. That doesn’t stop millions trying their luck on a daily basis though.

With no deposit bonus cash or free spins at a casino, you are gambling with zero risk. Arguably, it’s not even gambling – unless you count your time as a resource with which to gamble. Speaking strictly monetarily though, you can’t actually lose anything.

Still, it makes sense to give yourself the best chance to win with a no deposit bonus. There are a few ways to do this.

Firstly, stick to the highest return to player games that are eligible for wagering. Whilst the casino will probably exclude low house edge games like blackjack from a promotion, you will be able to use many high RTP slots. The difference between a high and low return to player game can be as much as 10 percent or more. It’s, therefore, essential to play the games most likely to result in a payment when using a bonus.

If you are playing using no deposit free spins, be aware that you will probably not need to wager your bonus cash using the game that the free spins were intended for. If you take some funds from the free spins, you should complete your playthrough requirements on the highest RTP game eligible for the promotion.

Another good piece of advice is to stick to playing the lowest stakes possible when wagering. If you’re playing a slot, set the coin value to the lowest possible amount and the win lines to the maximum. This will give you the best possible chance of actually realising the stated return to player rating. Playing with higher stakes invites much higher variance. It’s much more likely that you’ll bust out before you complete your wagering.

Finally, check if there are any limitations on the total winnings you can take from an offer. If you can only win up to £100, playing a progressive jackpot with a chance to win £75,000 is a poor strategy. You will be paying into the progressive prize pool with zero chance of winning it. Avoid doing this at all costs!

Our Conclusion

No deposit casino promotions are a potentially lucrative way to experience many of the different games offered by a host of exciting new iGaming venues. They afford new players an opportunity to see how different casinos work and to find one that they really like without the risk of making a deposit.

Certainly, the best thing about no deposit bonuses is the chance to win real money by playing real casino games. Without any risk, players get a free roll of the dice versus the casino. With no possible downside for the player, it’s easy to make a case for them being the best promotions around.