What is a No Deposit Bonus?
Let’s start right at the basics by explaining what a no deposit bonus is and why they’re offered.
To be honest, the term “no deposit bonus” describes exactly what the offer provides. When you sign up to an online casino and claim a no deposit bonus, you will receive either free spins or bonus credit without having to make a real money deposit.
Yes, that means they’re 100% free to claim! And, at no point in the process will you be asked to make a deposit or provide financial details (except when you meet the T&Cs and go to make a real money withdrawal, of course).
Typically, casinos will offer you one of two different types of no deposit bonus.
Here’s an overview of their key aspects:
- Win real money – You can win real cash with bonus credit by meeting the T&Cs!
- Free to claim – You don’t have to deposit any of your own cash. Simply provide a few basic details, such as your D.O.B, email address, and name.
- Play a variety of games – With bonus credit, you will get to play a handful of slot games and sometimes even table games.
- Adjustable bet size – While they may have a max bet size, you can usually adjust the value of your bets with bonus credit.
- Win real money – You can win real cash with free spins by meeting the T&Cs!
- Free to claim – You don’t have to deposit any of your own cash. Simply provide a few basic details, such as your D.O.B, email address, and name.
- Play top slot games – Free spins are usually offered on popular or new slot games to make them more attractive to players.
- Fixed bet size – Free spins have a fixed bet size, usually equal to the minimum possible bet on the eligible slot/s.
Why Do Casinos Give Away Free No Deposit Bonuses?
It’s right to be a bit surprised! The truth is that it seems counterintuitive for a business to be giving all new customers the chance to win real money for free. In reality however, there is little difference between a no deposit bonus and a free trial, such as you would get with Netflix, or Amazon, or any other online service.
By giving players the chance to trial the casino, casinos increase their player base. While there is a clear short-term risk to their profits, casinos actually benefit in the long term as these new players become existing customers and make real money deposits.
The Evolution of No Deposit Bonuses
So when did no deposit bonuses start? And why? Since its inception in the mid-1990’s, the online gambling industry has come a long way. But as the industry evolved, so did the issues it faced.
Here is a timeline that briefly explains the evolution of no deposit bonuses and why they exist in their current form today:
In the early days of the online gambling industry, the market was a lot smaller. To get new players to try online gambling, casinos were willing to offer incredibly generous no deposit bonuses, sometimes worth hundreds of dollars with low wagering requirements.
As the industry grew, and more people discovered these incentives, bonus abuse (the act of claiming free bonuses with no intention of playing at the casino), grew with it. Casinos had to react by imposing tighter restrictions, but this made no deposit bonuses more intricate and difficult to understand.
Nowadays, no deposit bonuses are in better shape. By finding the right balance within the terms and conditions, casinos are able to offer these incentives while also minimizing the risk of bonus abuse. While they are not as generous as those in the past, they are fair and transparent.
Understanding No Deposit Bonuses: The Pros & Cons
No deposit bonuses are 100% risk free. Yet depending on your preferences, you may choose not to claim one. In some circumstances, it is more beneficial to claim a deposit bonus or play with your own funds.
However, you can only know what’s best when you fully understand the potential drawbacks and benefits of no deposit bonuses.
Here’s a quick summary of what you can expect:
Benefits of No Deposit Bonuses
A clear benefit of claiming a no deposit bonus is that you incur no risk. This allows you to explore casinos and try out new casino games without worrying about losing any of your own cash. You can be a lot more experimental when you play with the casino’s cash!
Not only are no deposit bonuses free, they also let you win real cash! This is undeniably a huge part of what makes no deposit bonuses so alluring. Provided you manage to meet the terms and conditions, you can withdraw a portion of your free bonus winnings.
New players can benefit by claiming no deposit bonuses as they allow you to try new games and practice at other games before you decide to play with your own funds. This allows you to maximize your chances of winning later!
Potential Pitfalls of No Deposit Bonuses
All no deposit bonuses – unless specified – come with wagering requirements. This rule requires you to wager the value of your bonus or free spins winnings a number of times before you can make a real money withdrawal. Sometimes, they can be excessive.
Win caps are limits placed on how much you can ultimately withdraw using a no deposit bonus. Many of the best no deposit bonuses will let you withdraw around €100. However, the win cap can vary significantly.
No deposit bonuses will come with a list of eligible games. Playing ineligible games can invalidate your bonus. It’s also likely that high odds games, such as table games, will have a low game weighting percentage, making it very difficult to satisfy the wagering requirements.
#1. Wagering Requirements: Maximize Your Chances of Winning Real Cash
As we’ve discussed, the wagering requirements have a huge impact on your chances of winning with a no deposit bonus. However, we haven’t yet discussed the intricacies of no deposit wagering requirements.
Here’s what you should consider:
Size of the Wagering Requirements
A simple way to maximize your chances of winning real cash is to claim no deposit bonuses with low wagering requirements. Here at NoDepositKings, we often say that the lower the wagering requirements, the better your chances of winning. While this isn’t always true (it also depends on other T&Cs), it is often the case.
Low wagering requirements for no deposit bonuses tend to be around 10-30x. These bonuses give you a great chance of winning real cash.
Wagering Requirements Visualised: How Wagering Requirements Affect Your Chances of Winning
Wondering how much of an impact the size of the wagering requirements can have on your chances of winning? We’ve created a chart that illustrates the huge impact that wagering requirements can have.
Example
Let’s imagine that you have the chance to claim a no deposit bonus worth €25 and you intend to make wagers worth €0.50.
Here’s how many bets you would have to make to win real cash depending on the wagering requirements:
How The Wagering Requirements Apply
It’s also essential that you consider how the wagering requirements apply. This tip refers to the fact that the rules of how wagering requirements apply can change depending on the type of no deposit bonus you claim.
Here’s how it works for our two different no deposit bonuses:
Bonus Credits – This is a simple calculation. The wagering requirements apply to the value of your no deposit bonus. With bonus credits, this means they apply to the amount you receive in bonus credits. If you receive R20 with requirements of 10x, you have to wager a sum total of R200.
Free Spins – For no deposit free spins, the wagering requirements apply to your free spins winnings. For example, if you use your free spins and win R10, your wagering requirements will apply to this R10. Therefore the sum total you have to wager is variable and you have to use your free spins before you know how much to wager.
Top 5 No Deposit Bonuses By Wagering Requirements in United States
Here are the top 5 no deposit bonuses currently available for this criteria:
#2. Win Caps: The Higher The Win Cap, The More You Can Withdraw!
Another way to evaluate no deposit bonuses is by focusing on the win cap. The win cap for a bonus describes how much you can withdraw as real cash using the bonus. Consequently, the higher the win cap, the better.
The best no deposit bonuses will have win caps of around $100. Here at NoDepositKings we tend to recommend no deposit bonuses with win caps of between $50-$100. However, this also depends on the other terms and conditions.
Top Tip
Expert Tip – Unlimited winnings are only a small deposit away!
Did you know that deposit bonuses don’t come with win caps? It’s true! When you claim a match deposit bonus, you will be able to withdraw all of your bonus winnings upon meeting the T&Cs.
#3. Game Restrictions: Play Your Favorite Games
Within the terms and conditions of your no deposit bonus, you will find a set of terms that affect what games you can play, and your chances of winning on each game.
Eligible Games
The eligible games list is simply a list of games that are valid to be played with the bonus. It’s vital you claim a no deposit bonus that is eligible on a game you want to play. Playing on an ineligible game will invalidate your bonus.
Generally, you’ll find that most of the ineligible games will have a high RTP or high volatility. Casinos don’t want you to play these games because they may unfairly increase your chances of meeting the wagering requirements.
You must stick to the eligible games list for the entire duration of your no deposit bonus. This includes after using your bonus and playing with your bonus winnings. Only after you meet the wagering requirements can you play other games.
Game Contribution
If you are allowed to play high RTP or high volatility games with your no deposit bonus, it’s likely that the games will have a lower game contribution.
Game contribution is a term that refers to how much of your wager goes towards the wagering requirements. Generally, only a small percentage of your wager on high RTP or high volatility games will contribute to the wagering requirements.
Here is a list of the typical game contributions for different games when using a no deposit bonus:
| Game Type | Typical Game Contribution |
|---|
| Slots | 100% |
| Keno | 100% |
| Scratch Cards | 100% |
| Bingo | 100% |
| Roulette | 10-20% |
| Blackjack | 10% |
| Baccarat | 10% |
| Video Poker | 10% |
| Craps | 5% |
| Live Dealer Games | 0-10% |
Game Contribution Visualized: How It Affects Your Chances of Winning
Game contribution only matters when you are intent on trying to win using a no deposit bonus. If you are, however, the effect it can have on your chances is enormous. Let’s use an example to illustrate the magnitude of its effect.
Example
Say, for example, that you claim a no deposit bonus worth €25 with wagering requirements of 20x. And let’s also say that you intend to bet €0.50 on whichever game you play.
Using our typical game contributions, here’s how many bets you would have to make to meet the wagering requirements on different game types:
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#4. Ongoing Promotions: Enjoy Long-Term Benefits
Maybe you’re looking for your ideal online casino? If so, claiming a no deposit bonus and testing the service is a clever idea. This way, you will know if it is worth making a real money deposit!
Players using no deposit bonuses for this purpose should consider the ongoing promotions available at the casino. All of the best casinos treat their existing players even better than their new customers.
There are two ways a casino will ensure you are satisfied over the long term.
Regular Promotions
Online casinos will continue to reward you after you claim a welcome bonus. Existing players are able to enjoy daily, weekly and monthly promotions to keep you engaged and coming back for more!
Typical existing player promotions include:
- Reload Bonuses – These are similar to deposit bonuses. You will make a qualifying deposit, and in return, the casino will match your deposit in bonus credit by a particular percentage.
- Free Spins – Casinos often run daily or weekly free spins promotions. When you make a qualifying deposit, you will receive a number of free spins on a popular or new slot game.
- Cashback Offers – These offers will provide you with cashback on your losses, or your total wagers, over a given period of time. You will usually be reimbursed in bonus credit.
- Tournaments – Casinos sometimes run tournaments on preselected slot games. All competitors get a set period of time in which they try to win as much as possible on a particular game. Those that feature on the leaderboard get a share of a prize pool.
VIP Programs
VIP programs are designed to reward loyal players for their continued patronage.
VIP programs tend to follow a tier-level system, whereby you earn points by making wagers. The more points you earn, the higher in the tier-levels you climb. The higher your tier-level, the better the perks and rewards you receive.
Typical perks include:
- High Deposit Limits – You will be able to make larger deposits into your account than regular players.
- Faster Withdrawals – Your withdrawals will be expedited to ensure you have quick and easy access to your casino account.
- Exclusive Bonuses – You may get access to bonuses unavailable to regular players.
- Special Events – Those at the top of a casino’s VIP pyramid may get exclusive invitations to real-life events, including tournaments and parties.
#5. Casino Reputation: Guarantee A Safe & Secure Experience
It is vital that you only claim no deposit bonuses at online casinos that are 100% safe and secure. The easiest way to ensure your casino is secure is by claiming no deposit bonuses featured on our site.
All of the no deposit bonuses we feature are offered by casinos with:
- Licensing – This ensures that the casino abides by regulations created to protect players.
- Security measures – Casinos that use the latest SSL Data Encryption technology can guarantee the safety of your personal details.
- Fair gaming – The casinos we feature host games by leading software providers that have their games independently tested.
- Customer reviews – We scour internet casino forums to see what real players think about the casino and whether they encountered any issues.
Top Tip
Expert Tip – Find out how the experts evaluate online casinos!
We’re all about transparency here at NoDepositKings. This is why we have written a feature article that clarifies our process for evaluating online casinos. Find out more today by reading our article on How We Test Casinos and learn to evaluate online casinos like a pro.
Expert Tips for Choosing the Best No Deposit Bonuses: A Summary
Let’s recap and summarize exactly what you need to do to find the best no deposit bonuses.
The terms and conditions are where you can find the real value of a no deposit bonus. However, you need to understand what exactly to look for. Our tips on this page should set you well on your way!
Safety should be your #1 priority. If you can’t verify a casino’s reputation, we recommend you don’t sign up to it. To save time, you can let us do all the hard work for you and simply sign up to casinos on our list – they’re all 100% safe and secure!
You need to ensure the no deposit bonus is eligible on a game you actually want to play. Moreover, if you want a realistic chance of winning real cash, make sure the game you want to play contributes 100% to the wagering requirements.
So long as the casino is safe and the bonus is fair, it may serve you best to claim multiple no deposit bonuses. Not only does this improve your chances of winning, but you also get a sense of which games and casinos you prefer.
As we have already said, the higher the win cap, the more you can ultimately win. High win caps make all the time and effort of meeting the T&Cs worth it! Getting the chance to win R100 for free is an offer you shouldn’t pass over lightly.
The Best No Deposit Bonuses Available Right Now In United States
Looking for our top-rated no deposit bonuses in your jurisdiction?
Here are our favorites:
Conclusion
Evaluating no deposit bonuses may seem daunting, but in reality it’s very simple. Once you understand the T&Cs, you will be able to spot a great no deposit bonus from a poor no deposit bonus in seconds. Follow the steps and advice provided in this article and you’ll be guaranteed a fantastic free experience!