What are free spins? You surely came across them in the past, and their name seems to imply what they consist of: free game rounds in slots. But how do they work? And, most importantly, are they truly free?
It is said that NetEnt was the initial inventor of free spins by introducing them in its online slot games. In the following article we will talk about main types of free spins bonuses, their variants, and what they mean.
Free Spins by Deposit Type
In the following section we will discuss the free spin bonuses you can get according to the type of deposit you have to make:
No Deposit Free Spins Bonuses
Usually you will have to deposit money in order to get a bonus, free spins included. However, when it comes to no deposit free spins, you don’t have to make a deposit in order to get them. This is a welcome bonus the online casinos award their new players with.
You won’t need to spend any money in order to get this kind of bonus. The only requirement is creating an account at the online casino that offers this perk and remember to read its terms and conditions carefully.
Note that no deposit free spins can also be parts of a welcome pack or bonus you can redeem at any online casino providing these deals.
No Wagering Free Spins Bonuses
As you may already know if you’ve perused our Guides so far, many bonuses come with wagering requirements. For example, if your free spins bonus has a 10x playthrough, it means that you have to gamble the bonus ten times before withdrawing any winnings you made.
With no wagering free spins you don’t have to gamble the bonus a specific number of times before being able to cash out the winnings. For more information on wagering, you can read our guide on what wagering means.
Free Spins No Deposit No Wagering - “Honest Spins”
No deposit and no wagering free spins are a combination of the two types of offers presented above. This kind of bonus does not need any money deposited before and also doesn’t have any wagering requirements. This means that it is a completely free bonus users and especially new players can get and try in order to gamble at their favorite online casino slots.
Deposit Free Spins Casino Bonus Offers
Deposit free spins are the kind of bonus you can get after making a deposit at a certain casino that is offering this kind of prize. These also come in two types:
- Casino Deposit Free Spins - These deposit free spins are added to your casino account where you can use them however you want and even trade them for free games on scratch cards, for example.
- Game Deposit Free Spins - This kind of first deposit bonus will restrict you to which games you can use it in. For example, you can get deposit free spins that can only be played in a certain slot.
The most popular of these bonuses is the first deposit bonus that many casinos offer to their players or that you can get from various promotions.
Free Spins that You Can Redeem Yourself
These are the kind of free spins you can get or redeem in various way as we will discuss below:
Welcome Pack Free Spins & Welcome Bonus Free Spins
Welcome pack free spins can be a kind of limited edition no deposit bonus or just a simple award from the casino that you can get while creating your account or just redeeming a welcome offer yourself. This can be done on the online casino’s website if the website provides this kind of deal.
VIP Program & Referral Free Spins
Another type of free spins that you can get at no cost (depending on the online casino’s rules) are the ones that the casino rewards you once you take part in a loyalty program. Even if you gamble for the loyalty points, some of them will be given to you for free, and this is very beneficial.
You usually earn points in casino loyalty programs by playing or signing up for subscriptions, either via events or contests.
When it comes to referral free spins, you need to know that this kind of bonus applies to users that invite their friends to play in a certain casino through a unique referral link.
Why Are Free Spins the Most Popular Casino Bonus?
Free spins are used in online casino slots, and slots are the games preferred by many players due to the fact that they are so entertaining and easy to understand. Once you get the hang of the slots RTP and paylines you are good to start spinning for real money. Therefore, since slots are usually the most played type of casino game, free spins promotions are the bonuses you will come across most of the time.
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Are Free Spins Actually Free?
The answer is yes and no. Usually, free spins come with a preset wagering requirement, as we mentioned above. This means that you will have to spend some money in order to get the cash out. However, no deposit and no wagering free spins are completely free, as you get them without making a deposit and without having to gamble them over and over again. These are great for new players who want to try out slots in an online casino.
In-Game Free Spins Versus Free Spins Bonuses
In the sections above we talked about bonus free spins, which are given by the online casino itself or in different promotions via a code. However, there are also the in-game free spins, which trigger in a slot with a special scatter combination during gameplay.
Usually, in most online slots, hitting three or more Free Spins Scatters will give you from 5 to even 30 free spins. In order to find out how this varies from game to game, just pick an online slot and read its paytable carefully.
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