Those online casino free spins may sound like nothing more than a honeypot to the average gambler, and in many cases, they are. If they’re not constricted to use on certain tables, or on a ‘slots only’ basis, there are very often restrictive ‘play through’ requirements attached, or a rule on not being able to withdraw winnings accrued on said bonus. However, there are a range of ways in which these bonuses, and even no deposit free spins, can be used to get your payouts ticking over more quickly.
Establish what the bonus is. No wager free spins or a top up on deposits?
The first course of action is to know what’s being offered. Is this a top up bonus, for example, a 100% match guarantee, or is it truly a freebie? Can you sign up to the casino and get playing without ever having to make a deposit? If so, then this free spin bonus is where you need to be focusing your efforts. That’s not to say, however, that a matched bonus is anything to be sniffed at, but these two bonuses do require two different courses of action as described below.
Matched bonus?
A free spins casino bonus based on a match of your deposit is almost always far less restrictive than a free bonus. As you’ve already thrown some money into the casino, they’re more keen to see the players enjoy what is effectively a reward rather than an enticement. Establish, first and foremost, whether the bonus still remains if a player withdraws their real cash deposit back out of the casino. It may sound silly, but many casinos will still honour the bonus!
If not, then work out whether the money gambled is automatically taken out of your real cash balance or the bonus balance. If it’s the former, there are probably no strings attached to winnings, but any money won on a bonus normally has a ‘play through’ requirement attached to it, or must be reinvested back into the casino.
Free bonus
These are generally more restrictive, and almost always have a playthrough requirement attached. After all, it’s financial suicide for a casino to throw out £10, £20 or more with no requirement to stay logged in and playing! However, with this in mind, it’s worth whittling down these bonuses to see which have the smallest playthrough requirements. If one casino only has a 10x wagering requirement, it’s basic sense to choose it over one with a 30x requirement. And from here, it’s also a case of seeing what the bonus can be used on. Can it only be spent on the slots, or can it be put to use on the Blackjack tables as well? Slots scan offer high payouts but there really is no skill required, and they’re pretty much randomised, meaning there is no way be skilful with those free spins. It’s purely a case of throwing the spins in and seeing what happens.
Free spins and table games
Using free spins on table games isn’t always black and white. The more popular table games that involve a higher turnover of funds (such as Blackjack or Roulette, where funds are regularly wagered in quick succession) regularly impose a reduction in playthrough qualification. For instance, £100 thrown down in bonus funds a Blackjack table may only count s £20 towards the playthrough threshold, whilst poker could be less still, or more. It’s all dependent on which casino you’re in, as some favour certain games over others. If it’s a case of simply trying to get the playthrough threshold achieved, then you’ll need to make a sacrifice and consider playing games that hold little to no appeal for you, but have a higher playthrough ratio. If you want to play a game that you have a specific skill in, then be prepared for a long and arduous process…in order to get your £100 bonus to a redeemable stage, you could easily end up having to wager sums numbering into five figures if, for instance, there’s a 30x wagering requirement and your chose game only counts towards that n a 1/10 wagering ratio.
Free spins are intended as a taster. But find a game you know well, and they can be a slow, but more likely player. Hit a game you know nothing about, and your skill level is offset by the higher chance of getting to that payout threshold.