Operators of certain websites where you can play classic one-armed bandits and traditional titles like blackjack, roulette, poker, craps, and baccarat in the real money mode generally offer free spins as part of the initial welcome offer, and I’ve found many lucrative offers out there well-worth claiming.
Over the past five to ten years, I must have claimed hundreds of free spins promotional offers, and I’ve learned that there is a particular knack for getting the most out of my free spins, which I’m going to teach you right here.
Let’s dive straight in and take a look at five useful tips I’ve come up with for using free spins effectively at licensed and regulated real-money gambling sites. For the rest of this piece, I will refer to free spins as FS, as it saves me from having to write the words so many times.
What are free spins promotional offers?
Website operators offer free spins for various reasons, but the initial reason is to try and get people to join their website. In the early days of these popular portals, I found the wagering requirements attached to these bonus offers were rather steep, but that isn’t the case anymore.
I’ve found that the best and most common FS bonuses typically come with 20x to 40x wagering requirements. I’ll explain what ‘wagering requirements’ are below.
Aside from FS being used to attract new people to register their free account, This type of promo is also used as a retention method to keep people playing regularly on that website and not going to one of their rivals.
For example, I’ve received plenty of FS as part of a daily login bonus, on my birthday each year, and even on the anniversary of the day I originally signed up to the site.
Granted, I may only receive 1 to 10 FS each time, but I consider myself a low roller and don’t ever spend much, so perhaps that’s why I don’t receive too many daily login bonus FS. Also, they are usually only ever valued at $/€/£0.10 or $/€/£0.20, depending on the game.
High Rollers who spend a lot more cash are likely to receive more FS based on how much they spend, or they might get the same amount of FS, but they are worth perhaps $/€/£0.50 or $/€/£1.00 per spin. Each operator is different in terms of how it rewards its loyal customers.
I used to look for FS online by typing into Google phrases like ‘free spins no deposit keep what you win‘ or ‘latest free spins bonuses for UK players,’ or words to that effect. I would often find the same reputable iGaming review site, JohnSlots.com, on the first page of search returns, which always had the latest FS offers for numerous top-rated sites.
You might also want to try that website because it has worked for me plenty of times in the past, and they’ve always pointed me to safe sites.
I’ve also received FS to try out certain new releases throughout the year, as and when they arrive, and as part of the loyalty rewards program for playing frequently on their website.
Five tips for using FS effectively
I have found that doing things a certain way always ensures I get the most out of my offer, so I have decided to share this advice with anyone who is keen to learn how to get the most out of their FS bonus so here goes:
- Tip 1: ALWAYS read through the terms and conditions attFached to any FS bonus you decide to claim. Players often forget to read the Ts and Cs (I must admit, I used to), which leads to disappointment. They only take a minute or so to read and tell you exactly how to maximise your FS offer.
- Tip 2: FS bonus wagering requirements, also known as turnover, rollover, or playthrough requirements, MUST be completed before you can withdraw and within a certain time. I’ve found the best way to get them done in as little time as possible is to play the fruitys included in the promotion that will contribute 100% per $/€/£1.00 wagered. The classics, like roulette and blackjack, usually don’t contribute anything, or maybe only 5% or 10% per dollar $/€/£1.00 wagered, so avoid these ones and stick to the qualifying titles (always revealed in the Ts and Cs)
- Tip 3: Remember to use your FS before they expire and to complete your wagering requirements in the time given. I prefer not to waste time and get my wagering requirements out of the way as soon as possible. You might want to try this, too, instead of leaving it until it’s too late.
- Tip 4: When completing your wagering requirements, you can normally only spend a maximum amount per spin, which might be capped at $/€/£5.00, for example. In this case, there’s no point spending $/€/£0.50 per spin when you can spend $/€/£5.00 because it would take longer to complete them, so always spend the maximum stake allowed per spin.
- Tip 5: Only claim one FS bonus at a time. Trying to juggle too many bonuses can potentially lead to confusion.
The other thing I will also add is to gamble responsibly. I can’t underestimate how important this is.
I’m a big fan of FS bonuses because I know how the system works. I’d say that, on average, I win real money around 50% of the time from the FS bonuses I claim, which I then use to play some of my other favourite titles on that website.
Sometimes, the FS winnings are capped at a certain amount, say $/€/$100, which is to be expected, and the most I’ve won, if I can remember correctly, is around £62 or £64.
If the winnings aren’t capped at a certain amount, they must be wagered a certain number of times (say 20X to 40x times) before I can cash out.
Finally, I would always recommend claiming free spins whenever they are offered to you because you have nothing to lose. However, make sure you only ever claim these types of offers from reputable iGaming sites controlled by trustworthy operators.
