By Samantha Williams
While there is no such thing as free online casinos per se, there are many online casinos which give away lots of things free. The aim of the game in the short-term, for punting free online casinos, is to attract customers to their sites. So, the concept is; if they are giving it away for free – take advantage of the situation. Trying before we buy is a well know way to test a product to see how much we like it, in fact the more they give away free – generally the more we like a product.
There are several ways an online casino allows players to try before they buy. There is the “no deposit bonus”; which is generally a nominal amount of money or credits to play any games. Then there is the “free spins”; this is obviously relevant to slots and the fans of these games. There is also limited time offers, such as “play an hour” free, or the ability to play a variety of games in demo as well as real money mode. Playing games in demo mode or taking advantage of free offers allows the potential new customer to get a real feel for the games and the site itself.
Free online casinos do limit these offers in their terms and conditions, but then every online casino is in this business, simply to do business. There are terms and conditions with regards to wagering requirements if for example the player wins with the free offer, and it is always advisable to read these conditions; but then again, if it costs nothing in the first place, nothing is lost in the second place. Wagering requirements can be a bit of a bugger however, when it comes to withdrawing winnings, so it is good to look out for favorable terms. There is nothing however, to stop anyone from registering at four or five different online casino brands and trying out their free offers as well as the terms and conditions. There is no law which says any one player can only play at one site.
One of the most important considerations when playing at free online casinos is the issue of security. The point is that if you like the site and the games, it also needs to be secure for real money play. They can throw as much free money at us as they like, but if they are licensed in Timbuktu and we are UK players there isn’t much point in being a member. Sites with obscure licensing jurisdictions are not worth the trouble of playing at! Simply put, because while we are playing for free it is fine, but if we play for real money and have trouble retrieving our winning – there is very little, or no room for recourse, so we simply have do the most sensible thing.
