By Samantha Williams
The “No Deposit Bonus” is something which is completely unique to online gambling games. It is a feature that is found at online casinos, bingo sites, arcade games for money and even poker sites. The one place we don’t see the no deposit bonus is at online sports betting sites. However, that having been said not all online casinos, poker, bingo and games rooms are created equally. The best sites do not traditionally give away no-deposit bonuses, and there are very few exceptions to this rule.
The reason for this is the fact that no deposit bonuses generally affect the cash flow of the business, and therefore affect the balance of bonuses being given away – the knock-on affect being wagering requirements. Wagering requirements are necessary for the online casino to balance their books – as bonuses are essentially of a cash value. So, the way they compensate for this is by making wagering requirements 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or even 100 x the amount of the no deposit bonus, or the first deposit bonus. A site such as William Hill Casino for example does not practice the same wagering requirements rules as a site such as 32 Red. Find a big brand name site which offers a fixed amount as a first deposit bonus and does not offer a no deposit bonus, and you will have probably found a site which has very low or even no wagering requirements.
It is all up to the customer really whether they want to receive a ton of free money in terms of the no deposit bonus, first deposit bonuses and ongoing bonuses, only to lose these bonuses and still not be able to withdraw winnings at the end of the day. For
Example; if a site offers the player a $5 no deposit bonus and the wagering requirements are 20 x. The player has to wager $100 of their own money before the bonus kicks in. So, essentially if they win with the first free $5, they can’t withdraw any winnings until the wagering requirements are met. If a site offers a no deposit bonus of $10, and offers wagering requirements of 5 x, the player is ostensibly in a better position as they only have to spend $50 of their own.
It is always very important to read the terms and conditions of no deposit bonuses. Yes, it is great fun to spend them and if you don’t win at the site, move on to another site and spend their no deposit bonus too. There is nothing to say we can’t do this at 100 sites if we like, but the casino has to account for every $5 no deposit bonus we spend without becoming a customer. This money comes out of their marketing budget and off their bottom line in the end; so, they need to keep us playing at this site. As long as you understand this, you need never be disappointed when you cannot withdraw winnings until the spend or wagering requirement is met on the no deposit bonus.
