Free bet bonus offers can be a great incentive to try any new casino site, from a humble slot site to a much larger gaming platform. Of course, just like any bonus feature, free bets are not going to be offered in the same way by every site.
Whether you are brand new to online casinos or just have not really engaged with many major bonus features in the past, it is a good idea to understand them clearly before you use them. Not all bonus features are as generous as they seem, while others can be incredibly useful and very worth your time.
Are Free Bets Always Free?
Free bets are often free in the technical sense. While you might need to do something to earn them – depositing a certain amount, using a promo code, etc. – you are still getting the bonus funds or bets for free. This can make them a very desirable bonus option, especially for new players who have just signed up for any given site.
However, this still means that some (but not all) free bet bonuses have to be earned. How this happens depends on the bonus since every site’s bonus features are different, but there are some common requirements that many platforms use.
- Deposit requirements, such as a user having to deposit above £20 in a single deposit payment to earn the bonus.
- Deposit bonuses, which are scaled to match your deposit (meaning that you need to deposit more money to get a higher bonus).
- Wagering limits, such as having to make a £10 bet on a particular game or event to get the bonus money.
- Promotional codes, sometimes ones that can only be entered when you first sign up to the site.
- Loyalty systems, which reward players for spending money on the site in the long term.
Of course, this is only a few of the many different ways that you can earn free bets, depending on the site. In some cases, they might also be truly free and require no activation, although you might still have to opt into using the bonus somehow.
Do Free Bets Have Limitations?
Free bet bonuses often have limitations and restrictions surrounding them. These can make it harder to use the bonus in certain ways or might even force you to use the bonus on specific games and betting types. This means that you are not always free to use the bonus funds and bets however you want.
For example, a typical slot free spins bonus might force you to use the bonus on specific games. It will usually also have wagering requirements (to limit how easily you can withdraw winnings) and/or max win limitations (to stop you from getting lucky and winning too much with free betting funds.
Of course, many sites only offer limited restrictions on their bonuses. For example, you might be subject to wagering requirements while still being able to use the free betting funds on any game you like within a certain game type. This can be great for people who want to experiment with multiple games, giving them an easy way to try various game options quickly.
It is quite rare to find bonuses with no restrictions at all, but they do exist. This is most common through things like loyalty systems, where they are rewards for spending money and playing at the site.
Types of Free Bet Bonuses to Look Out For
If you are a relatively new player or new to online gambling as a whole, then it is important to understand where many free bet bonuses come from. Not all of them are going to be welcome bonuses, and many sites will do their specific bonus features differently, but being aware of free bets can help you maximize the benefits you get from them.
Welcome Bonuses
Welcome bonuses are generally single-use bonuses that can only be activated a short time after joining a site and are exclusive to new players. These are usually quite generous but also subject to heavy limitations and have strict time limits that you will need to work around.
Most sites will not allow you to easily win real money with welcome bonuses, but they can still be a great way to explore various games and get a feel for the platform. This is especially useful for new players who might not be used to online gambling yet.
Loyalty Programs
A VIP or loyalty system rewards players for spending money and using the site consistently, often allowing them to level up and get better rewards as they keep playing. This can scale from things like small free bet bonuses to entire vacation packages, but higher levels take more commitment to earn.
These can be great ways to get free bets if you want to stick with a single site for a while, but remember that some VIP systems decay over time: if you are not playing for a while, you might slowly level back down.
One variation of this is the “trophy” system, which rewards players for completing certain actions every day or week.
Seasonal Bonuses
Some sites offer rotating seasonal or time-limited bonuses that are only available for so long. These might rotate regularly or be one-off bonuses, but they are time-limited, so it means that you might only get a short period to actually use them.
These are often promoted as major bonuses and can include some bonus offers that you might not find anywhere else, but this depends on the site.
Other Bonuses
There are hundreds of thousands of free bet bonus offers out there, spread across countless sites. Many of them are simply bonus features that you have to activate while on the site, either through doing a specific thing or just logging in at the right time.
Sites like https://www.betopin.com/ca/free-bets/ are a perfect way to keep track of all of the bonuses that a platform offers, letting you quickly and easily see what bonuses you can get at major sites. This can be incredibly useful for both long-time and brand-new players, whether you want the best bonus available or just want a refresher on what your favorite site is offering now.