Did you know that online casinos give their slots players free money and/or spins just for signing up?
They do. You can get hundreds – even thousands of dollars – free, just for creating an account and making your first deposit. Then you can take that money and use it to win even more money. Money you can withdraw and spend.
But… there’s a catch.
And if you don’t understand this catch, then it doesn’t matter how much money you win – the casino won’t let you keep it.
I’m going to explain the catch in a minute. But first I’m going to explain why casinos even offer slots bonuses in the first place, and the different types of slot bonuses they offer.
The reason is simple – online casinos offer bonuses to incentivize new players. Sign up, make a deposit, and then the casino will give you a few bucks or spins to play with.
I think casinos offer free money and spins because:
The bottom line – online casinos do this to get you off the fence. They want you to choose them and to make a deposit as soon as possible.
These are the most common bonuses casinos offer online slots players.
Now let’s look at the catch – what casinos require you to do when you accept one of their offers.
Okay, so what’s the catch? Because we all know the casinos aren’t giving out free money because it gives them a warm, fuzzy feeling. They do it to make money.
Here’s how it works –
Casinos have what they call wager or play through requirements. These are terms that make sure no one can sign up, make a deposit, get the bonus, and then just cash out ALL the money.
A play through requirement is merely a number of times a casino wants you to wager their bonus, your deposit or your deposit and bonus – before you can request a cash out.
The number of times you need to play through depends on the casino, the game you’re playing and the type of offer.
Slots players usually get the best deals. And I’ll be honest with you, there’s a reason for this – because slots have one of the worst house edges in the casino.
So what does a play through requirement look like for slots players? It’ll look something like this:
You accept a 100% match bonus up to $1,000. You deposit the full $1,000. This offer has a 30x play through on the deposit AND bonus. That means you need to wager $2,000, 30 times. That comes out to $60,000.
Keep in mind if you try to cash out any sooner the casino will void your bonus and winnings.
So make sure you understand the terms. And if you don’t agree with them then make sure you contact support and ask to make a deposit without the bonus. That way you can come and go as you want.
And that’s the general idea behind the ‘catch’.
One last thing to keep in mind – each slots bonus will have different terms. Some will have play through requirements. Others won’t. Some you can cash out. Others you can’t. So make sure you read the offers thoroughly – otherwise you might regret it.
Another option is to read our casino reviews. We cover the most recent bonuses and the terms for each casino.