Virtually all online casinos will offer a free introductory bonus to tempt people into joining. As a new player, these can often seem like a great deal, giving you free money to play with and more chances to win big on the roulette wheel or with the craps dice. However, it is critical to remember that these free offers are rarely as good as they seem — unless you know what you are doing.

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and any online casino that did give away money would soon be out of business. You should never lose sight of the fact that the casino is a business, not a charity, and you should see every bonus offer for what it is: a marketing gimmick. That’s not to say that you can’t take advantage of that gimmick, but you will have to work harder than they would have you believe if you are going to profit at their expense.

Online casinos are experts at headlining their bonus offers in exciting and enticing ways while hiding the crucial details in the small print. They assume that most people won’t bother to check what the deal is offering, and they’re probably right. To make the most of a casino bonus, you need to read the small print carefully so that you understand how it works and can beat them at their game. Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, then it is!

Traps to Avoid

The biggest trap is what is called wagering. You might see two, three or even more times your original deposit appearing in your playing account, but anything you win using this bonus money won’t be available for withdrawal, at least not straight away. You will often have to “wager” this money 20, 30 or more times before you can withdraw the proceeds, which can significantly reduce your chances of getting anything at all. To make real money, you need to look for a bonus deal with no wagering.

Another way that online casinos use to avoid paying out is to tie bonus winnings to playing points. To get at your winnings, you must earn points by playing with real cash or playing so many times a week for several weeks. Once again, you will probably lose more than you win in doing this.

The Best Kind of Bonuses

If you are playing online casino bonuses to try and win actual cash, then look for small win limits, such as $2.50 or $5. It might not sound as exciting as some of the bigger, flashier offers, but chances are you can withdraw this straight away as actual cash, without giving the site multiple opportunities to snatch it back from you. Play enough of this bonus and the small wins can soon add up.

Check out a casino guide website for a list of all the casino bonuses currently available, and you can shortlist all the low win deals to play. Spend an evening on a dozen or so of these, and you could find yourself $50 or $60 better off, without trying. The same is true of free slots deals.

Learn the Ropes for Free

Making the Most of ‘Free’ Casino Bonuses

Unless you are a seasoned pro, you will find that most casino games take a little practice before you know what you are doing and how to play successfully. For example, there are many differences between American and European roulette, which can significantly affect your winnings. One of the top advantages of casino bonus deals is that you can make all your mistakes using their money, costing you nothing to hone your skills. By the time you start risking your cash, you’ll have a much better idea of how to go about it, and your chances of winning will be significantly improved.

Free casino bonus deals also give you the chance to try out the casino as well as the individual games. Every online casino is subtly different, and bonus deals give you the chance to try each one out to see where you feel most comfortable and confident playing. Once again, doing this with the casino’s money is much better than spending your cash testing out the different sites.

All in all, there are enough people who dive in without thinking to make casino bonuses worthwhile for the sites. But if you make sure you are not one of them, you can still benefit significantly from this marketing strategy. Choose your deals wisely, and you may yet get that free lunch after all.