Free Spins Casinos – No Deposit Win Real Money!
Slots players love free spins. After all, the next best thing to winning money when playing slots is to win more spins with which to try.
Free spins are frequently awarded in slots as a kind of in-game prize. When playing online slots, you can also earn free spins in other ways, as sites often award free spins as bonuses or as part of various promotions. There is a lot to know, however, about how free spins work. Sometimes they come with associated restrictions or requirements. There might also be particular steps you have to follow to claim your casino free spins.
Here is a guide to everything you need to know about free spins when playing slots, including where to find them, how to claim them, and tips for how best to use your free spins.
Why do casinos offer free spins?
When you play slots in a physical or online casino, free spins are a big part of the game. Often, you earn them during gameplay, as you can win free spins just like you win money when hitting certain combinations.
For online slots, free spins are awarded as bonuses of various types. You’ll see free spins offered as part of many different promotions online. If the online casino has a loyalty rewards program, you’ll often see free spins awarded as a perk to program participants.
Free spins bonuses are nice because they often allow you to try out different slots without having to risk any money while still giving you a chance to win. Keep in mind, though, that sometimes online casino free spins have restrictions and/or require you to do certain things to claim them or winnings earned with them.
Giving players free spins is a way for casinos both to attract new players and keep regular players. Knowing you can play slots for free can be a great incentive when signing up at a new site. You’ll also see online casinos use free spins as a way to promote particular slots, offering free spins for a certain slot or group of slots.
Best free spins casino bonuses
Online casinos tend to centralize slots and, in many cases, these sites offer free spin bonuses among their various promotions. Below are some free spins bonuses you’ll find at real money online casinos operating in several U.S. states, followed by some discussion of social and sweepstakes sites that also offer free spins.
Online casinos with free spin bonuses
- Bally Casino — Offers two daily free games for which the rewards are free spins on one of two particular slots, Secrets of the Phoenix and Tiki Island.
- BetMGM Casino — Often runs promotions such as a Coin Flip promotion that invites players to flip a coin to win 10 free spins plus bonus money. The site has also had free spins giveaways plus a special bonus wheel players can spin for free each day to win prizes that include free spins on slots.
- BetRivers Casino — Its iRush Rewards loyalty program lets you redeem points for free spins.
- Caesars Casino — Runs various promotions that sometimes include free spins. Depending on your state, the site also offers a no deposit bonus that can be used for slots play and thus works like free spins.
- DraftKings Casino — Offers many bonuses although not many involving free spins. That said, the rewards program allows you to play slots using DK Dollars or by redeeming DraftKings Crowns.
- FanDuel Casino — Promos include the ongoing FanDuel Casino Reward Machine, a daily free-to-play game that gives players three free spins with a chance to win up to a $2,000 casino bonus.
- Golden Nugget Casino — New sign-ups get a no deposit bonus, plus another deposit bonus that awards free spins on the 88 Fortunes slot.
- Hard Rock Casino — Similarly offers both a no deposit bonus and a second deposit bonus that afford new players free spins.
- PlayStar Casino — Has offered a deposit match bonus that also gives new sign-ups 500 free spins, which can be used on six particular slots: Double Stacks, Finn and the Swirly Spin, Finn’s Golden Tavern, Jumanji, Starburst and Twin Spin Megaways.
Other online casinos will offer free spins from time to time as well. Whenever you sign up for a new site or return to play at one of your favorites, check the current promotions for free-spin possibilities.
Social and sweepstakes casinos with free spin bonuses
Even if you live in a state with no real money online casinos, you can still play online slots almost everywhere in the U.S. at social and sweepstakes sites. These sites use virtual currencies in their games and, in some cases, offer opportunities to redeem winnings for cash prizes.
Social and sweepstakes sites offer many games that are free to play, including slots. They also run a lot of promotions that involve awarding free spins and/or free currency with which to play slots. The best of these social and sweepstakes sites include:
- Pulsz
- Chumba Casino
- LuckyLand Slots
- Funzpoints
- WOW Vegas
The slots on these sites include many exclusive titles that feature the same great graphics, animation and sounds of games at real money online casinos. You must be at least 18 years old to play slots on these social and sweepstakes sites.
Types of free spin bonuses
Online casinos offer a variety of different free spin bonuses, some of which we’ve already mentioned. Here are the most common types of free spins offers:
No deposit free spin bonuses
When you register an account for the first time, the site will give you a certain number of free spins you can use to try out some of the slots. You don’t have to make a deposit to receive this bonus (which is why it is called a “no deposit” bonus).
You might receive a certain number of spins (like 50 or 100). Or you might be given a small amount of money (perhaps $5 or $10 or even as much as $50 or more) with which to play the games, which is essentially the same as receiving free spins. Free spins will need to be used on slots, of course. In some cases, you’ll only be able to play certain slots with them. If the no deposit bonus is cash, you usually can play other games, too, like table games or video poker.
Deposit free spin bonuses
Sometimes a free spin bonus will be given when you deposit funds. These deposit free spin bonuses often come with welcome offers and are given when you make your first deposit, although you might see them offered later, too. Once you make your deposit, you are awarded the free spins and can use them right away.
As noted above, you may find you can use your deposit free spin bonus to play only a particular slot or group of slots. There may also be other restrictions or requirements on how you can use the bonus. Sites often also offer deposit bonuses of cash or casino credit as well, in which case you can use the bonus funds or credits to play online slots.
No wager free spin bonuses
You may also sometimes receive “no wager” free spin bonuses. This means you don’t have to complete any playthrough or wagering requirement to receive the bonus or to claim your winnings from the free spins. These bonuses are less common than the other types, but they’re great when you can get them.
Other free spin bonuses
Other types of free spin promotions include daily free spins, often available just for logging onto the site each day. If the site has a loyalty program, you can sometimes redeem your loyalty points for free spins. You might also see distinctions between cashable free spins and non-cashable free spins. With cashable free spins, you can cash out your winnings. With non-cashable ones, if you win anything, you have to wager that again.
Free spins bonus restrictions and requirements
Let’s talk about some of those restrictions and requirements that might come along with a free spins casino bonus. In some cases, those limits might affect whether the bonus seems attractive to you. Knowing the terms and conditions that go with your free spins will help you evaluate the quality of the bonus.
- Number of free spins: Usually, when you receive a free spins bonus it will be for a certain number of spins. One thing to be aware of is that it is easy to burn through a large number of spins quickly when you play slots. If you’re getting 50 or 100 free spins that’s great, but you can use those up in a very short time. And, of course, you never know how much or how little you’ll actually win with those free spins.
- Time restrictions: Something else you want to pay attention to is any specific period in which you must use the free spins. When there are time restrictions, you’ll find sometimes you’ll only get 24 hours to use your free spins. Other times you might get a week or even a month to use them. But if you fail to use the free spins within the specified time, they will expire. You’ll frequently see time restrictions on free spins awarded as part of welcome offers because the sites want you to start playing right away.
- Game restrictions: In some cases, free spins must be used on a particular slot or group of slots. Some examples of game restrictions on free spins are mentioned above in the list of online casinos with free spins. Pay attention to this restriction, as it could be the free spins are for a slot you aren’t interested in playing.
- Betting restrictions: Sometimes you can only use the free spins for lower betting amounts. That’s worth keeping in mind because often when you play progressive slots, you are only eligible to win the highest jackpot if you bet the maximum. That means in some cases with free spins you won’t be able to try for those big progressive jackpots.
- Opt-in requirements: When free spins come as part of a welcome offer, you might have to enter a bonus code when you register your new account to receive them. At other times, there might be an opt-in requirement to receive a free spins bonus. Usually, that just involves ticking a box. By opting in, you are essentially agreeing to the terms associated with the bonus. These might include playthrough requirements or other restrictions.
- Playthrough requirements: A lot of times you’ll see free spins bonuses have playthrough requirements connected to them. This is essentially a requirement that you play more on the site (wagering a certain amount) either to receive the free spins or to claim winnings you receive with those free spins. Playthrough requirements almost always have a time restriction, too, meaning you have to satisfy the requirements in a certain period to earn the spins (or the winnings from the spins). Look below for more discussion of how playthrough requirements typically work.
Understanding playthrough requirements
We’ve mentioned playthrough requirements already and how they are commonly encountered when you receive free spins. Let’s look a little closer at what playthrough requirements (or “wagering requirements”) actually are.
Whenever you receive a free spins bonus with playthrough requirements attached, you will have to satisfy certain conditions to “unlock” the bonus. Typically you receive the free spins and are able to use them, but if you win any money with those spins those winnings will be subject to the playthrough requirements.
Let’s say you receive 100 free spins and after using them you’ve won $50. If there is a playthrough requirement, you won’t be able simply to withdraw that money. Rather, those winnings will go into a separate account. Only after you’ve satisfied the playthrough requirement will you gain access to those funds.
Usually, a playthrough requirement means you have to wager a certain amount on the site, the total for which is determined by the affected funds. If the playthrough requirement is “10x” and you’ve won $50, that means you have to wager $500 ($50 x 10) to release the money you won with your free spins. The formula goes like this:
- free spins winnings x playthrough requirement number
- = wagering amount required
Sometimes the playthrough requirement is relatively easy to satisfy, such as when it is a “1x” playthrough requirement. Sometimes it can be quite hard to satisfy the requirement, especially if it is large (e.g., “10x” or “20x” or more). It can be especially challenging if you only have a limited time to satisfy the playthrough requirement (say 30 days) and you aren’t comfortable wagering the necessary amount of money needed to complete it.
Pay attention to playthrough requirements whenever you evaluate a free spins bonus. If the requirement is too high and burdensome, the offer may not be worth it to you. But if it is a relatively easy requirement, that will make the free spins bonus more attractive.
Note that if you don’t win any money with your free spins (which can happen), you won’t face any playthrough requirement as there won’t be any winnings to unlock.
Tips for getting the most out of free spin bonuses
Free spins can be a great way to cut down on your expenses and increase your overall expected value when you play slots. That said, be smart about how you use your free spins to maximize their value.
Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your casino free spins:
- Play slots that have high RTP (return to player) percentages. Though these figures refer only to theoretical returns and are no guarantees, you have a better chance of winning when playing slots with high RTP percentages (e.g. 97-98%) versus those with low RTP percentages (e.g., 92% or less).
- Try out multiple slots and/or try new slots you are interested in but haven’t played before. Free spins are a great way to play new games without having to spend your own money.
- Bet the maximum with your free spins if you can. This could maximize your potential wins and/or be eligible for jackpots. (In some cases, you won’t be allowed to bet the max with free spins.)
- Experiment with different betting strategies, using the free spins as a chance to test out different ways of playing slots.
- Select slots that tend to award more free play, including free spins. If you can’t win money with your free spins, you can sometimes win even more free spins with which you can keep playing.
- Remain mindful of playthrough requirements and make sure they aren’t too arduous for you.
Make a note of any other restrictions or requirements before you start using your free spins so you know exactly what you are allowed to do with them before you start.
Always practice responsible gambling
You might think gambling with free spins is a no-lose proposition. What are you risking? You might even find yourself gambling a little more recklessly with free spins since you know you won’t really lose anything if it doesn’t work out.
Be careful not to let those bad habits creep into your regular gambling, though. Always practice responsible gambling even when playing slots with free spins. One way free spins can get someone into trouble is when the person wins money with free spins and then feels “forced” to gamble more than they would otherwise just to satisfy a playthrough requirement.
Never let free spins alter your typically careful gambling patterns and introduce more risk than you would usually entertain. Maintain your usual limits, don’t spend more money or time gambling than you should, and never gamble with money you cannot afford to lose.
FAQ about free spins
Most real money online casinos and social / sweepstakes sites with slots offer free spins of various kinds. You’ll find many of them offer free spins as bonuses, and of course, many slots include ways to win free spins as you play. See above for more details about the best slots sites with free spins.
As noted, many online casinos offer free spins as bonuses or as part of promotions. In some cases, online casinos’ loyalty programs let you redeem points for free spins.
Absolutely. But if you receive free spins as a bonus and win money with those spins, you may subsequently have to satisfy a playthrough requirement to receive your winnings. That will depend on the terms and conditions associated with the free spins bonus.
As the name implies, free spins can be used only on slots. In fact, sometimes a free spins bonus might let you use the spins only on one particular slot. Online casinos often offer other types of bonuses involving cash or casino credit too. You can use those on other types of games (terms permitting).
Both real money online casinos and social / sweepstakes sites typically let you play via either a computer’s web browser or a mobile app. The mobile app version of the sites is often very similar to the web-based one, having most of the same games. You are also usually able to take advantage of all the same bonuses and promotional offers, including free spins. In fact, sometimes you’ll find exclusive offers just for mobile app users, including free spins.