One of the finest benefits of playing casino games online is the ability to take advantage of exclusive benefits and promotions offered only to online players. Free spins bonuses are one such benefit.

Free spins for popular slots can always come in helpful, no matter how much experience you have.

So, what exactly are free spins, how do they operate, and where can you acquire them? Read on to find out the answers to these and many other questions.

What exactly are free spins?

When you play at online casinos, you can earn free spins as a promotional offer. Simply simply, you are given a set amount of free spins to utilize on a specific slot machine. They are available as no deposit incentives or as part of deposit bonus packages.

Although this appears to be too good to be true, it is a popular marketing strategy used by most online casinos to recruit new consumers.

Even more so, these bonuses are even accessible at many $1 minimum deposit casino sites, so you can try it out without risking much on your side. There’s no hidden catch to this bonus, as everything you manage to win while playing with free spins is yours to keep.

That said, these bonuses do come with certain conditions. You can only use them on the slot games included in the promotion and must play through the spins by the deadline specified in the bonus terms.

They also come with specific wagering terms, most notably marked by a high wagering requirement. Taking all of this into account, you should always read through the entire free spins bonus T&Cs page to understand how the particular bonus works before you claim it.

Wagering Requirements in Free Spins

Wagering requirements are a pre-set promotional term that comes with almost every online casino bonus, not just free spins. It describes the number of times you have to wager through the bonus before you can turn the bonus money into real money.

For example, let’s say that the free spins bonus comes with 35x wagering requirements, and you got 50 free spins, with every spin is set at $0.10. This means that the total bonus is worth 50×0.10=$5.

This number, however, will not be used to calculate wagering requirements. Instead, they will apply to any winnings obtained from free spins. So, if you win $10 after using all of your free spins, you'll need to wager a total of $350 before you can pay out.

From this vantage point, it is understandable how online casinos may provide free spins bonuses without incurring financial losses. Few players can afford to bet so much money.

Furthermore, a portion of new users will become regular casino clients, depositing and playing long after they've used the free spins offer.

Wagering requirements for free spins are quite typical in any online casino. You should consider them before you begin betting, but they should not deter you from playing at a specific online casino and claiming the free spins offer.

Just keep in mind that not all games contribute in the same way when it comes to betting. While slots normally count 100% towards wagering requirements, games like roulette or blackjack may only count 10% or 20% of all bets placed.

How Do Free Spins Work and How to Claim Them

Free spins are most commonly included as a welcome bonus for new players who decide to sign up with an online casino. They can also be a part of a regular promotional deal for loyal players, but this is a bit rarer.

If a part of the welcome offer, you don’t have to do anything special to trigger this bonus. You only have to agree that you want to take advantage of the offer when creating an account with the casino.

After that, all you have to do is open up the slot game the free spins are offered for, and you’ll be credited with the spins automatically.

When using the free spins to play slot games online, the casino will automatically decide the size of the bet. This is to ensure a safe betting environment and minimize the chance of any cheating.

Generally speaking, your bets will be set across all of the slot’s paylines on the minimum bet value.

Types of Free Spins

There are hundreds, even thousands of free spins’ offers available at online casinos, and they come in all shapes and sizes.

For this reason, you should know how to differentiate between the main types of free spins. This will allow you to claim the free spins promotions you know will give you the best chances to turn bonus money into real money.

To help you with this, we’ve surmised the most common types of free spins offers you’ll come across when playing in online casinos:

No Deposit Free Spins – The most enticing type of free spins bonus, you can claim this type of spins without putting any money into the casino. This bonus usually includes a smaller number of spins and is offered on some of the most popular slots on the site.

Deposit Free Spins – Opposite to the previous type, this offer rewards you with a certain number of free spins only after you deposit money into the online casino. Since you’re depositing money to claim the free spins, this bonus comes with the smallest number of wagering restrictions of all types of free spins bonuses.

Wager-free Free Spins – A relatively new type of free spins bonus, this offer removes the wagering requirements aspect from the promotion. This makes the bonuses more player-friendly, as you don’t have to grind through the requirements to claim the full value of the offer. That said, this type of free spins bonus is still scarce in online casinos.

So, in an ideal scenario, you'd want to claim no deposit, wager-free free spins. These are very few and far between, but if you put some effort into it, you'll be able to find some online casinos with these types of offers, especially for players from certain countries.

Can You Really Win Real Money With Free Spins?

With everything discussed in this article in mind, how likely are you to withdraw real money when playing with free spins?

The main line is that free spins bonuses in slot games can be used to win real money. They are an excellent way to boost your gambling bankroll without putting any or very little of your own money at danger.

Remember that the free spins bonus is mostly intended to give you a taste of what it's like to play at the specific casino that provides it.

When using a free spins bonus, having fun and enjoying yourself should be your top priority.

Take advantage of this opportunity to explore the site and check whether they offer any of your favorite games other than slots, such as baccarat or craps. You'll know what to expect and even have a chance to win real money with little to no risk.