Free Spin Slots

Everyone likes getting something for free, and that’s exactly what you get when a casino offers you free spins on a slot machine. One of the most common promotions you’ll see in online casinos is the free spin offer — a chance to play a machine a few times at the casino’s expense.

What are Free Spins?

Free spins are a promotional tool used by casinos in order to give players some added value when signing up for a new casino account, as part of weekly or monthly promotions, or as a special gift to VIP members. Generally, these deals give players a handful of spins on a popular machine in the hopes that this will encourage those players to continue playing the machine after the free spins run out.

While the value of the free spins usually isn’t very high, that doesn’t mean you should ignore these freebies when a casino offers them to you. It’s possible to win a large prize while playing with free spins, including any jackpots that may be offered on that game.

This might sound far-fetched, but players actually have won some major jackpots with the help of free spins. For instance, in September 2011, a 20-year-old Norwegian student won an €11.7 million without actually spending any of his own money to do so. The anonymous student normally played at a sports betting site, but decided to take advantage of an offer he received for ten free spins on the Mega Fortune jackpot slot.

The player took his free spins, and won a rather modest prize of €8. However, he decided to reinvest that money into a few more spins before going to bed. On the very next spin, he saw the reels fall into place as he won the jackpot, forever changing his life. This story should be enough to remind everyone that any spin can be the one that makes you a millionaire.

Free Play on Slots

Another way casinos can encourage players to try out their machines is by offering a free play bonus. Some casinos will actually give players free money when they sign up for an account, usually stipulating that this money can only be used for playing slots or a handful of other games. While the amounts of money given out are usually very small, it is real money, and winnings that you earn during the use of that money are usually yours to keep, provided that you meet the site’s wagering requirements.

There are a few differences between these types of free play bonuses and the free spins we talked about earlier. While free spins almost always specify a specific machine you’ll need to play on, free play bonuses give you a little more freedom, allowing you to play on any slot you want. On the other hand, the restrictions when it comes to cash outs and wagering requirements are usually much tougher to clear on free play bonuses than when dealing with free spins.

Free Spins and Wagering Requirements

Let’s talk a little more about those wagering requirements we talked about above. Whenever you receive a bonus or promotion from an online casino, it’s likely to come with a playthrough requirement. This is a guarantee to the casino that you’ll wager a certain amount of money in the casino before you’re allowed to cash out any proceeds made from your bonuses.

In the case of a cash bonus, the wagering requirements are usually stipulated as a multiple of the bonus amount (plus any amount you may have deposited). For instance, if you deposit $100 and receive a $100 bonus, and your wagering requirement is 10x, you’ll need to wager $2,000 ($200 * 10) in order to cash out your winnings.

Free spin offers often come with wagering requirements, too. Most commonly, the wagering requirement for a free spins bonus will be based on the amount you win during the free spins. For instance, you might have to wager 20x your winnings in order to cash out; if you won $10 during the free spins, then you’d have to make $200 worth of bets before claiming your cash.

While not every free spins offer comes with wagering requirements, they are fairly common. It’s a smart idea to read the terms and conditions for any bonus or promotional offer you accept, because these stipulations often affect how you should approach your time during the free spins, as well as what games you play immediately after. Often, the “bonus winnings” you earn during your free spins can only be cashed out after additional play on the same slot machine; play on other games won’t count towards clearing the bonus.