The free spins bonus you may have already heard of is one of the most popular online casino promotional offers, also referred to as a bonus, and I think I’m not alone when I say they are the best type of bonus, especially if you’re an online fruit machine enthusiast like me.
On this page, I will be taking a closer look at how free spins bonuses work, which ones are worth avoiding, and which ones will be worth your time. I will also explain how you can get the most out of any free spins bonuses you are offered.
What are free spins bonuses?
A free spins bonus is essentially a promotional offer commonly found on fully licensed and regulated iGaming sites like the ones currently featured on the rather industry famous Johnslots website (https://www.johnslots.com/en/) complete with in-depth, unbiased reviews of the games, the sites and all the bonuses.
Free spins are used as a marketing strategy by business operators to try and entice new players to register an account on their website. Free spins are also used to retain existing members and to try to keep them from playing elsewhere, usually as a form of loyalty via the rewards program on that site.
I’ve claimed countless free spins over the years, and my honest opinion is that they are always worth claiming.
A free spin can be used to play any of the selected online fruitys included in that promotion in the real money mode for a chance to win even more money. However, free spins winnings are usually capped at a certain amount, which I’ve found can be anywhere from $/€/£20 to $/€/£500, depending on the promotions and the website.
When they are part of the welcome bonus, free spins also usually come with wagering requirements, which some website operators, industry experts, and players refer to as rollover, turnover, or playthrough requirements. It all means the same thing.
What are wagering requirements?
The wagering requirement is the amount of money you must wager before you can cash out any winnings you have made from that free spins promotion. With recurring/ongoing/loyalty/daily log-in free spins bonuses, the wagering requirements are typically much lower than the initial welcome bonus wagering requirements.
Most of the time, on my favourite websites, the wagering requirements are relatively low, which is why I like claiming them and playing on those sites.
I tend to avoid claiming free spins bonuses with a wagering requirement higher than 50x times, but most of the time when I claim free spins, they come with a wagering requirement of 20x to 40x.
Here are the most common wagering requirements you will most likely encounter:
- 0x to 5x times the bonus amount (+ the initial deposit amount) – these are the lowest/best you will find
- 6x to 19x times the bonus amount (+ the initial deposit amount) – these are also considered low and definitely worth claiming
- 20x to 40x times the bonus amount (+ the initial deposit amount) – these are considered average and also worth claiming
- 41x to 59x times the bonus amount (+ the initial deposit amount) – these are considered above-average
- 60x to 70x times the bonus amount (+ the initial deposit amount) – these are considered high and aren’t worth claiming
- Anything above 71x is not worth claiming
I’ve also claimed plenty of free spins with zero (0x) wagering requirements attached, meaning any winnings that I make are instantly mine to withdraw.
If you don’t complete the wagering requirements in the allotted time (as stated in the terms and conditions for that bonus), any winnings you have made from your free spins will expire.
Let’s take a quick look at an example of how wagering requirements work. If you have just claimed 20 free spins, and that bonus comes with a 20x wagering requirement, the free spins winnings are capped at $/€/£50, and you win the full $/€/£50, before you can withdraw, the $/€/£50 winnings you made must be wagered at least 20x times (20x $/€/£50 = $/€/£1,000).
You may have anywhere from 24 hours up to 30 days to complete them, so to ensure you don’t miss out on your winnings, remember to complete your wagering requirements in good time.
Having to wager so much money may sound fairly steep, but if wagering requirements weren’t attached to bonuses and every player won with their free spins, iGaming operators would quickly go out of business. In other words, they are there to protect the operator.
Also, I’ve found that if you stick to playing any of the online fruitys that are included in the free spins promotion, they will contribute 100% per $/€/£1.00 wagered on them, and you will get your wagering requirements completed in no time.
In comparison, classic favourites like roulette, blackjack, video poker, and others may not contribute anything (0%) per dollar wagered, which is why you should always read the Ts and Cs.
You may also find in the Ts and Cs that some free spins bonuses are for certain devices only, such as Android and iOS mobile devices, whereas other promos might be specifically aimed at desktop computer users.
You may even find that certain payment methods, such as Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, or cryptocurrencies are excluded from the promotion, so always read the Ts and Cs to find out to ensure you get the most out of your bonus.
Final thoughts
I’ve found that the best free spins bonuses with the lowest wagering requirements are always up for grabs on trusted sites controlled by reputable operators with good standing in the industry.
Only claim one bonus at a time to avoid confusion, and only deposit what you can afford to lose. Also, never sign up to unlicensed/unregulated sites, even if the bonuses sound too good to be true, because these sites are unsafe and must be avoided at all costs.
