One of the safest, quickest, and easiest ways to give your online casino bankroll a much-needed boost is to claim a no deposit bonus. It’s one of the iGaming industry’s most elusive promotional offers, but most online casino players describe it as the best bonus.
The reason? It’s in the name. Unlike matching deposit bonuses (aka match bonuses), which require a specific minimum deposit amount to unlock, no deposit bonuses DON’T require a minimum deposit to unlock.
At the end of the day, online casino bonuses are always optional. You don’t have to claim them, but when it comes to no deposit bonuses, you literally have nothing to lose, which is why they are so popular. If you live in Ireland, the important thing to remember before and after claiming bonuses is to gamble responsibly.
In other words, only ever claim bonuses on legally permitted sites that are allowed to accept real cash wagers from Irish players. When you’re looking for a safe site to join, stick to betting on the sites that the experts recommend on globally renowned iGaming review sites like talkSPORT.
With that said, let’s dive straight to discovering more about the iGaming industry’s most highly sought-after bonus, and listing its pros and cons.
What exactly is a no deposit bonus at an online casino, and is it ever worth claiming?
Online casino operators today typically offer a range of bonuses and promotions. The goal is to attract new players and get them to sign up and start playing with them, or to retain existing members and stop them from playing on a competitor’s site.
Although there are thousands of different online casino bonuses out there today, they all typically derive from the same three main types of bonuses: Deposit Bonuses, No Deposit Bonuses, and Cash Back Bonuses:
● A deposit bonus, also known as a matching deposit bonus, is usually a 100% match bonus that enables players to double their deposit. You can also find 10%, 25%, 50%, 150%, and 200% match bonuses. To unlock this type of bonus, you may have to deposit €10 or €20. If, for example, you deposit €50 with a 100% match bonus, it means that the casino operator will instantly match your deposit Euro-for-Euro, so instead of having just your €50 deposit to play with, your account balance will be €100 (your €50 deposit + €50 extra from the casino).
● A no deposit bonus doesn’t require a deposit to unlock, hence the name, but it might not always be a free cash bonus. For example, it might be a certain amount of free spins (1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, or 50 FS) to try out selected online slot machines, a free scratchcard or two to try out selected online scratchies, a free golden chip (maybe worth €0.50) to try some of their live dealer games, a free casino chip (worth €0.20 to €1.00) to try some of their computer-generated classic table & card games, a free bingo ticket, and so on.
If the no deposit bonus does arrive in the form of cash, most players who have received it have reported being credited with anywhere from €0.20 up to €10.00. However, high rollers who typically spend lots more money on the site can look forward to even higher-valued, no deposit bonuses.
They are always worth claiming. No deposit bonuses are risk-free, so you have nothing to lose – but they are optional, so it’s up to you. The good news is that there’s plenty of free cash and spins for Irish players up for grabs on all of today’s safest iGaming sites.
Pros and cons of no deposit bonuses
Fortunately, there are more advantages than disadvantages of no deposit bonuses, which is why they are so popular. Let’s now take a look at some of the main pros and cons of no deposit bonuses.
Pros
● they allow you to play real money games without having to deposit money
● the free money, free spins, or free scratchcards you receive as part of the no deposit bonus could potentially see you winning more money to spend on your other favourite games
● no deposit money is a great way to try new games or gameplay/betting strategies without using your hard-earned money in case you lose
● completely risk-free
● give your bankroll an instant boost – no strings attached
● you enjoy games more because you don’t fear losing your free money as much as your own
● some no deposit bonuses even come with ZERO WAGERING REQUIREMENTS attached, meaning you get to keep all the winnings from your bonus without having to wager a certain amount in the casino first
● they extend your session time and enable you to play for slightly longer periods
● often can be claimed/won daily via loyalty programs and daily log-in bonuses, meaning they aren’t as ‘elusive’ as they used to be. Many operators use no deposit bonuses as a form of gamification to boost player engagement and retention
Cons
● most no deposit bonuses come with wagering requirements attached (aka playthrough, turnover, or rollover requirements), which you must complete before you can withdraw your winnings – typically between 20x to 40x times the amount you received
● some say that no deposit bonuses could encourage unplanned overspending, so always manually set as many safer gambling tools as possible to prevent this from happening
● no deposit bonuses usually have a short validity period and may expire if not used after 12, 24, or 48 hours, so use them before you miss out
● the max win limit from a no deposit bonus isn’t unlimited, it’s usually capped at a certain amount, such as €20, €50, €500, or €1,000 – in other words, you normally can’t win progressive jackpots with no deposit bonuses
● there are usually many game restrictions, which means you can often only use your no deposit bonus money to play specific games
● some offers may only be available for certain devices – for example, you might only be able to claim the offer from a smartphone and not from a desktop computer
Conclusion
To sum up, these generous promotional offers are typically worth claiming, but it’s up to you. If you decide to claim a no deposit bonus, only claim one at a time to avoid confusion, and only ever claim them from reputable sites.
Always read the Ts and Cs attached to the offer because they will always reveal exactly what’s required of you to ensure you get the most out of any bonuses you claim.
