Guide to Free Spins
Whilst the appeal of free spins is indeed attractive, there are many factors to consider. We look at what constitutes free spins, what free spins types there are and why you should use them.
Then the Terms & Conditions and restrictions in place from the slot sites are analysed as well as the best free spins slots these offers are available on.
What are Free Spins?
Free spins are spins offered by online casinos or slot sites to new and/or existing players. These offers give players the chance to sample a new slot game or popular slots at a given casino site.
Since playing slots online has become more popular in recent years, the UK Gambling Commission has imposed strict regulations regarding free spins bonuses and deposit offers. This is why you’ll see offers such as free spins, spins, bonus spins, extra spins, welcome spins and many more.
A free spin is defined as a free round on a slot game, with no wagering requirements or restrictions. These free spins are at minimum stakes (10p in most cases) with 10 to 50 free spins most commonly offered. They are used by online casinos to attract new players or to reward loyal customers. However, there are various types of free spins available which we will look at next.
Types of Free Spins
Casino free spins may sound appealing but it’s important to know why type of free spins bonus you’re getting at a slot site. We look at the available offers in detail so you understand the differences between them:
Free Spins No Deposit
Want to get started right away? Check out our no deposit free spins offers page.
Free spins with no deposit are best kind available. These are free spins on registration without having to deposit any of your own funds. Sounds great right?
Simply put, register at slot site/casino and get free spins without a deposit. However, no deposit free spins tend to be small with 5 to 20 free spins offered most of the time. A casino isn’t going to give away 100 free spins just for signing up, especially in the UK.
These free spins will come with wagering requirements and restrictions (which we look at more closely below).If you take LeoVegas Casino for example, you will get 10 no deposit free spins when you register. Worth 10p each, they come with no wagering requirements on the eligible slot game.
The logic behind free spins with no deposit required is that you get to sample the experience at a particular online casino without having to shell out your own money. Most of these offers are added to your account automatically but you may need to add a free spins code when registering. We highlight this in our detailed slot site reviews where applicable.
Free Spins No Wagering
Want real money free spins? Check out our no wager free spins offers page.
No wager free spins are spins which have no wagering requirements. This, in short, means that what you win is yours to keep and withdraw. For example, Paddy Power free spins have no wagering requirements at all.
For example, a casino gives you 20 free spins with no wagering requirements. They are each worth 10p a spin on a popular slot game (i.e. Play ‘n GO’s Book of Dead). If you manage to win from those 20 free spins, the winnings are yours to keep.
As with no deposit free spins, offers with no wagering tend to be small and at minimum stakes. Some slot sites will offer free spins with no deposit and no wager meaning you will get them when you register and will keep what you win.
Deposit Free Spins
Free spins with deposit are spins that require you to deposit in order to receive them. Offering to new and existing players, you will need to deposit a certain amount to get a certain amount of free spins – normally 10 free spins no deposit.
For example, bgo Casino welcomes new players with up to 500 free spins. You need to deposit £10 or more to spin the Mega Wheel. This will give you up to 500 free spins on NetEnt’s Twin Spin slot game.
Deposit free spins are the most common type of free spins offer you’ll see nowadays. On the plus side, you will normally get a larger amount of free spins when you deposit. There are some casinos who give you options. For example deposit £10 to get 20 free spins. If you deposited £50, you’d get 200 free spins.
Slot sites also use deposit free spins as part of the their welcome offer. This way, you deposit a certain amount to get a 100% match bonus and some free spins with it. You may get the free spins automatically once you deposit or once you’ve wagered the bonus or even a certain number of spins per day (i.e. you get 10 free spins a day for 5 days).
Finally, deposit free spins are offered to existing customers to try new or popular slots. Mr Green Casino regularly does this with a single deposit required to get daily free spins on a slot (normally Book of Dead).
Pros and Cons of Free Spins
With the 3 types of free spins available, here are the pros and cons of each offer summarised nicely. This allows you to choose which offer is right for you:
Free Spins No Deposit Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| No need to deposit | Small number of free spins |
| Experience a slot site or slot game for free | Wins come with wagering requirements |
| Simply register an account | Might have a win cap/limit |
| Tend to be on the best slots | Limited to certain slot games |
Free Spins No Wagering Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| What you win is yours to keep | Limited to particular games |
| Can require no deposit | Might need to deposit to get them |
| Offered on popular slots | Normally have minimum stake + max win limit |
Deposit Free Spins Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Higher number of free spins offered | Wagering requirements + restrictions apply |
| Often in addition to a welcome bonus | Limited to a particular slot game |
| Available on new slot games | You need to deposit |
| Available on the best slots normally | You might not get all free spins at once |
Free Spins Variations
With the term free, it is implied that are actually free. With increased regulation, you will often see free spins referred to as bonus spins, cash spins, real money free spins, extra spins and welcome spins. This depends on a particular slot sites’ preference:
| Term | Definition | Who offers them |
| Cash Spins | Free spins with no restrictions | Betsafe Casino |
| Extra Spins | Same as bonus spins | Rizk Casino |
| Real Money Spins | Free spins with no restrictions | NY Spins Casino |
| Welcome Spins | Part of a welcome offer (no deposit) | Videoslots Casino |
Essentially, they will either be no deposit free spins, no wagering free spins or deposit free spins. If an offer is truly free, a casino will call them free spins. This tells the players what they are getting is indeed free and they won’t get in any trouble with the UK Gambling Commission for using the term in their promotional activities.
2 other terms that have crept up in recent times include super spins and mega spins. Slot sites offer free spins that are more valuable. This means each free spin is worth more than the minimum stake such as 50p, £1 or even £3 per spin.
Casinos with slots from NetEnt sometimes offer super and mega spins on certain slots. For example, Betsafe Casino have been known to offer these at the following values:
- Super Spins = worth £1 each
- Mega Spins = worth £3 each
Free Spins Terms & Conditions
When you want to claim free casino spins, there are a few things to consider. The days of truly ‘free’ spins are over with restrictions in place to protect the casinos from abuse and bonus hunters. We now look at wagering requires, max bet per spin, win limits, game eligibility and other factors:
Wagering Requirements
With most offers, you’ll see the wagering requirements term use. This is the main condition to have to watch out for. In no wager free spins, wagering requirements don’t apply.
However, in no deposit and deposit free spins, wagering requirements are key. All UK slot sites must display the wagering requirements for their offers and promotions. As you will see here at Online-Slot.co.uk, every offer display shows the T&Cs.
Wagering requirements is the number of times you have to turnover winnings before they are cash and eligible to be withdrawn or cashed out. Let’s look at an example:
- 35x wagering requirements on free spins winnings
- If you win £10 from those free spins, you will have to stake/turnover £350
- Once you do this, you can withdraw any winnings you have left
Max Bet
Free spins will usually be for a specific amount. For example, you’ll receive 50 free spins worth 10p apiece. That means you have to bet at 10p per spin and can’t lump the whole lot in on a single spin.
There’s a second element to this. When you’ve used your free spins, you will have to complete the wagering requirements. Some slot sites will have a max bet per spin. This is normally up to £5. This means you can bet up £5 per spin (or lower in some cases) in order to complete the wagering requirements. If you were to spin at £10 per spin for example, your free spins or bonus may be null and void or won’t contribute to the wagering.
Win Limit
Many casinos cap the amount you can win from their free spins. This can be a multiplier of the free spin bet value or a cash value. This is more common in no deposit free spins as the casinos want to limit the exposure from their offers.
If you take bgo Casino for example, you can get up to 500 free spins on your first deposit of £10 or more. The max bonus win is £150 meaning you can win up to £150 from the free spins. As always, read the Terms & Conditions closely.
Game Eligibility
In most cases, your free spins will be valid on certain slot game rather than a range of games. A slot site or casino will often go for the best slot games for the free spins.
If you take NetEnt for example, no deposit free spins will normally be valid on games like Starburst and Twin Spin. These are low variance slots that are easy to play. When it comes to Play ‘n GO, the game of choice is always Book of Dead.
When it comes to Playtech, slot sites like Paddy Power Casino and Betfair Casino offer free spins on a variety of Playtech slots. This will include popular releases like Age of the Gods and Buffalo Blitz.
Casinos tend to run various promotions and they tend to experiment and offer free spins on new slot games. This gives loyal customers the chance to sample the latest releases. If you like Playtech again, Paddy Power Casino will offer free spins on new games or a group of titles, like the Age of the Gods series or Kingdoms Rise series.
Payment Methods
When you claim a deposit free spins offer, you may need to use certain payment methods to do so. Many slot sites these days don’t allow e-wallet solutions such as NETeller or Skrill to claim a welcome offer.
PayPal is normally valid for all free spins promotions and debit cards are guaranteed to be valid. Using the wrong payment method will result in you not getting the free spins.
Time Limits
You’ll usually have a limited time to use your free spins. If there are wagering requirements attached, you’ll have a certain time period to complete them. Generally, you have about 30 days to use your free spins before they are invalid.
Some promotions may have shorter time frames such as 3 or 7 days. These will be outlined in the terms and conditions. In short, use ‘em or lose ‘em.
Bonus Codes
Some online casinos will award your free spins automatically when you register and/or deposit. Others require you to fill in a special bonus code when you register or take up a free spins promotion. An example of this comes from Paddy Power Casino. To take advantage of their latest offer, use the code PAS100 when registering.
This will be specified in the Terms & Conditions so you know what exactly to do to claim a free spins offer. Furthermore, free spins codes may be automatically populated in the bonus code field.
Home & IP Address restrictions
Casino bonuses and free spins are usually restricted to a single household, IP address and home address. The casinos/slot sites use this to stop players operating multiple accounts. Whilst you may recommend a friend or family member who lives with you claim the offer, this would result in you not getting it yourself.
Best Slots Free Spins
Whilst you cannot always choose which slots you can use your free spins on, slot sites tend to offer the same games for their free spins promotions. Here are the 4 best slots for free spins we come across time and time again:
Starburst (NetEnt)
The Starburst slot by NetEnt is the most popular choice. Most no deposit free spins offers will be on this game. With 5 reels and 10 paylines, This simple, hypnotic, futuristic looking game that comes with expanding wilds that award respins whenever they appear. This can lead to 3 respins with 3 fully expanded wilds (or wild reels). Well designed and easy to play, it’s a classic for a reason.
Book of Dead (Play ‘n GO)
The Book of Dead game is from Play ‘n GO and has 5 reels and 10 paylines. Transporting you back to ancient Egypt, the reason why free spins are offered is because it’s highly volatile and can pay up to 5,000 x stake from a single spin. It’s all about the Free Spins feature where you’ll play with a special expanding symbol.
Age of the Gods (Playtech)
The Age of the Gods slot game is Playtech’s most played release. Based on Greek mythology, it comes with 4 free spins features as well as 4 progressive jackpots. Beautifully designed, it’s the preferred choices for sites with Playtech games.
Gonzo’s Quest (NetEnt)
NetEnt’s first platinum release, Gonzo’s Quest is 1 of the internet’s most popular games. Many casinos will offer free spins promotions on this slot. These offers tend to be catered to loyal customers. Anyway, the game has an Avalanche feature which gives you the chance to get successive wins with the multiplier increasing. In the free spins, continuous wins will see the multiplier rise up to 15x for potential 37,500 x stake payouts.
Daily Free Spins
Giving away casino bonuses are expensive for casinos. Spins on slot games are much cheaper and easier all round. This is why you will see many free daily spins offers these days.
Daily free spins are normally awarded to loyal customers and are more commonly used. Also, some slot sites gives free spins for existing players when they make a deposit or a certain amount. Finally, many casinos run regular free spin giveaways to coincide with new releases or in contests and tournaments.
Free Spins FAQs
Free spins are a promotional tool that casinos or slot sites offer new and existing players. This allows customers to try certain slots for free. There are different types of free spins to bear in mind including no deposit free spins, deposit free spins and no wager free spins.
If it’s a no deposit free spins offer, you simply need to register to get your free spins. With a deposit free spins offer, you will need to deposit a certain amount. Check out our list of free spins offers available to UK players.
These are free spins you can get without having to deposit any money. These are essentially free rounds to try a slot game. These free spins do come with certain restrictions like wagering requirements, max win limits and max bet per spin.
Yes. Free spins allow you to play a slot game for free essentially. If it’s no deposit free spins, you won’t need to use your money to get them. Other offers require you deposit to get a larger number of spins. Free spins also allow you to try the latest releases.
Yes. All down to luck, you can win from every free spin. However, any winnings are normally subject to wagering requirements and other factors like max win limits. No wager free spins allow you to keep what you win though.
