What Are Free Spins?
Free spins are basically free rounds on a given online slot machine. They're "free" in the sense that you don't pay money each time you spin the reels of the slot — rather, you can click spin a certain number of times without funds being taken out of your casino balance.
But usually, the free spins are not exactly free of charge. You might need to deposit some money, for instance, to get them, or you might need to wager some amount of money to be able to claim the winnings that you might have achieved by using them, or they might last for several days. Some offers, however, don't even require you to part with a cent — they're known as free spins zero deposit offers, and they allow you to try your luck without putting your hand in your pocket.
How to Obtain Free Spins
There are a number of ways to obtain free spins. Online casinos will likely give you free spins when:
- You sign up for their service
- You put down a deposit
- You spend some money through their rewards program
- You log in on a daily basis
There are various types of free spins, and how you receive them differs based on the specific rules of each online casino.
Let us now discuss how you can get the most out of these free spins.
Free Spin Tips
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when playing free spins slots so that you can get the most out of them.
Make Sure You Understand the Terms and Conditions
We informed you earlier that not all free spins are free. Okay, you are not directly paying cash to use them, but they have very specific terms and conditions that can be applied. For instance, the free spins can:
- Be valid for a specific duration only
- Be valid on specific slots only
- Be accessible to players from specific regions only
- Need a minimum deposit to trigger them
- Only permit you to cash out winnings once you've deposited and wagered a certain amount at the online casino
Also, read between the lines to understand the specific terms which are attached to any free spins that you've gained.
Check the Slot's RTP
Once you know the terms, you should then look for the Return to Player (RTP) of the slot. RTP stands for the amount a slot will pay back to players over a period of time from the money staked on it. Most slots are between 96% RTP. So for every £1 you bet, you would receive around 96 pence back over a period of time. But this is across thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of spins.
Even if you are not directly making money off of it, you might still benefit from knowing which slots offer more RTP so that you can take your free spins on games you have a higher percentage of winning on — if, of course, you have the option to select which game you take them on. If the free spins are tied to a single game, this information is not necessarily needed.
Know How the Game Is Won
You ought to know how the game is played before you start spinning. Most slots feature different bonus modes and mini-games, some of which are fairly complex. Knowing beforehand how the game plays will allow you to make better decisions and get the most from free spins. It will also save time when you play.
For example, if you can trigger a mini-game where you have a choice of additional free spins with lower awards or fewer free spins with larger potential awards, it will help to know ahead of time how the game plays out so you can choose the most appropriate choice for your playing style.
See If Other Offers Combine with Your Free Spins
It is not always guaranteed that you can use more than one promotion at a time to get the best out of your free spins, but it may be achievable. For example, if an online casino site offers bonus promotions for playing a specific slot and you also have free spins on that very specific slot, then you can merge the two promotions to earn more cash.
With that said, make sure to review the terms to determine if you can stack other bonuses on top of your free spins, as most casinos will only let you use one promotion at a time.