Most players consider any bonus, moreso free spins free. However, free spins bonuses are not free even if the term referring to them may lead you to think they are. They come with terms and conditions that must be met lest you won’t leap its benefits. The most common prequalifying condition for free spins are wagering requirements. The requirement on both free spins and other bonuses are meant to tame bonus abuse where players only sign up to play bonuses without placing wagers.
How free spins work
Basically, free spins work such that you are given an opportunity to spin the reel without placing any real money bet. Free spins wagering requirement require a player to place bets several times the amount earned through the spins to be able to withdraw the winnings. Since free spins are awarded on specific games, wagers must be placed on the specific games. Deposit free spins require that you make a minimum deposit amount to be bale to use the free spins. Therefore, free spins are not quite free.
No deposit free spins are the only type of free spins that are actually free because they do not have prequalifying conditions for you to benefit from them. Some casinos award them as part of their loyalty rewards or welcome bonus. However, no deposit free spins do not come around as often.
Ideally, casinos give customers free spins to keep them happy. But many customers are not as happy when they discover that there is a catch. While it is understandable that casinos need to put measures to keep off players who just want play bonuses and not commit to placing wagers; casino operators should be forthcoming about the prequalifying conditions.
Coincidentally, neither is the UK Gambling Commission happy with casino operators lack of transparency around preconditions for benefiting from free spins. Therefore, the commission set a regulation that requires all casino operators in UK to only refer to free spins as free only if they are completely free else rename them. According to the commission, free spins are only considered free if they have no wagering requirements and their winnings can be withdrawn immediately without any further requirements. These are rare as many casinos consider that giving money away.
Why free spins are not “free”- wagering requirement
To clarify free spins wagering requirements, consider that you have been awarded 100 free spins with a 40X wagering requirement. You use the free spins to play the games they are meant to be used on and accrue winning worth $50. Although the winnings will be sent to your account, you cannot withdraw them without meeting the wagering requirements. Therefore, you will have to place 40×20=$2000 worth of your wagers. Otherwise, if the free spins expiry date reaches before you have met the wagering requirements you lose the winnings and the remaining free spins.
Alternative Names
Consequently, online casinos operating in UK have come up with names such as fair spins, extra spins, super spins, casino spins or bonus spins. The commission affirms that the alternative names are less misleading to players.
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