As more casino websites in Canada open their virtual doors, their online marketers need to get creative with their bonuses to attract the crowds. The no deposit bonus has turned out to be a perfect solution for new players interested in checking out a new online casino without the need to play with real money. By simply joining the casino, a no deposit bonus adds free casino credits to your online account that can be used to ideally win real money.
Even the best no deposit bonuses come with a few requirements which is why we will address everything you need to know about these types of bonuses. You’ll also find out why these types of promos are considered to be the most user friendly bonus available online and which casinos in Canada offer them to their players. Ready to claim your own?
How no deposit bonuses work
A no deposit bonus is a reward that is credited to the user’s casino account in return for a certain action — usually signing up at a new website — without requiring a deposit, which would be the case for a deposit bonus (hence the word deposit bonus). No deposit bonuses can be used at your discretion to make several bets on slot games. Deposit bonuses are often awarded for slot machines and are less common for other types of games such as live dealer games or table games. There are different variants of the no deposit bonus:
Free money bonuses
Free money is the first variant which is of course a bonus everybody mostly enjoys as we’re talking about free money. In this case, casinos add a certain amount of money to your account to use on casino games such as slot machines. The no deposit amount you get is usually worth somewhere between $5 and $20. No deposit bonuses aren’t very common, so if you find one you’re in luck. The best thing about no deposit free money is that you can win money without risking your own.
Free spins bonuses
In addition to a free amount of money, you can also get free spins from a casino, which is also a very popular bonus. Casinos often give away free spins after you have deposited money, but it is also possible to immediately receive a free spins bonus after you have registered an account. Don’t expect too many free spins as 5 or 10 spins are pretty common as well. The idea clearly is to make you get to know a casino website and hope you like it that much that you keep on playing. Anyhow, free spins are a good way to get to know a new game.
Cash backs
Some online casinos in Canada offer cash backs as a way to give a little bit of money back to their players after incurring losses on the site. This can encourage you to bet some more, even after losing. Although cash backs are handed out only if you wager with real money, the cash backs are given away based on previous deposits and don’t always require a new deposit to be available. Often you will need to make a deposit before the cash back becomes available for cash outs. Cash backs are presented in percentages and usually have a minimum and maximum payout. Common percentages are 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%.
Referral bonuses
Referral bonuses exist across many industries and some casinos also work with referral programs. If a friend of yours signs up at a casino via your referral link, this might just give some free money or free spins. The exact amount should be stated in the referral deal and a new user is normally aware that signing up gives the both of you a financial benefit. In order to meet the requirements of a referral bonus your friend will need to make a deposit.
Free bets
Free bets are given out by online bookmakers to attract new users, encourage loyalty, and entice a player’s custom. The most common free bets are new customer offers and money-back specials meant for specific races or games.
How to know if no deposit bonuses are any good
It doesn’t really get any better than receiving free spins or free money, however, in order to withdraw any winnings, it is quite possible you will need to make a deposit. This is often one of the very first conditions to receive a no deposit bonus casino Canada from the website. Next, you’ll also need to fulfill the wagering conditions. Before you claim your free casino bonus offer, please take a minute to check the promotion by asking yourself two questions:
- Is the online casino trustworthy? If you’re not sure about the fairness of a promotion or the casino’s intentions, the first place to look is the source itself and draw a conclusion. Always make sure that the casino bonus is coming from an online operator that is fully licenced and regulated by official gaming authorities.
- What are the bonus terms? Free money may sound too good to be true, but it actually is not as the casino handing out the free money hopes that you’ll appreciate the gesture and sign up at their website. Nonetheless, it’s always a good idea to go through all the terms and conditions that could affect your casino experience. In order to do so, please tick off the following requirements:
Wagering requirements
Before a casino win becomes claimable you will first need to meet the wagering requirements, one of the most tricky bonus terms you’ll come across. Wagering conditions are invoked to avoid players wager their bonus money once and cash out with a major win. This means you’ll need to wager the bonus money a certain amount of times before you’ll be able to withdraw the money. The exact amount of times depends on the casino and the type of bonuses. Cashbacks usually work with low wagering requirements, free spins with intermediate wagering conditions, and free money require quite some wagering. The lower the wagering requirements, the better, and for free money we would find everything from 40x or above quite high — despite the fact that is very common.
Period of validity
You will need to claim a no deposit offer before it expires or even play-though the bonus within a certain time frame. For instance, if a no deposit bonus casino Canada says it’ll expire in 7 days after being awarded, it means that you must play through the wagering requirements and finish them before the 7 days are over. The same holds for a 30-day period of validity. In case you don’t meet the requirement for both claiming the offer and playing through the wagering requirements, the bonus will be revoked by the operator.
Mins and max
Validity periods and wagering requirements are clearly some examples of minimums and maximums and the same holds for stakes. Minimum and maximum stakes are invoked to avoid too large wins. In order to determine whether a no deposit bonus is any good or not, you will need to have at least some flexibility to bet with reasonable stakes.
Games
Most no deposit bonuses will work with some restrictions in terms of game selection. No deposit bonuses are often meant for a selected list of slot games while this is usually the main category for this type of bonus as well. No deposit bonuses are mostly offered for slot machines.
Restricted countries
If you find a no deposit bonus for Canada that clearly states it works for players that are based in Canada then you should be able to claim it as well. It’s the same way for other countries unless it’s your jurisdiction, you won’t be able to claim it. Every trustworthy casino should clearly list the available and restricted countries. Please note that a lot of international casinos adapt their service to the target market meaning that elements such as licences, portfolio and bonuses can change from one country to another.
Platform
We try to recommend online casino websites in Canada that offer a complete assortment of gaming related products and some of them also include sports betting opportunities, while most work with a live dealer casino as well. No deposit bonuses are usually meant for one platform only which is why you’ll need to check out whether the deal is valid for the platform that you enjoy most.
Are no deposit bonuses worth it?
The exact answer to this question will depend on the outcome of the requirements we have listed above. We recommend you to go through each and every single one of them and decide whether the casino offers a fair deal or not. On the whole we believe that it’s fair to say that a no deposit bonus is mostly worth it as you won’t have to do anything to get a bonus. The only thing that could make your bonus experience a lot less pleasant is if fulfilling all the terms requires too much effort. To make no deposit bonuses worth it, you will need to make sure to choose reputable and licenced online casinos that give their players fair treatment.
How to claim no deposit bonuses
A no deposit reward is one of the easiest bonuses to get. In short, it should be enough to either:
- Register: create an account and fill in some info you would use on a casino website.
- Share on social media: you might get some free money or free spins if you share info on your social media page.
- Referrals: some no deposit bonuses require you to refer the casino to friends after which their registration and spendings will also give you some extra benefits.
- Exclusive rewards: in this case you will get a no deposit bonus because the casino wants to give it to you. This usually happens with loyal players that are part of a loyalty program, but can also happen to players that haven’t been active for a while. Offering them a no deposit bonus can bring them back to the casino.
More specifically, claiming your no deposit bonus requires some extra attention:
1. Learn more about no deposit bonuses
No deposit bonuses are one of the money bonuses available and although you won’t have to be aware of all of the different casino promos that exist, you might want to consider this at a later moment. Once you register for an account you’ll come across other sorts of bonuses and you don’t want to get stuck there and don’t understand what’s on offer. Learning more about bonuses is always a good idea, starting with a no deposit bonus and its variances.
2. Read the terms
We have already touched upon this topic, but reading the terms is probably the most time consuming part of claiming a bonus. The good news is that once you’re familiar with how casino terms and conditions work, you’ll be able to recognise which terms are fair and which are not feasible. Make sure to go through both general bonus terms and the terms for the specific no-deposit bonus.
3. Pick a licenced casino
To get the most out of your casino experience you will need to be fully prepared before you sign up somewhere. There are quite some casino options available in Canada and this means it can become a bit tricky to pick the option that best suits your needs and preferences. Our casino guides and reviews offer you a complete platform for everything in terms of online casinos in Canada and all the no deposit casino bonuses available. All of the casinos we have featured on our website are available in at least one or multiple provinces.
4. Sign up for an account
Register at your preferred online casino by providing some basic information like your name, email address, password, phone number and postal code. Please note that you will need to use correct information when you create your account, because online casinos need to verify your identity when processing withdrawals. All of these details will need to match the personal details of the payment method’s holder.
5. Collect your bonus
Collecting your bonus will either require you to sign up at the casino or log into your account. The latter is the case if you’re a lucky loyal customer that gets a no deposit bonus every once in a while as a casino’s token of appreciation. In case you’re new to a casino you will need to create an account first after which the bonus will be added to your online account.
6. Don’t forget the bonus codes
When a no deposit bonus is limited to a small selection of players, it’s usually activated with a bonus code to avoid that everybody can make use of the bonus. Sometimes, you don’t need a promo code and signing up or signing will be all you need to claim your bonus. This restriction also makes sure that not everybody can claim the bonus money.
How to make a profit from no deposit bonuses?
No deposit bonuses are literally made up of free money or free spins and the last thing a casino does is offer cash prizes to customers. Casinos hate losing money and offering free money without getting anything in return is what they would consider losing. This is why they’ll try to make it as difficult as possible to win and we can’t really blame them for doing so. Luckily, there are some ways to push you in the right direction:
- Pick the right games: not every game works with the same wagering contributions and not every game is available for the bonus. A lot of no deposit bonuses tend to be for slot games only and this is why slots contribute for 100%. Table games and live dealer games either contribute less to the wagering requirements or don’t make it at all to the list of selected casino games. Therefore: make sure to pick the right games by checking the titles that are valid for the bonus. Sometimes this concerns only one game, easing this requirement. Otherwise, check the terms or ask the casino.
- Don’t exceed maximum bets: never exceed the maximum bets which might seem like an easy task, but if you forget that you’re playing with bonus money you might just think of raising the stakes in order to either compensate previous losses (something you should never do) or because you’re in the winning mood. Please remember that exceeding the maximum bet will also mean you get disqualified for any cashouts.
- Cash out as soon as you meet the wagering requirements: once you’ve met the wagering requirements we recommend that you request a cash out as soon as possible. In order to do so you will need to make sure you don’t miss out on any extra conditions. Sometimes you’ll need to make a deposit before you can cash out any wins that you’ve made from a no deposit bonus. In case there are any maximum wins, your best bet is to stick to this limit as soon as you’ve reached it. This way you avoid playing any longer which can possibly cost you money. As there’s no way to get paid out more than the maximum amount you might as well stop playing and request a payout once you rolled over the bonus money and/or free spins.