Your Guide to the Different Free Spins on Slot Games
What slots fan would turn down free spins? The idea of something for nothing is a strong driver when it comes to enjoying slot games – and free spins is below only ‘bonus round’ or ‘jackpot’ in the hierarchy of terms players love to hear. As with many gambling related topics, what seems simple on the surface is actually a complex subject. There are several different types of free spin, with the main distinction being between an incentive to start playing a machine or a bonus you can trigger while playing.
This page takes the mystery out of free spin slots once and for all. First of all I have covered the free-spin offers you will get as a player to incentivize you to register and play at a certain casino. Within this category are additional spins as incentives for depositing, or as special loyalty offers for existing players. These kind of deals often come with caveats and terms which you need to be aware of, so those are covered next. After this I have turned my attention to the other kind of free spins round, the bonus-rounds within the games which can top up your bankroll very nicely.
Free Spin Slots – Incentives and Promotions
The most common use of free spins is to get players to sign up at a particular casino. These offers work for both the players and the casino. The casino gets a potential new customer at some point down the line, or at the very least the opportunity to show people their software and collect their e-mail address. The player gets (usually) 10 free spins on a well-known slot, and a chance to keep any winnings (subject to terms).
10 Spins is not actually very much in the way of play, you’ll need to get lucky to make something of this. Of course a certain percentage of people do get lucky, and their stories make these offers more attractive to people who were thinking of trying them.
Incentives are not always completely free. There is often the offer of free spins attached to a deposit bonus at online slots casinos. This might be alongside the main welcome deposit offer, or as an extra incentive for a reload later. Get 100% + 10 free-spins is the usual format. There are sometimes free play loyalty bonuses too, either as rewards for hitting certain comp point milestones or just promotions which are aimed at getting players to check out new games.
The real value of these spins is pretty low, since most people will simply lose the money and move on. What keeps players coming for these deals is that there is always the chance of turning something as simple as a few spins into a big windfall – or even a jackpot.
Free Spin Slots – The Casino Terms and Conditions
Say you play your free spins and get lucky enough to hit a $50 win. You’ll probably be ready to hit the cash-out button to enjoy your free cash. Unfortunately, the chances are high that your casino already has this covered in their terms and conditions. You can still withdraw the money, it is just you have to play it through a number of times first. This can vary from 20x to around 50x. For example if you win that $50, the minimum you’ll need to wager is $1000 before you can cash out. What is more, many games will not count, or will only count as a small proportion of your wager-through requirement.
This is rational from the perspective of the casinos. Without terms like this they might not be in a position to offer free spin bonuses at all. There is also the chance that you can parlay your win into something more substantial while meeting the play-through requirements.
Free Spin Slots – Bonus Rounds
The other main category of free spins comes as a bonus round while you are playing. Many slots now have complex bonuses and even interactive video type features. The older ones (including some big online favorites) still have free spin rounds.
You’ll typically trigger these with 3 scatter symbols, and get awarded a number of free spins of the reels. These are often spiced up with special behaviors from the slot, which are designed to make your bonus round both more interesting and to give you the chance of a windfall win. Examples include giving you a win multiplier while the free spins are going on. Sometimes this will be decided by a ‘game’ before the spins begin. Other specials include creating more wild symbols (which can substitute for any others), having sticky wilds (which might even cover entire reels) or having symbols change or affect the behavior of those next to them.
For me, the best feature of free spin rounds of all is when you get the right combination of symbols to re-trigger the free-spin round!