Don’t Be Taken For a Ride When Claiming No Deposit Casino Bonuses
Playing with no deposit bonuses is probably the peak of ecstasy when wagering online.
There are literally thousands of online casino games to choose from, endless variations of the classic games we have all come to love, and an endless stream of tempting bonuses that we know we just have to have, because we are wagering anyway, and why not get rewarded for wagering?
Claiming no deposit bonuses just makes a lot of sense if you are planning to play for the long haul, and you already play other wagering games outside the online casino systems.
But be this as it may, you must still place your safety as a gambler as your number on priority when playing online.
There are so many good casino out there, but admittedly, there are some not so good ones that are only there to grab your money with unethical promotions and offers, including no deposit bonuses. We do not want that to happen, so here are our tips to keep safe online.
Educate Yourself
If you live in the United Kingdom, you can visit the UK Gambling Commission website for the latest news about online casinos that are getting penalized for non-compliance.
For the rest of the world, there is the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) website that handles gambling companies in Malta and provide licensing for the same.
Both of these websites represent commissions that are responsible for monitoring online casinos, providing licenses to these to operate, and penalizing those who fall into non-compliance.
Non-compliance refers to activities that go against regulations of the regulatory bodies. Essentially, the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) are there to keep the gambling industry going and at the same time, they are tasked with protecting consumers.
There are just too many businesses out there who just want to make easy cash by fooling their customers, and these commissions are at the frontlines protecting customers from fraudsters.
The websites that we have mentioned also have informational articles, news items, and reports, so you can read about the latest developments in gambling regulation if you feel inclined to do so.
Know Your Casino
Knowing your casino is of utmost importance when signing up for the service. Essentially, casinos offer a service to its customers, and customers have rights to their money.
When you had over money to an online casino without know the actual policies, you could end up with losses that you cannot take back. Some of the things that you should find out about the new casino that you wish to play in are:
- What is the company behind the casino?
- What companies are providing the security and gaming software?
- How long has the casino been in operation?
- Does the main company have a website?
- How easy would it be to contact customer support if something goes wrong?
- Does the casino follow the KYC process (“know your customer”) that is done to protect consumers and to protect financial information?
- Is there a clear privacy policy and terms of use document in the website where you can view the statements of the company about how it will handle your personal and financial information?
And finally, do not forget to actually read about the casinos online from reputable reviewers.
You can also visit website likes Ask Gamblers and Casino Meister to find out about the general reputation of online casinos.
Complaints and disputes are common for online casinos that offer no deposit bonuses, and what websites like AskGamblers and NoDepositRewards do is they allow both the complainant and the online casino to interact and solve their problems in a public platform so that the results of the resolution process and the steps that lead to the resolution of the problem/s are open for the public to see.
Read the Fine Print
If you have ever claimed a no deposit casino bonus, you are probably familiar with how these are advertised.
There is usually a big banner graphic with the bonus match, amount of bonus money, or the number of free spins that come with the offer. There might even be a small amount of text underneath.
But what these banners do not show are the Bonus Policies that are highly specific. Read the Bonus Policies before claiming anything so you would know how the bonus actually works.
Because when you claim bonus money, that money will go into your bonus money balance, and not in your real-world money balance.
Of particular importance is the wagering requirement of the bonus money that will have to be satisfied before you can actually withdraw the bonus money from your account.
Lots of new casino players are not aware that wagering requirements literally refer to how many time you have to play the value of the bonus money before you can withdraw it.
For example, if a $500 welcome bonus has a 10x wagering requirement, you need to wager at least $5,000 in the online casino before being eligible for withdrawing the $500 balance in your bonus money balance. The same applies to free spins and other bonus actions in specific games.