Free Spins – The Best Casino Free Spins Offers UK

How Free Spins Work

We all enjoy the concept of receiving something for nothing, so what better way for UK casinos to reel us in than with free spins — especially if we have a soft spot for slots?

Free spins bonuses are frequently featured as part of a casino’s welcome bonus package, sometimes in combination with other offers like matched deposits, or even as a reload bonus for existing players. Usually eligible on one or two selected slots, occasionally you’ll have a wider array to choose from, or the whole library in rare cases.

Using a free spins bonus is simple. All you have to do is register with the online casino and make a qualifying deposit — unless you’ve bagged a sought-after no deposit free spins bonus. Once the payment has been processed, the spins will be waiting for you in your account.

When You Can Get Free Spins

It’s not just new players who can take advantage of the free spins action; these bonuses are also offered to active players who have an account with the casino. Here’s a quick rundown of situations where the best UK online casino sites might offer you a free spins bonus:

• After signing up – Usually called no deposit free spins, these offers are immediately unlocked after completing the registration process.
• First deposit – The most common free spins offers require new players to make a qualifying deposit before the credits are granted.
• Matched deposit – You’ll often find free spins in tandem with a matched deposit as part of a casino’s welcome package for new players.
• Ongoing casino promotions – Sometimes called reload bonuses as they ‘reload’ existing accounts, various deals and promotions are available at many top casinos, with daily or weekly free spins included.
• New game releases – What better way to celebrate a new game release than by dishing out a bundle of free spins for players to give it a go risk-free?
• Loyalty rewards – Whether it’s part of a VIP programme or in exchange for loyalty points, many online casinos hand out free spins when you climb the loyalty ladder or consistently play at the site.

Why Online Casinos Offer Free Spins

As you’ve probably noticed, there’s an absolute abundance of online casinos, all vying for your attention. One way they’ll try to get it is with free spins offers — after all, online slots are one of the most popular ways to gamble online. The casinos use free spins to drive new customers to their site or encourage existing players to log back in.

It would be easy for casinos to offer larger and larger free spins packages to beat out the competition, but bigger is not always better. Check the terms and conditions to see what you’re truly getting. Our favourite casinos deliver greater value to players through low or no wagering requirements, rather than a substantial number of free spins that never amounts to a cash withdrawal — you’ll often find these player-friendly bonuses at new slot sites.

Why Claim a Free Spins Offer?

Since online slots are the dominant genre of game on offer at all casino sites, it makes sense to take advantage of free spins bonuses whenever they come your way. Whether or not your free spins generate any significant winnings is down to pure luck, but they can offer a great way to try out new slots and get a feel for the gameplay without risking your own money.

How to Find a Free Spins Casino Bonus

If you’re new to online slots, you might be overwhelmed by just how many UK online casinos offer free spins when you sign up. If you need a helping hand, the steps below will get you started with a free spins casino bonus:

1. Use our comparison lists and expert reviews to compare free spins offers – Reading our casino reviews or browsing our featured promotional deals can help you decide which bonus is right for you. All our recommended casinos are 100% licensed and trustworthy.
2. Sign up and opt in to receive your bonus – To take advantage of most online casino deals, players must create a new account and opt in to collect the free spins bonus.
3. Deposit if necessary – Apart from no deposit spins, players will be required to make an initial qualifying deposit to trigger the bonus. The minimum amount will be listed in the T&Cs.
4. Play eligible online slots using your bonus – Most online casinos will only let you use your free spins on specific slots, so always read the bonus terms and conditions beforehand. Take note of the wagering requirements, as you’ll need to meet these before you can withdraw any winnings.

The Different Types of Free Spins

The term ‘free spins’ is used liberally at online casinos, so it’s not always clear at first glance what they mean. Various types of free spins are available, including the following:

• No Deposit Spins
• Deposit Spins
• No Wagering Free Spins
• In-Game Free Spins

Here’s a breakdown of what each type of free spin means for you.

Welcome Bonus

When you sign up at a casino for the first time, you’ll receive a bundle of free spins to help you get started. These deals are generally more generous than other types as they’re used by casinos to attract players to their sites.

Matched Deposit Free Spins

These free spins require players to make a qualifying deposit at the site before they’re granted. You’ll often find the casino matches your deposit up to a certain amount too, for example a 100% match up to £100 plus 50 free spins. The bonus credit can be used on other casino games at the site, like roulette and blackjack.

Free Spins for Existing Customers

As an incentive to return to the site or make additional deposits, several online casinos reward existing players with reload free spins bonuses. They’re also used to promote new titles or during seasonal events.

No Wagering Free Spins

No wagering casino bonuses are extremely popular with our players as any winnings from the free spins can be withdrawn immediately. That’s right — these bonuses come without any wagering requirements, although they are usually subject to win limits.

No Deposit Free Spins

No deposit free spins are another coveted bonus as they don’t require you to commit any of your own cash in order to receive them. You’ll usually receive these free spins merely by registering as a new customer, but loyalty rewards and other ongoing promotions often include no deposit free spins too.

In-Game Free Spins

There’s an important distinction between casino bonus free spins and in-game free spins. The latter are awarded while you’re spinning the reels by landing a particular combination of symbols. Players then get a set number of free spins in the bonus round. Winnings from in-game free spins are free from wagering requirements and yours to keep, provided you’re playing with your own cash.

Terms and Conditions for Free Spins

As is the case with any casino offer, players should pay close attention to the accompanying terms and conditions — free spins are no exception. Here are a few of those bothersome T&Cs and what they mean.

Wagering Requirements

Wagering requirements are conditions set by the casino that must be met before bonus funds or resulting winnings may be withdrawn. The typical range is 20x–50x the bonus value, but it varies by casino.

The wagering requirements for free spins work a bit differently — they’re calculated based on any winnings that come from the free spins bonus. Say you win £5 with free spins and there’s a 30x wagering requirement. You’ll need to wager 30 x £5 = £150 of your own cash before the bonus winnings can be withdrawn.

Time Limits

Nearly every casino bonus comes with an expiration date. Fail to use it and you’ll lose it. Sometimes, you’ll get a full month to leisurely play through your bonus, but free spins often come with tighter restrictions. 3–7 days is common, although some free spins expire after just 24 hours. You’ll usually have to meet the wagering requirements within this time frame too or the bonus winnings will be forfeit.

Game Restrictions

Most free spins bonuses are restricted to particular games, so double-check the list before signing up. It’s pointless claiming a free spins bonus if it’s for a slot you have no interest in playing!

Game Weightings

As a general rule, most slot games contribute 100% towards wagering requirements but table games usually clock in far lower. Games with a low house edge such as blackjack might be weighted as little as 5–10%, meaning any bets you make won’t count fully towards the requirements and it’ll take a whole lot longer to meet them.

Winnings Caps

If you’re lucky enough to hit the jackpot or a streak of smaller wins, you could run into the bonus’s winnings cap — that’s an upper limit on the amount players can get from a bonus. This may seem like a hassle at first, but if you’ve been fortunate enough to hit the win limit with a free spins bonus, it’s a good point to end a successful session anyway.

Types of Free Spins Offers

UK casino players may come across a few different types of free spins bonuses. Below we break these down.

Free Spins on Sign Up

This is the most common type of free spins offer, issued when players sign up to a new casino site. These casino offers tend to be more generous than other types, given that they’re designed to attract as many new customers as possible.

Free Spins Deposit Bonus

As the name suggests, these types of free spins bonus will be issued to players once they’ve made a qualifying deposit. For example, an offer of ‘50 free spins when depositing £25’.

Free Spins for Existing Customers

As mentioned earlier, bonuses for existing customers may not be as large as those offered to new players. That said, many casino sites offer recurring batches of free spins to loyal customers as a thank you for returning to the site, or for depositing more funds.

Free Spins No Wagering

No wagering bonuses remove the need to satisfy wagering requirements, which makes them a highly valuable bonus type. With these offers, any winnings generated from the bonus spins will be immediately available to withdraw. This generosity is checked, however, by the fact that you’ll often get fewer free spins compared to other types of bonus offers.

Free Spins No Deposit

Another valuable offer, no deposit free spins bonuses will be given without any need to deposit funds into your account. In other words, you’ll be gifted free spins simply for signing up as a new customer. Remember that T&Cs like wagering conditions will still often apply.

The Most Popular Slots for Free Spins

You can only use your free spins on specific games laid out in the terms and conditions. Fortunately, the chosen titles are usually some of the most popular and beloved games among UK players, including:

• Starburst – developed by NetEnt
  

  

• Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead – developed by Play’n GO
• Gonzo’s Quest – developed by NetEnt
• Reactoonz – developed by Play’n GO.

Best Free Spins Casino Sites

The Difference Between In-Game Extra Spins and Free Spins Offers

Free spins is a broader term that refers to any extra spin given by an online casino site as part of a bonus deal or promotional offer, allowing the player to spin the reels at no cost to themselves. These free spins usually come as part of a welcome bonus offered by casinos to entice players to their site.

On the other hand, in-game free spins are additional spins that a player can unlock during normal gameplay on their favourite slot. The usual way to trigger the free spins bonus round is by landing three or more scatter symbols on the reels — doing so will give players a set number of free goes. As long as you’re playing with real money, any wins generated by in-game free spins are yours to keep and free from wagering requirements.

Free Spins Wagering Requirements

When it comes to qualifying for your spins, there are two things to watch out for. The first is that you must be a new customer to the casino site in order to unlock your no deposit bonus. If you are not, then unfortunately you’ve passed up your chance (or you might have already claimed them). Secondly, you might have to meet wagering requirements in order to withdraw any winnings as cash.

What this means is that you will have to wager any winnings from your spins a certain number of times before they can be withdrawn. With that said, there are tonnes of really cool no wagering requirement offer available. And trust us, if they’re out there – we will find them!