How Do No-Deposit Bonuses Have an Impact On Player Engagement?

What Are No-Deposit Bonuses?

No-deposit bonuses are exactly what you might expect. They are bonuses provided to casino players that do not require any monetary investment.

Normally, the way this works is that players sign up for their account in the ordinary way, but they do not need to put any funds into the account for the bonus to appear. A lot of casinos do have generous bonuses such as £30 in free bets when a player deposits £10. However, these require deposits. However, with no-deposit bonuses, all a player has to do to get their bonus is sign up and provide their details. They are not charged for the free funds they get to play with.

How Are They Used?

No-deposit bonuses are almost always in the form of credit or free bet tokens in the account. This means that players can’t withdraw the free funds as a prize, and they will only actually get this withdrawal option if they win with the free credits in the account.

For gambling sites, this is used as a way to entice new players – but it is also a way to showcase some of the best games on the market. Some of these promotions even take place in conjunction with slot game developers. A new site may want to show off an exclusive game that they have – and what better way than allowing people to play for free?

For audiences, on top of sampling a game for free, there is actually a real chance of getting a win while they are doing it. Win win.

Players Are Happy to Try New Sites

A lot of the reason behind no-deposit bonuses is that it removes the barrier to entry for new players. If somebody is not sure whether they want to try a new site or not, depositing into it might be a bigger commitment than they are ready to make. This can be especially true if they haven’t even heard of the site before.

The no-deposit model gets rid of those barriers to entry for players. As long as they feel the site is trusted and has the necessary player protections and licensing in place, then they don’t need to worry about signing up for the account.

The worst that can happen when players try out one of these new sites is that they simply don’t enjoy the layout or gameplay, and they choose to close their account. This will come with no cost at all.

Engagement is almost always boosted by no-deposit bonuses. People don’t have to choose whether they want to financially invest or not, they can just create their account and play. Whether this triggers a win or not, it doesn’t matter too much for the player – they get to try a new slot game, for example, or other casino game for free.

Are These Bonuses Just for New Players?

Generally speaking, this type of bonus is aimed at new players and provides them with a way to try a new site. There are a lot of similar bonuses on the market, and they may also exist for those players who already have an account. These tend to be referred to as loyalty bonuses, though. They tend to come in a slightly different form and players might get emails from iGaming sites to say that a free balance has been provided in their account. This is also a marketing strategy that has been designed to either get players to return to the site after leaving for a while, or just to encourage their continued custom.

Some Players Look for No-Deposit Bonuses Specifically

No-deposit bonuses have been on the market for some time and most players have an idea of how to access these. They may keep track of new sites and new no-deposit bonuses as they are trying to get the most out of new sites. This is like any new product being released on the market; if there is a free trial out there, a lot of players will potentially want to explore it and see if they are missing out on anything.

Responsible Gambling

Even for the no-deposit sites on the market, it is important for people to ensure they are always gambling responsibly. If someone decides to go on and create an account on one of these sites, they should make sure they only bet what they can afford to lose and never gamble when they feel angry or frustrated.

In the UK, like many other countries, there are regulations in place regarding responsibility for the casinos. Even those giving free balances for people to play with need to make people aware of what risks are involved. There is a lot of support out there in the UK for individuals and companies should signpost their players to schemes such as Be Gamble Aware.