It is very common for online casinos to offer bonuses to customers when they make their first deposit. This bonus goes by various names such as sign up bonus or deposit bonus. Usually this bonus is given in the form of an amount that is a stated percent of the customer’s deposit.
Lately Microgaming has simplified things considerably with their “free play bonus”, which is being adopted by more and more Microgaming online casinos.
The player gets a one time sum of money, such as $500 totally free, and one hour to play. Whatever the player wins in this hour is his to keep. And if the player loses the full $500 he has at least had a good time without paying for it, and is eligible for the regular sign in bonus offer.
Many online casinos allow the player to use this free play bonus in any of the casino games, but some casinos have a few restrictions.
How to collect and use the bonus
There are certain requirements that you have to keep in mind while availing of the free play bonus. You have to first download and install the casino software and register as a real money player.
For the free hour bonus the timer starts as soon as you click the free play button. The time used in accessing games counts in the allotted time. Also the timer keeps running even if you get disconnected. And once you get disconnected you have to log in to the online casino again. Also you need to place a minimum of 100 bets in order to claim the winnings.
If you fail to place 100 bets in the given time, then all winnings are forfeited. Once you have placed 100 bets and won an amount over $20, you can quit playing by clicking under the timer.
Bear in mind that only your winnings from the free play bonus get transferred to your account and not the free play bonus of $500.
Hence if at the end of the hour you are left with a balance of $400 then you do not win anything. The winnings are restricted to a maximum amount of money, according with the terms and conditions published by the online casino.
All the winnings are subject to normal wagering requirements. If you have won an amount over $20, then you will normally have to deposit minimum $50 in your casino real money account before claiming the bonus. The idea of the free play bonus is to encourage players to wager at the casino and try the various online casino games.
If you fail to win in the free play bonus, you don’t need to be disappointed, because this Microgaming scheme gives you another opportunity called the Second Wheel Chance. This means that you have to spin a wheel and gets a bonus, which is the lower of the amount shown on the wheel and his first deposit.
In this case both the deposit and the bonus amount will be subject to the wagering requirements, readable at the casino website.
The free play casino bonus is more attractive than the earlier sign in bonus and it is now present in many Microgaming online casinos.
By the way how’s bonus is distributed and all the details described in this article can vary from casino to casino. You can find all the information in the bonus conditions page on the casino website.