If you are new to online bingo, you can be forgiven for getting a bit confused when it comes to bingo sites offering free money and various deposit bonuses for new players.
Most sites offer one of two things, either completely free money “no deposit required” to try out the games, or a “deposit match bonus” which awards you with extra funds after you have actually deposited some cash.
Many sites offer a combination of the two.
Basically, if a bingo site is not offering some sort of first deposit match bonus, then that site is probably not worth looking at. Everyone does it, and it has become the norm for sites to offer this kind of deal.
Where things get a bit complicated is whether or not the offer is a one-time offer for new players and whether players can actually withdraw any winnings made with the extra funds.
For example, some bingo sites will give you a super generous offer of say a 300% deposit bonus on your first deposit. This means if you deposit £10, they add £30 on top, giving you £40 to play with.
However, there may be rules in place that say anything won on that £30 bonus money is not withdrawable, or as is more common, there may be “play through” rules which state conditions such as you have to play 10 x your first deposit before you can withdraw.
That would mean if you deposited £10, you would have to play £100 worth of bingo games before you could withdraw anything won.
Similarly, sites that offer free money may have terms in place that simply state anything won on the free money cannot be withdrawn, period. Simple as that.
So it pays to be wise about these things and to read the terms and conditions carefully.
Another common thing that bingo sites do is advertise a deposit bonus as free money. So for example, you may land on a bingo site that says “£20 FREE*” in huge letters, giving you the impression that it is no deposit required, but then when you join it says *when you deposit £10.
I have no problem with those sites giving this offer, but really it should be advertised for what it is, and that is a 200% first deposit bonus.
Players may not realise that actually if they deposit £20 they would get £40 free, and simply go for that £10 and then subsequently miss out on future deposit bonuses.
Our advice is to do your homework carefully, select a site you are happy with and then deposit as much as you can on the first deposit to maximise that bonus. Most sites don’t give redeposit bonuses for future deposits, so you won’t get a better time to cash in than the day you join.
Just be wise and read up before you commit to any bingo site. Search for player reviews as they can also spot the sites that are not so good when it comes to misleading offers.