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Geraldine Nguyen
by Geraldine Nguyen

Best Free Spins Bonuses March 2024

What are free spins?

If you happened to turn up at Playcasinos HQ handing out chances to play casino games for free, well, let’s just say we’d give you a warm reception. Everyone loves free perks, especially ones which lead to even more real money wins down the line. This is exactly how free spins work.

Not only do you get to try out all kinds of slots and win real money, but you do so without spending a dime of your own money. Unlike lots of the slot bonuses created by casinos which are contingent on you spending some of your own money (such as deposit bonuses or cashback bonuses), free spins are genuinely free.

On this page we’ve got all the details about where to find the best free spin slot bonuses for Canadian gamblers. There are different ways to claim free spins and they also come with some terms and conditions to be aware of – all of which we cover.

If you ever wanted to get into online slots but don’t feel like spending your own money to do so, you’ve come to the right place.

How Do Free Spins Work?

A free spin represents one free turn on a slot game. If you hit a winning combination you win real money just like a regular spin – even though it doesn’t cost you a thing to play.

Imagine you found a quarter on the floor in the casino and decided to put into the nearest slot machine. That’s a free spin. Online Casinos love offering free spins. They’re a great way to attract new players and to get fans to try out new games. They are also simple and intuitively easy to appreciate – who doesn’t love the chance to play for free?!

Free spins are so popular that online casinos use them for all kinds of promotions.

They are a common component of welcome bonuses for new members, often offered in addition to a deposit bonus. An example of a typical welcome bonus might be a 100% deposit bonus + 20 free spins, meaning you get to spin the reels twenty times for free in addition to whatever enhanced bankroll you end up with.

And it doesn’t end with welcome bonuses. Casinos often offer free spins on a regular basis, to keep things spicy for current players. You may find yourself gifted a handful of free spins every week, or on a once-off basis to promote a new game.

In this way, casinos can use free spins to direct players to specific games. If you have free spins in your account that are eligible for a certain game, they will usually automatically be used first when you go to play it. Only when your free spins have expired will you be able to bet your own money.

How to Get a Free Spins Bonus at an Online Casino

  1. Find a casino website
  2. Check out their welcome bonuses
  3. Find a casino bonus that offers free spins
  4. Sign up

Free spins are normally very easy to claim. Casinos aren’t really in the business of making it too difficult to claim their promotions – they created them to get people to sign up after all.

In the case of a free spin welcome bonus, you may need to use a promo code. A promo code is a special password that you can type in during the registration process which unlocks a bonus. If you use a code, once your registration is complete your free spins will be automatically credited to your account, ready to use.

In the case of free spin bonuses for existing players, you may need to “opt-in” to claim them. Opting in normally involves finding the bonus offer in your account or profile, and clicking the button to claim it. Occasionally you may need to email a casino to claim a bonus.

If you run into any problems customer support is always happy to help with issues like this, but you should be fine. At Playcasinos, one of the things that really appeals to us about free spins is their simplicity. Free spins are typically easy to claim, easy to use and easy to appreciate.

Where Can I Find Casinos with Free Spins Bonuses?

You’ve come to the right place to start.

We are major free spin advocates at Playcasinos, and any time we come across the best offers for Canadian players we dutifully add them to our list of recommendations. Nothing gets recommended without passing our team’s diligence.

If we discover a free spin promotion is weighed down by unreasonable wagering requirements then we discard it, no questions asked. The same goes for the site: it could be the best welcome bonus in the world but if the casino isn’t up to scratch in other departments like banking and security, it won’t make the cut.

Feel free to check out our list above to find the best free spin bonuses for Canadians.

Free Spins Terms and Conditions

Now if you’ve already read our in-depth guide to Canadian casino bonuses you’ll know our number one piece of advice – don’t sleep on the terms and conditions.

In truth, free spins probably have fewer conditions to worry about than other offers. If you have 5 free spins for a specific slot, it means you get to play that game 5 times for free. Simple.

Things start to get a little more complicated when you win, however. The most important thing to establish is whether your winnings are paid out in cash or whether there are some restrictions attached – as is usually the case with free spins.

You can read more about bonus cash and wagering requirements in our full guide to slot bonuses, but the basic idea is that you can’t always withdraw money accrued from casino bonuses right away. Instead, you need to gamble with it a certain number of times before it becomes like regular cash. This is known as wagering requirements, turnover or playthrough. Casinos impose these restrictions to protect themselves from losing too much money on bonuses. Basically they make a calculation – in this case based on how much players could potentially earn off of free spins – and adjust the wagering requirements accordingly so that they don’t end up losing money overall.

Wagering requirements vary from casino to casino, and also from bonus to bonus within the same site. No deposit bonuses for example tend to have stricter wagering requirements than other bonuses for example.

Since every casino is different, it’s up to you to check what (if any) wagering requirements are attached to the money generated from free spins.

For example, imagine you claim 10 free spins which include 30x playthrough requirements (a fairly typical figure). You run through your spins and end up winning on three of them, a $20 win, a $50 win and a $10 – so you’re left with $80 generated from the spins.

Before you can withdraw any of your winnings, you’ll need to place bets totalling $2,400 (80×30 = 2,400). Only then will your money become real cash and ready to be withdrawn.

Wagering requirements are the most important condition to consider and the most impactful on the overall value of your bonus, but there are others to be aware of. Free spins are very often subject to restricted markets, or more precisely to restricted games. That is, you may only use your free spins on a specific game or games.

Often this is clearly advertised – “Sign Up Now For 30 Free Spins on Starburst!” – but sometimes it’s not specified until you do a little more research. Sometimes your free spins are available for a selection of games and sometimes for one game only. Make sure you check it out.

There are also time limits attached to free spins. You normally have a fixed amount of time to use them – maybe a week or so – and a fixed amount of time to complete the wagering requirements on any winnings.

All of the conditions mentioned in this section will be explained clearly – although you’ll probably need to open up the small print! Terms and conditions are how casinos cover themselves, but as long as you read them carefully and never just sign up for a bonus based on the headline alone, you’ll be fine.

Why are Free Spins Tied to Specific Slot Games?

When accepting free spins offers, you might have realised that most of these are often tied to specific slot games and you will often not be able to choose just any slot to use your spins on. Whether it’s for no deposit spins or a regular free spins bonus – the slot that they can be used on is set by the casino. You might have more than 1 option, but you can’t just pick any slot machine you want.

Online casinos usually do this for several reasons: to boost interest on certain slot games which may have been ‘forgotten’, to promote new games and because they might have made a deal with a software provider to increase advertising of their games.

Thankfully, the best Canadian casinos will give players free spins on the most popular slots with CA users.

Some of the most common eligible slot games include the following:

  • Book of Dead (Play’n GO)
  • Cloud Quest (Play’n GO)
  • Viking Runecraft (Play’n GO)
  • Eastern Emeralds (Quickspin)
  • Gold Lab (Quickspin)
  • Immortal Romance (Microgaming)

And the list goes on. But by and large, those are the usual suspects. For sure, you can never use free spin bonuses on a progressive jackpot slot.

Once again, when all is said and done – it is still massively worth it to claim your free spins bonus and make the most of it on the eligible game.

Additionally, a lot of modern slots have free rounds in-built into the gameplay. Imagine triggering a free spins feature while using your free spins bonus! An absolutely magical combination.

Why Choose a Free Spins Bonus?

Everyone loves free spins, and we are no exception here at Playcasinos. We did a quick office poll to ask each member of our team what their favorite thing about free spins is. Here’s what we came up with:

  • Ehhhh…. They’re free?! Sorry to be obvious, but everyone loves getting something for nothing. Some gamblers are constantly on the lookout for an edge, for something extra to improve their chances of winning. With free spins, you get that value handed to you on a silver platter – and unlike many other casino bonuses they require no financial outlay on your behalf.
  • Free spins give you the chance to play more games, and especially to try out games you otherwise may never end up playing. We’re huge fans of making the most of everything on offer at casinos, and we love discovering new games. Free spins are often the gateway to do just that.
  • Compared with other bonuses (in particular no deposit bonuses) the wagering requirements attached to free spins tend to be fairly reasonable. It means if you do end up winning money you hopefully won’t have too hard a time turning it into real money.
  • Free spins are inherently inclusive: they are great for brand new players and those who just want to dip a toe into online gambling without worrying about losing money while they learn the ropes, but also for regular casino gamblers.

What Are the Downsides of a Free Spins Bonus?

We always want to give you a balanced view at Playcasinos, so while we were at it we asked our experts if there’s anything they don’t like about free spins. Here’s what they came up with:

  • Sometimes you just want to bet your own money with no wagering requirements or other strings attached. Using free spins is great in terms of saving money, but it means if you do happen to hit a massive win you don’t get immediate access to your winnings. Compared with betting in cash, it’s more complicated.
  • It rather depends on the casino, but sometimes the terms and conditions attached to free spins just make them too awkward to be really valuable. High wagering requirements, short time spans, complicated opt-in processes – all of these have the potential to ruin a bonus. Avoid this by understanding them well in advance.
  • Because free spins are often only available on selected slots, alternative welcome bonuses are arguably more useful if you intend to play a lot of different types of games.

Are free spin bonuses worth it?

Overall, free spins are definitely worth it. At the end of the day, you’re risking very little in the chance to cash out thousands of dollars when that slot hits a win. There’s few other opportunities in the world of online gambling to get something for essentially nothing.

But, before taking advantage of your spins, there are a few things you should know. There are common terms and conditions that come with every spins bonus:

  1. You still have to complete wagering requirements on free spins (even no deposit spins)
  2. The value of the spins is fixed, and is usually below the C$1 value
  3. The free spins can only be used on specific (eligible) slots chosen by the casino itself, not on any slot of your choosing
Free Spins Casinos FAQs - Mobile Banner in English

Free Spins FAQs

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What are free spins?

Free spins are free rounds on online slots and slot games, which give you the chance to win real money. They are usually given by casinos as a thank-you for just signing up to the casino (no-deposit spins), when you make your first deposit, or as part of a promotion.

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Why do casinos give away free spins?

Free spins can be a taster of what the casino has to offer, with the casino hoping you’ll like what you see and stay, or a token of appreciation for choosing to play at that casino. Keep in mind that many such spins come with wagering requirements attached, so make sure you read the fine print.

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What are the different kinds of free spins bonuses?

  • No-deposit free spins bonus – only requires you to sign up before claiming the spins.
  • Deposit bonus + free spins – requires you to make a deposit at the casino first.
  • Free spins promotions – sometimes spins are given out at random times by the casino to promote a new game or to encourage deposits on specific days.
  • Free spins prizes – many casinos organize tournaments where the prizes consist of spins.
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Can I win money from free spins?

You absolutely can! Free spins have as much of a chance of winning you money as spins that you used your own money to pay for.

Keep in mind the difference between spins awarded by the casino and playing in demo mode or free play. Free spins are awarded by the casino and have real monetary value attached to them. On the other hand, you can play in demo mode (also called free play) for as long as you want, but you will never get money from it, as it’s just a demonstration of how the game works.

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Why is the Value of Free Spins Fixed?

If you’ve taken a spin on slot games before, you should already know that they all have adjustable coin levels, which means you can control how much each of your spins is worth and how much is deducted from your bankroll with every spin. When it comes to free spins, this value is generally always fixed and set at the lowest amount possible. For example, your spins will usually be worth C$0.05 per spin.

Most online casinos choose to keep the value of free spins at a low, fixed rate to avoid players making huge wins, thus keeping the odds in their favour. On the other hand, having a low fixed value, means you won’t have to wager large amounts of money when trying to fulfil wagering requirements attached to your spins.

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Are there other casino bonuses for slot games?

Free spins are not the only kind of bonuses you can find in a slot game. Here are a few of the others kinds of slot game bonuses you may come across.

Bonus Games – Bonus games give players the opportunity to achieve even higher payouts. You can unlock them by triggering a specific combination of symbols. Bonus games sometimes also come with the added perk of free spins!

Multiplier bonus – There’s plenty of reason to celebrate when you come across a multiplier bonus in a slot game. When you hit a multiplier symbol, it can increase your wins when they appear on the reels by as much as 10 x or 20 x!

Cashback bonus – Losing is never fun, but it’s part and parcel of the gambling experience. With cashback bonuses, you get the chance to claim back a percentage of your losses so that those dry spins don’t hurt so much.

Geraldine Nguyen
Geraldine Nguyen Author
47 Articles
Born and raised in Toronto, Geraldine is a proud Asian-Canadian writer with a passion for storytelling and a deep love of casino games. After earning her degree in English Literature from the University of Guelph, she began her career as a freelance ... Read more about Geraldine Nguyen