A no deposit bonus is a special deal offered by some sites to attract customers. The idea is to get people to sign up for free and then give them credit to start with. Usually these offers expire with a single log-in, which means that coming back the players then need to make their own deposits. The sites working on the basis of this promotion are sometimes considered less safe, and players suspect there's a catch. But the biggest ones have been around for a while and are actually quite safe.

Over the past ten years the online gaming market has exploded. It's grown so much that competition today is tougher than ever before. In order to keep going, sites need to come up with promotional offers to get people to sign up with them. Sites without such offers lose players to the competition. Different bonus schemes have become very popular, most of them for newcomers, others for loyal players, others again for people who play often and for a lot of money. Social media are included in these promotions more and more, and people can get bonuses for inviting their friends to their favorite sites.

Typical bonuses include welcome rewards. These are designed to make people sign up and hopefully stay on. Lots of casinos offer to match a player's first deposit, or at least a certain percentage of it. Some operators offer fixed sums to new members. And once on, players' loyalty is rewarded with similar schemes, usually connected to either the amount of money deposited or the number of deposits made. Other bonuses include more specific deals, like free spins in slot games.

The no deposit bonus is aimed at site visitors who'd like to try the games before buying in. It gives players access to a site. There they can have a look around and find the games they'd like to play. Usually a no deposit bonus expires quite soon, and players are required to make deposits of their own when they come back. It's worth having a look at the terms and conditions of an offer, especially if the site requires the newcomer to give away credit card information or to make a cash deposit.