How to avoid no deposit bonus scams

If I’m honest I’ve come up against a fair few dodgy gambling sites in my time. Of course, the online gambling industry has its fair share of bad-faith operators and those who ought to know better. Thanks to word of mouth and swathes of bad reviews they’re unlikely to last long these days and most players speak their minds. 

How can you work out – when you’re joining a site and looking for the best no deposit no wagering bonus UK games to play – whether they are a scam or not? I’ve got some signs to look out for – so come on and let’s find out together. 

Make sure the site is licensed

No licensing info on the site? Avoid them like the plague. We all know that reputable sites will all have verifiable licenses and their offers, including no-deposit bonuses will stand up to scrutiny. They must list all their licensing information and all their credentials on their homepage – and the links they provide must go directly to their respective licensing authority in their country of origin. 

I think that no license means you don’t give your money to them and don’t trust their games – whether there’s a no deposit or not. Unlicensed sites are much more likely to be unfair and unethical like using underhanded and even illegal business practices than licensed sites – keep your money and your mind safe always. 

The site has trustworthy advertising

One of the first things I do is check out the site’s advertising. If they offer a no-deposit bonus or any other bonus – I make sure it’s in line with their bonus terms and conditions. If it isn’t when you delve a little deeper – stay well away.  

I also make sure the language the site copy uses to describe its bonuses or promotions on-site is consistent and matches how they’re also described in their terms and conditions – and if they don’t match up, walk away and don’t hand any cash over – EVER! 

If the site’s terms and conditions are all verifiable

Over time I’ve noticed that many bonuses have their own separate terms and conditions. Sometimes they’re all OK, sometimes they’re not as transparent as they could be. This is deliberate – to confuse players and sometimes take money from them. Avoid any sites that have fake-looking terms and conditions – or the ones that seem way too good to be true – caveat, they usually are.

Don’t learn the way I did: the hard way. If you follow the bonus terms and conditions to the full, yet when you try to cash out your winnings you’re denied, then they’re obfuscating because they haven’t been fully open in their terms and conditions – or you have interpreted them differently. Take it from me: this is NEVER your fault. It’s always at the casino. 

I’ve learned to be careful to only ever claim clear and concise bonuses that have their terms and conditions clearly laid out. If you’re unsure about anything and can’t get a satisfactory response from their customer service or anywhere on site – then don’t give any money over and walk away. 

The site must have realistic wagering

I know I see red flags when wagering requirements are unrealistic – so if you’ve tried to withdraw money and found it impossible, then avoid the site entirely. All sites have wagering requirements and the trustworthy no-deposit ones will make it simple and easy for you, and never deny your winnings – they want your custom and to keep you coming back! 

Great customer service

All good gaming sites have fantastic easy-to-reach customer services on a variety of platforms – whether it’s email, contact form, or telephone. In my experience, any that don’t should be given a wide berth. If you have a dispute or an issue with a no deposit bonus, they’ll be keen to help and sort it out – and you’ll know they genuinely care about what’s happened – whether it’s human error or a system failure. I find that good customer service will be able to answer any questions you have about no-deposit bonuses and they’ll have all the right information and answers to hand. 

Easy withdrawals 

The last thing I look at is how easy the withdrawal process is. If it isn’t easy to do – or if I need to ask for a lot of help every time I try – I run away quickly and don’t go back or give them any more of my time and money. You should be able to access your winnings from your bonuses instantly. There is no point in gambling with them if you can’t cash out your winnings. It’s literally not a gamble. 

Red flags are the sites that refuse to pay because you need to send them an ID (that you’ve already sent) and then they’ll claim it’ll take them longer because they need to verify everything again. 

I find that good casinos with great no-deposit schemes pay out on time, very quickly, and with no fuss. 

So that’s how you can tell if a no-deposit on a site is going to be a scam or not. It’s more or less about how the gaming sites operate in general and how quick they are to respond to queries and questions. I’ve learned that if they take too long or aren’t transparent with their information then you shouldn’t waste your time or your money with them.