Online slot games have taken the entire industry by storm. One of the contributors to this, besides accessibility, is the ability for some players to play free online slot games.
However, it's important to note that UK casinos like Wizard Slots, who are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), cannot offer Demo or Free Play casino games. These are sometimes instead offered by certain online 'social casinos' or affiliate sites, and players will usually need to confirm and or verify that they are over the age of 18, depending on the site.
In addition, if you choose to play free slots, you will not receive any real money wins like you would if you play real money slot games at a licensed UK casino.
So, how do these operators make money from free slots? Continue reading to find out!
What Are Free Slots?
Free slots are games you can play for free, often by downloading an app, meaning you do not use real money to wager. Instead, some sites offering free slots could give you credit to play the slot game with, and then once you run out of these credits, you may have the option to purchase them using real money. However, this may differ from site to site.
It's important to note that if given the option, and you choose to purchase credits using real money, that does not necessarily mean you are playing the game for real money.
You are just purchasing the credits to continue to play the free slot. So basically, at the end of the day, you can still use real money, but instead of potentially winning actual money if you land winning combinations, you win "credits". That means you cannot cash out any of the possible winnings you may make. However, this may change depending on the site you are playing at.
Are Free Slots Really Free?
The short answer is no, not really, but let us explain. If you start playing a free slot game, you can typically receive a certain number of credits to play with, and then you will eventually run out of credit.
Say you are still enjoying a game and want to keep playing. The site could then prompt you to purchase more credits to continue playing.
This means you could potentially end up spending money if playing free slots, so some may not really be free. The only difference when playing free slots versus real money slots is that from free slots, you usually cannot withdraw the money you win. Instead, it will be kept in the slot as a form of credit for you to continue playing the slot game. Similar to mobile or smartphone games. But again, this may vary depending on the site.
How Casinos Make Money From Free Slots
There are several ways that some social casinos could make money from free slots, one of which includes potential in-game purchases. We all know that, usually, online casinos can make money from wagers and the games players may lose.
However, this is not the same for free slots. So, to make money, the free slots sites could offer things such as in-game bonus purchases, credit purchases, advertisements and data collection.
Let's discuss some of these in more detail below.
In-game Bonus Purchases
If you are familiar with recent mobile games that offer in-game purchases, some of these slot games work in a similar manner.
For example, they may have bonus features or levels that you can only access through real money purchases. This means that in order to unlock a particular bonus feature, you would have to buy it for a certain amount. The money you use to buy this bonus feature would then go to the social casino as part of their revenue.
Credit Purchases
Credit purchases basically work the same way as in-game bonus purchases.
For instance, some social casinos may offer welcome bonuses, which could come in the form of a certain number of credits. Once these credits run out, you will then need to purchase more to continue playing the game.
Data Collection
Data collection may sound a little controversial, but these free slot sites are not selling your personal information. Instead, some may collect data on your gaming patterns, your preferences and the kind of games or features you might like.
This information can then be used for target advertisement, which means you may likely see advertisements of games that look similar to the slot games you have been playing, or see an increased number of ads about slot games in general.
Advertisements
Another way that free slots sites can make money is through advertisements. They may display adverts on their slot pages from other online casinos or establishments that offer similar services and products.
Furthermore, the slot game may have adverts built in where if you watch an advert for 30 seconds, you get a certain number of credits or unlock a specific feature. However, this might not always be the case.
Conclusion
While free slots may be an excellent way for players to get a feel for a game, they are not always entirely free.
In addition, free slots generally do not offer any monetary gain back compared to real money slot games. Instead, these free slots operate more like mobile games, so you often have to download an app before you can play them, although there are some that you can play without downloading. So, if you want to start playing free slots, these are some things you should keep in mind.
Otherwise, if you prefer to play real money slot games from reputable UK online casinos, you can sign up with Wizard Slots and gain access to over 1,500 casino games you can play for real money!
These include table games such as roulette, blackjack, poker, baccarat and various online slot games, offering different themes, features and RTP (Return to Player) rates!
Some top slots include:
- Big Bass Splash
- Poseidon Ancient Fortunes WowPot! Megaways
- Fishin' Frenzy
- Rainbow Riches Pick 'n' Mix
- Twin Spin
- Blue Wizard
- Action Bank
- Fluffy Favourites
- Beat The Bobbies
- Juicy Joker Mega Moolah
- Blood Hunters
*All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins etc.) mentioned in relation to these games are subject to change at any time.