Did you know there’s more than one way to play risk free?

I’ve always been a fan of playing free casino games for a variety of reasons. It can be a fun risk-free way to enjoy a game I like. Mostly, though, I like free games for the purpose of better understanding how to play them and deciding if I actually want to give them a try for real money.

If you’re interested in playing free casino games, this post is all about the three different ways you can play slots and casino games online free.

What free casino games can you play online?

From what I’ve seen (and personally experienced) it seems that you can play pretty much anything for free except live casino games.  This means, available free casino games include:

• Slots
• Video Poker
• Poker
• Blackjack
• Baccarat
• Roulette
• Scratch Cards
• Bingo/Video Bingo

Those are just the ones I’ve personally tried. There are likely several others too.

Three best ways to play free casino games online

Demo the game

Many traditional RNG (Random Number Generator) casino games are available in a demo mode. There are three main ways to demo them:

• Directly from the game provider’s website – Many game providers will allow you to try their games in a risk-free mode.

• At an online casino – Many Ontario online casinos will let you play casino games free. Sometimes you’ll need to register before you can access games in a demo mode. Other times, you can play free games with no login necessary. It all depends on the casino and its rules.

• A review site – Many site affiliated with online casinos and casino game providers review games and have the demo available. I’ve found that one of the best ways to locate these reviews (or any site with the free game demo) is to load your preferred web browser and search for “[GAME NAME] demo” or “[GAME NAME] review”.

A good tip to remember is that, if there is a specific game you’d like to try for free, you might require a VPN (a Virtual Private Network is a software program that essentially encrypts your data and masks your device’s IP address, allowing you to bypass website blocks and firewalls online with an IP address from another city, province/state, or country). The reason a VPN might be needed is that some game providers are not licensed in Ontario (or possibly in another jurisdiction where you might play), denying you access to their games.

Free casino game app

The Google Play Store and Apple App Store offers free casino game apps with ads. Some of these apps have a variety of games (like a casino) while others are specific to only one type of game (e.g. slots, bingo, blackjack, poker, etc.)

In many cases (from what I’ve seen and previously experienced), you play with and can win virtual coins and/or unlock certain achievements. The more coins you have, the longer (or more often) you can play. Meanwhile, achievements grant you access to new levels, new features, new games, invitations to tournaments, etc. Some apps even allow you to use the virtual coins you win to purchase in-game products and awards.

Of course, many of these free apps, give you the option of buying more virtual coins and other in-game products and bonuses. While you can do this (how you want to spend your money is up to you) it does defeat the purpose of playing for free LOL! In my experience, any time I wanted more virtual currency, I’d just watch one of the in-app ads or wait 24 hours to claim a free top-up.

To be honest, though, I personally don’t play free casino games via mobile game apps very much. These types of free game apps don’t really appeal to me. In fact, I think the last time I did download this kind of app was a few years back when I played a Clue-themed version of bingo (which I mostly did because I’m Clue-obsessed LOL!)

Still, to give you an idea of what’s available in the app world of free casino games, I’ve included a screenshot below of the current (as of December 2023) top-rated free game apps on Google Play. It shows the top three apps in the free slots, free blackjack, free bingo, free roulette, free video poker, and free poker categories.

How do you find free casino apps?

• Head to your app store
• Search for a casino game type (e.g., “Free Slots” or  “Free Blackjack) or “Free Casino”
• Make sure the apps you find offer “free” or “risk-free” games. Avoid real-money apps (unless, of course, you want to play for real money).
• Check out what the app offers (including its overall user rating – reading a few reviews is a good idea too!)
• Download it

Free spins/ no-deposit bonus from the casino

If you’ve got an account with a real money casino, you might be able to claim or take part in promotions that let you play casino games free. Usually, this method for playing free casino games is in the form of:

• Free spins – A set number of real-money spins awarded without deposit for a slot game.
• No deposit bonus – A set amount of bonus funds awarded without a deposit that can be used on select casino games in real money mode.
• Freeroll tournaments – A free-to-enter and play online slots or poker tournament.

There are few things to keep in mind if you choose to take this free casino games route:

• Limited availability – Free promotions are not frequently offered, so don’t expect to be able to claim them whenever you want. Even in the case of freeroll tournaments, tournaments are offered only at select times and sometimes only on certain days.
• Time limits – You will only have a limited time (e.g. 24 hours) to claim/take part and use the reward. Additionally, you typically are required to use the reward in a single play session.
• Game restrictions – Most free spins or free bonuses are restricted to a certain game or games. You won’t be able to play it on whatever you want.
• Possible wagering requirements – Though the freebie that is given doesn’t cost you anything to use, some online casinos will require you to complete wagering requirements in order to convert any winnings into withdrawable cash.

The best thing to do if you’re going to claim a free reward from an online casino is to read the bonus terms and conditions attached to the offer, so you can find out just how “free” it is before you claim it.

My favourite free casino games to play

My favourite free casino games are those that require some thought and participation, with free poker and free blackjack easily being my favourites of the bunch. I also don’t mind the occasional free bingo game (as long as I’m able to participate and dab the numbers on the card myself.)

Why? I like playing free games that require you to think, actively participate, and are more logic-based. For me, part of the reward of playing is learning and improving my skills. With free poker, free blackjack, and even free baccarat (and other card games), you can make educated choices based on odds. This doesn’t mean that you’ll win, of course, but it’s not just a matter of clicking a spin button on a slot machine or revealing what’s beneath a scratch card.

If you follow my blog, you might be like, “Wait, Mia, isn’t your favourite online casino game slots?” Yup, it is. But playing free online slots for the fun of it isn’t my idea of a good time. In fact, playing free slots online (with the exception of claiming a free spins promo!) are one of the last on my favourite free casino games list. Other least favourites include free roulette, and free scratch cards.

Essentially, unless I’m demoing them for a purpose, I don’t play slots for the fun of it. My purpose for demoing (in case your wondering) include:

• Getting a better understanding of the gameplay and rules
• Trying out a strategy (though I rarely do this one)
• Playing until I trigger a feature to see what it looks like
• Seeing if it’s interesting enough to play it for real money

Without a purpose, I find slots boring to play risk-free, including those offered in free game apps. For me, what makes them fun to play is betting on them with real money.

What about you? Do you have a favourite casino game that you like to play for free? Even if it’s online slots, I promise I won’t judge. 😉

Until next time, good luck and have fun.

Mia 👩‍💻

*I am not affiliated with PlayOJO, NetEnt, or Google.

**All links and images in this post are for informational purposes only.