We all love the idea of getting something for nothing which is why when it comes to advertising, ‘free’ is one of the most powerful words you can use to prompt desire and inspire action. So when online casinos offer us free money, it's no surprise that we all sit up and take notice. Free stuff is one thing, but free money is even better.

Casino bonuses are by far the most common marketing tool used by online casinos, whether that is to get new players to join them in the first place or to get existing customers to stay and play for longer. Bonuses and free spins aid recruitment, encourage loyalty and help casinos stand out in what has become a very crowded marketplace. Look on any games-related site and you will be inundated with mind-blowing offers that seem to be offering you the world for nothing. But are these deals everything they appear to be, or are they just a way of teasing and tempting you to part with your own cash?

There are many different online casino bonuses, each designed to attract or keep a different type of player. One thing they all have in common is a big headline offer of free money or free spins, designed to catch the eye. Their main area of advertising is online, so the focus is always on the most impressive headline bonuses that appear to be incredibly generous for potential players. However, it is important to remember that each offer will have both benefits and drawbacks and you need to look carefully at the small print to see which one works best for you and figure out how to get the best from the offer.

There really is no such thing as a free lunch, and casinos are not in the habit of giving away free money if they can avoid it. Which means that it pays to look this particular gift horse in the mouth to see exactly what you are getting behind the shiny facade of the advertisements. Casinos are not trying to be dishonest or deliberately deceive you, but it is up to you to make sure you have all the facts before you open an account and make any deposit required.

You can think of it as the first game in your new relationship with the casino. They are trying to give away as little as possible, while at the same time looking like they are being really generous. Meanwhile, you are trying to get as much as possible from their offer, while risking as little as possible of your own cash. It can be a real battle, but fortunately for you, most people don't even bother to try, and rarely read the T&Cs, so the casinos aren't too bothered if the smarter player sometimes beats them. There will always be enough people who lose to balance it all out.

Casino bonuses and free spins can be separated into two categories, depending in whether or not you need to make a deposit to qualify. You can get most no deposit bonuses and free spins offers simply by signing up, whereas you will need to pay in some of your hard-earned cash to get your hands on a deposit match or loyalty bonus. Many casinos offer both types of bonus to attract as many different kinds of players as they can, or you may find bonus packages that are made up of a combination of casinos’ no deposit and deposit bonus offers, with some free spins thrown in for good measure.

At the end of the day, you are in control and you have a choice of hundreds, if not thousands of different casino bonus and free spins offers available at any one time. There will be an offer that is perfect for you if you just take the time and patience to look around and do your research. You don't have to be dazzled by the impossible headlines and the promises of riches that they bring; you can choose your casino bonus offer your way, that fits your bankroll, your timetable and the games you want to play. There may not be such a thing as a free lunch, but at least you can set the time, pick the restaurant and browse the menu.

Getting a no deposit casino bonus is the closest thing you can get to free cash. All you have to do is register with the casino, pass their basic eligibility checks and you'll be given your bonus, or your free spins, with no deposit required. You may need to give them your card details to qualify, but they will not take any money off your card.

Naturally, as you would expect with such a generous offer, a no deposit casino bonus will come with a host of terms and conditions attached to it. This isn't just the casino being tight fisted and trying to keep hold of their money, it is an important way of stopping people from cashing in without the casino getting anything in return. The more people who take the money and run, the less bonus money there is for the rest of us, so these extra conditions are actually for your benefit as well as the casino.

No deposit bonus offers are a great way of trying out a new online casino, getting a feel for how it looks and the way it works without actually risking any cash. You probably won't win much, and as we'll show later, you might find it hard to get at your winnings if you do, but as a player, you have nothing to lose by opening this type of account. There is no obligation to follow up your no deposit bonus or free spins with real money play, so if you just want to play for fun, with an outside chance of winning, this is the best casino bonus for you.

free spins can be a stand-alone bonus, your free spins may come with your first deposit or you could get free spins as part of a loyalty bonus for regular players at an online casino. Some online casinos even offer free spins as prizes in their regular competitions and promotions. These free spins will allow you to have a go on selected slots, and they work exactly the same as a paid turn on the slot. However, it is important to keep things in perspective.

While the number of free spins in the brash adverts may look impressive, with offers such as 100 bonus spins or even 500 free spins easy to find, their value may only be a few pence per spin, making the free spins offer only worth a few pounds. You could also find restrictions on which slots you can play with your free spins and the maximum you can win per spin, so don't expect to drop the progressive jackpot and retire early with your free spins offer.

One of the most popular casino bonus offers is free spins on their video slots games. These free spins can be a stand-alone bonus, your free spins may come with your first deposit or you could get free spins as part of a loyalty bonus for regular players at an online casino. Some online casinos even offer free spins as prizes in their regular competitions and promotions. These free spins will allow you to have a go on selected slots, and they work exactly the same as a paid turn on the slot. However, it is important to keep things in perspective.

While the number of free spins in the brash adverts may look impressive, with offers such as 100 bonus spins or even 500 free spins easy to find, their value may only be a few pence per spin, making the free spins offer only worth a few pounds. You could also find restrictions on which slots you can play with your free spins and the maximum you can win per spin, so don't expect to drop the progressive jackpot and retire early with your free spins offer.

While a no deposit bonus may only be worth a few pounds, you'll find a deposit match casino bonus can be worth much more. In this scenario, the online casino will match the first deposit of new players, pound for pound, up to a stated maximum bonus. This is one of the most lucrative casino bonuses as it effectively doubles the money new players have to play games with. A 100 deposit brings a 100 bonus, and the more you put in, the more you will make in bonus funds.

With some online casino offers, you could find a deposit match on subsequent deposits too, though this bonus is often just a percentage of the deposit rather than a like for like bonus that you get with your first deposit. The idea is to stagger your overall bonus to encourage you to keep visiting the casino and get in the habit of making a regular deposit. This kind of secondary deposit bonus is often wrapped up into a single headline figure for the overall offer, so you need to check the details carefully before you commit. A large deposit match bonus may in fact require more in funds than you are actually matched with over a number of deposits.

A deposit bonus is slightly different from a deposit match bonus. Here, new players may be guaranteed a certain bonus if they make at least a minimum first deposit. For example, new players may be offered a 100 bonus when they deposit at least 20. It is important to understand how to trigger this type of bonus so that you do not risk any more of your own cash than is absolutely necessary to qualify for the bonus deal. Using the above example, if you have 100 to play with, you could trigger five 100 bonus offers if you spread your funds around different offers rather than making a single deposit into just one account.

You may find that you are offered a deposit bonus on a fairly regular basis, to encourage you to keep topping up your account, especially when your funds are low or you haven't made a deposit for a while. These are sometimes referred to as a reload bonus as they happen when you reload your account ready to play again.

A casino loyalty bonus works much like a first deposit bonus, but instead of applying to your first deposit, they will be triggered at regular intervals, such as the anniversary of you joining or reaching a landmark deposit level. You might find that you get these whether you are a regular player or not, as they are triggered by dates rather than your account balance.

Naturally, high rollers and VIP players will receive much more in the way of loyalty bonuses, as these are the players the casinos most want to keep. This is the online equivalent of the VIP room in a land-based casino, where the very best players are looked after with exclusive perks that are simply not available to you and I. High rollers making large, regular deposits can even qualify for cashback from some casino operators, refunding some of their losses if they hit a bad run. Sadly, such refunds are rarely available to the average player.

Alongside their main marketing bonus schemes, a casino may offer other, smaller bonus types to reward certain activity by players. For example, your casino may offer a small bonus on a minimum deposit made using a selected payment method, such as PayPal or other virtual wallets. This not only helps to promote the fact that they take payments other than debit or credit cards, it also encourages players without these cards, or who have maxed out their cards, to keep playing from other sources of funds.

There is no better advertising than word of mouth, when one happy customer tells their friends and some casinos use their existing players to attract new players by offering a refer-a-friend bonus. This will reward both you and your friend when they join the casino and make a minimum deposit.

You may also come across what is called a sticky bonus. These are much like any other bonus paid into a player’s account, except the bonus amount will be removed before any winnings can be claimed.