FREE online casino games!

We all love that word ‘FREE’. Whether it’s a buy-one-get-one-free, a free drink at a casino, a free side to a meal – if it’s free it’s just a little bonus in a life where most things are quite expensive.

But we all know that ‘free’ isn’t really free. Buy-one-get-one-free still means paying for something, and a free drink at the casino is only for those players putting the moolah on the table.

So, when we see that word ‘free’ in the context of our favourite online and mobile gambling activities, South African players are always a little … suspicious. We know a scam when we see one, and it doesn’t need to be a Nigerian Prince with oodles of dollars to make us sceptical of dodgy deals over the interwebs.

Thankfully, Online South Africa Casino is here to show you that, yes, you can actually play online casino games for free, at reputable and trusted online and mobile casinos, and without having to worry that there is a hidden catch.

Let’s break it down and get those reels spinning for absolutely no cost to us cash-strapped fans of games of chance.

What is a free online casino game?

A good place to start when sorting a real deal free offer from something less certain is to look at what exactly ‘Free’ means in the online casino world. There are actually three different ways to look at free online casino games. One of them is the one that we at OSAC really love.

Free online casino games – apps/games

The first free online casino games option is the one you get from app stores. These are often included as free games when you have signed up at the app store, downloadable to your mobile device and free to play for as long as you have the app loaded.

Let’s get one thing out the way quickly – these are great for killing a few hours. Who hasn’t enjoyed a few hands of blackjack or solitaire or even slots while sitting at our desks at work pretending to be busy? (Editor: this never happens at the OSAC offices, we are FAR too busy getting out fascinating articles for our readers, we never have downtime – promise). But they are not genuine online casino games. They have all the mechanics of the games we love but they are missing that one crucial aspect – the opportunity to play for real money, real risk, and real reward. They do often have fun features like bonus games or credits that can be exchanged for digital prizes like skins or whatever, but they really are just playing at the online casino challenge.

These are often labelled as free online casino games and, technically, this is true. But they really are just free casino-style games.

Free online casino games – free spins

This is a part of the genuine casino world – free spins (or, rarely, free hands at table games). These are often seen as part of the sign-up bonus incentive: register now and get 100x free spins. But be warned, things are not as straightforward as they appear!

Bonus offers from online and mobile casinos are never truly ‘free’. They always come with wagering requirements or terms and conditions. Sure, at first glance the free spins are great, but once you understand that you will need to wager real money before you can actually enjoy any winnings from these free spins, you soon realise that they might be better ignored.

Wagering requirements can tie a player into putting way more of their own cash than they were planning or expecting so make sure you read and understand all the Ts & Cs BEFORE you redeem any free spins – or any other bonus offer!

So why do players love looking for the best free spins and bonus sign-ups? Because it gives us the chance of playing online casino games at legit online casino without having to rusk too much of our own bankroll yup front. We can try out games, test the online casino, discover new online casino games, and more before we start playing for real money.

But it is not truly free.

Free online casino games – demo mode

This is it! This is where online casino fans can truly play online casino games for free!

A lot of top tier online and mobile casinos want players to try out new things, and so they offer ‘Demo mode’ on their games. Demo mode means you can play a slot or video table game for free. Yes, really for free. You don’t need to put any cash down. In fact, at some online casinos you don’t even need to register or sign up to try out the demo mode on their games.

What’s the catch? Well, while you are not risking your bankroll, you also aren’t going to win any real money.

In general, when you click ‘Try’ or ‘Demo’ on an online casino game at an online casino, you will get access to the game with a predetermined amount of credit or ‘Fun money’. This could be a couple of hundred or a few thousand in your balance.

And you get to play for as long as this balance lasts. Pure joy!

Why play free online casino games?

In the first instance, the app store games, it really is just for fun and to waste time.

In the second, the free spins or free bonus, it’s to test games and online casinos – but it comes with risk.

In the third case, it’s also to test games and online casinos – but with no risk whatsoever. You can play to build your skill at games like blackjack. You can play to try out a new slot (it’s how the OSAC peeps fell in love with Yggdrasil games – just testing them out for free). And you can play just for the pleasure of playing a real online casino game without putting down any cash and knowing that you can return with your bankroll if you feel comfortable or are loving the game.

What is the downside of Demo play in free online casino games?

Apart from not being able to cash out real money if you hit big wins? There aren’t any. Some games may not let you play the jackpot features or some of the bonus features of the game but these are few and far between. In general, players can really put the online casino game through its paces even when playing in Demo

What free online casino games are out there?

Almost all the online casino games, from online slots to online video table games like poker, baccarat, roulette, blackjack, and more are available with a demo mode. It’s up to the casino whether they offer it.

The only games that do not have a Demo mode are Live Casino games – obviously because play is live in real time with real players at the tables. But you can even get a sort of ‘free’ experience if you are registered at the online casino and just click on the games in the Live Casino lobby. If you don’t join in and put down your stake, you can still watch the action as it happens.

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Where can I play free online casino games?

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South Africans are spoilt for choice when it comes to online and mobile casinos and bonus offers – but not all of them offer Demo mode. For OSAC, it’s a sign of the trustworthiness of an online casino when we see Demo games available.

Our recommendations for online casinos that let you play for free are Jackpot.co.za, PlayLive Casino, and Springbok Casino.

Now go out there and have fun – for free! But remember, if you do decide to put down real money, play responsibly, only play with trusted and licensed online and mobile casinos that welcome South African online gamblers, and always make sure to read and FULLY understand the wagering requirements and Ts & Cs that come with casino bonuses and promos.