There are plenty of ways to play free online casino games. Even if you don’t live in a state with the best online casinos for real money, there are a number of options to play these games via social and sweepstakes casinos.

Free online casino games typically are recreations of their real money counterparts. On this page, our experts highlight where and how to play the best free casino games online.

Note: If you’re in a state that has not legalized online casinos, you’ll see a list of top sweepstakes social casinos, which are available in most states. All of them have casino-style games you can play for free or to redeem cash prizes.

Best free online casino games to try

Free online casino games can vary. For the online casino apps that make demo play a focal point, the entire scope of their offerings is available to you at no charge. As a result, you can experience a host of cutting-edge games without any risk to your finances.

Some of the best free casino games to try are:

• Divine Fortune (slot)
• Deal or No Deal (slot)
• Bingo Blackjack (table game)
• Baccarat – Professional Series (table game)
• Ultimate X Poker – Ten Play (video poker)

These can be described as free casino games that pay real money. This is because each of these games can be played for real money!

After signing up to an NJ online casino and making a deposit, you can play with and win real money with these popular slots.

What online casinos provide free casino games?

It’s not typically difficult to find online casinos offering free (demo) play for their games, including free online slots. The way in which these casino platforms allow these demo games to be played can, however, vary.

Some online casinos allow for their games to be played by anyone, without having to first create an account.

Some of the online casinos that allow for free game demo play without having to sign up include:

• DraftKings Casino
• Golden Nugget Online Casino

Other online casinos require their players to first create an account before it becomes possible to play games for free.

After signing up to these platforms, free demo play becomes available. A few examples of online casinos that first require you to register to play games for free include:

Free casino games at social casinos

Online casino gambling is legal in only seven states. That includes Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia.

For many years, those located outside of these states were out of luck when it came to playing casino games online.

Social casinos (also known as sweepstakes casinos) completely changed that. These are free-to-play platforms that look and feel much like traditional, real money online casinos.

Social casinos never require their users to pay money to play casino games for free. Players are given a set amount of a free, virtual currency that they can use to play games.

Social casino players also are able to accumulate Sweeps Coins. These can be redeemed for prizes, including gift cards and real money.

The specific types of games offered by social casinos varies from site to site. In general, however, they all provide a large variety of slot games and a more limited selection of table games.

Which online casino games can you play for free?

Many real money online casinos usually offer a way to play without pay – mostly through free demo games.

A game’s demo mode lets you experience the full scope of its features. You are allotted a certain amount of play money (worth nothing and only for the game) and turned loose on the game’s full functionality.

If you run out of your play money, return to the main lobby and reenter the game you were playing. Your stash of play cash will be back to its original amount.

Below are the types of free casino games you can find online:

• Slots – The bread and butter of every online casino, free slots are available in demo mode on several online casino apps.
• Table games – Demos for table games really can come in handy. The strategic aspect and quirky rules of most table games mean that practicing can be hugely beneficial.
• Video poker – This casino staple also takes plenty of proper strategy to play correctly. Cutting your teeth on a demo version before you try real online video poker is a good idea.
• Specialty – Games like Slingo, bingo, keno and virtual sports often can be played for free in demo mode.

Now, another type of “free” online casino game is available – in a way. If you receive bonus money or bonus bets through online casino bonuses for new players, you can and should use those credits to play for “free.”

These minimum deposit and no deposit casino bonuses let you play without spending your own money or, at worst, with only a small deposit.

Free online slots

Most slot games have demo versions available on the casino sites themselves. However, you may have to hunt on different casino apps to find the free slots games you want as demos.

Some of the best slots sites are more diligent and/or committed to offering demo versions than others.

Just on a cursory review, we found demo versions of the following popular games at various legal online casinos:

• 88 Fortunes
• China Shores
• Divine Fortune
• Starburst

This list is not exhaustive at all. We just wanted you to see that you can play some of these famous and popular games without committing any part of your bankroll.

The point of playing free casino games with free spins is to familiarize yourself with your favorite slots’ pay tables and winning combinations. However, at the end of the day, you will win or lose based on the decisions the game makes.

See more: Our picks for the best RTP slots

Free table games

Online table games are extremely popular. Of course, when playing these games for free, users cannot win real money. They can, however, play the non-demo versions of these games and win real money.

Most table games have free demos, and we strongly recommend you take advantage of them before you start playing for real money.

Unlike slots, in which you largely cede control of your outcome to the game itself, table games often entail some strategy.

As a result, not understanding the game can result in unforced losses. There’s no reason you should play a game you do not understand. Games that commonly have free demos include:

• Online roulette
• Online black jack
• Online baccarat
• Three Card Poker
• Craps
• Let It Ride
• Caribbean Stud
• Four Card Poker
• DJ Wild Stud Poker
• Pai Gow Poker
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em
• Casino War
• I (Love) Suits Poker

You’ll probably find more games with demos than appear on this list. You should confine yourself to the demo version of whatever game, or games, you choose for a while.

Table games often require more focus and at least one decision point to proceed. You should clearly understand what is happening before you start throwing money around.

Online table games also share online slots’ trait of bearing lower betting minimums than you’ll find in a physical casino. Online, the minimum can be as low as $1. That figure is much less than the $10 or $15 per hand you can expect at live casinos.

Free online casino apps

In a sense, every online casino app is free. It is completely free to download them, install them and create an account at the top online casino apps. Let’s quickly run through the steps to get started:

• Use any of our secure links to access the download page for the app of your choice. If there is a bonus code listed with our link, make note of it.
• You should see an option to download the app to your phone’s format. The download and installation procedure is identical to the one you use for any other type of app.
• Open the app and look for the registration button. It shouldn’t be hard to see, but if it isn’t there, press the button to log into your account. The login page will have an option for you that says “Sign Up” or something similar.
• Register for an account with your personal information. You’ll need to furnish your name, mailing address, email address, phone number, date of birth and Social Security number. You’ll also need to designate a username and password.
• It’s bonus code time. The registration screen will contain a blank for promo codes. If you happened to write one down earlier, enter it here. Make sure that you don’t have any typos and that you capitalize the letters exactly as they appear.
• After you submit your information, you should be good to go. You may have to verify your email address or log back in with your newly created username and password, but you’re now a full-fledged member of the site.

There is no real difference between accessing the games for real money and accessing them for demo play. Simply head to the games section, select the game you want, and choose “demo mode” or “demo play” from the list of options on the game’s button.

Are free online casino games really free?

Yes! If you’re wondering why any of the best online casinos would offer its games for free, you have to think about marketing and the long game. From a casino’s point of view, every person who plays the demo version is a potential customer, since they already have indicated they are interested in the games.

The cost to offer a demo version is, at worst, a marketing expense. After the initial development and conversion, there isn’t even an ongoing expenditure aside from the server space (which may not be an additional cost at all). In essence, it’s a free, perpetual commercial that generates actual conversions and customers.

Now, to be clear, you never have to play for real money. If you always stick to the demo mode, that’s perfectly fine. However, the reason for the demo mode is that the casino app is making a bet of its own: eventually, you will decide to put some real money on the line.

How do I know online casino games are fair?

Online casino games can seem a bit suspect to beginners. This is especially true when things aren’t going your way. However, there are four excellent ways to know that your online casino games are fair:

• Online casinos are not shy about sharing the details of their random number generator software, often abbreviated as “RNG.” These programs work in concert with each game to ensure the outcome of each spin or hand is truly random and not subject to any malarkey on the casino side.
• All online casinos on this page are licensed and subject to state oversight where they operate. A gaming board investigation that revealed unfairness in the program would devastate the online casino, as it could face consequences, including losing its license. Casinos won’t take that risk.
• The gaming commission isn’t the only place an online casino would face difficulties if its games weren’t on the up and up. An online casino saddled with a reputation for shady dealings would not survive the public relations firestorm that would ensue. At the very least, the company would have to spend gobs of money to fix its systems and prove to the public that the problem had been fixed. The casino doesn’t want to spend gobs of money.
• Finally, you can rest assured that online casino games are fair because casinos don’t have to rig them to make money. The mathematical advantage they wield over every game is sufficient to guarantee a profit over time. All they have to do is keep players happy and playing, and they benefit in the end. All that said, feel secure in the fact that inasmuch as the odds are stacked against you on the games themselves, the odds are quite in your favor that you’re getting a fair deal.

Free online casino games FAQ

Can I win real money playing free casino games online?

No, free online casino games (demos) are strictly for fun, practice and playing in the moment. The only exceptions are at social casinos and sweepstakes casinos, which do offer online casino games for free that can result in cash prize redemptions. These sites are a different animal than true online casino sites, but they are probably the closest you’ll come to getting real money playing for free.

What are some perks of playing free games online vs. at a casino?

It‘s more convenient. You don’t have to get into your car, drive to the location, find a parking spot and walk all the way to the game you want to play. You just have to log into your account and get started – no more than 10 seconds. And you always have access to the games you want to play. The limit on the number of players on a slot or table is as many as the server will permit. It’s also not an option to play games for free at a brick-and-mortar casino. It is, however, possible online.

Can you earn rewards for playing free online casino games?

No. Rewards programs are reserved for real money players, as they depend upon the amount that a player bets to generate their points. Since you aren’t actually betting anything when you play demos, there’s nothing for the rewards programs to credit. If you want to earn comps, exclusive bonuses and entertainment tickets, you’ll have to have some skin in the game.

What is the minimum bet for real money online casino games?

Generally, you can find online gambling sites with opportunities to play for as little as 10¢ per hand, game or spin. Some slots, some table games and some video poker options can be available for a dime, although the maximum number of bets on these games (paylines, coins, etc.) will push your bet higher. Live dealer online casino games typically have slightly more expensive minimums. You’ll usually have to bet at least $1 per hand, as the online casino is now incurring a labor cost to provide the game in that format. However, if you happen to have site credits or bonus bets to your name, the cost to play dwindles almost to zero. If not, it’s usually not hard to find a dime or two to bet.