Been checking a few of these lately, the ones where you punch in a promo string at signup and get a little free crack without putting your own cash in first. Thought I'd chuck up a quick take because they always sound better than they play out, and some are decent while others are basically dead on arrival.
The main thing I keep seeing is the headline looks generous, then the fine print does all the damage. A lot of them are tiny amounts, certain pokies only, short expiry, and the max cashout can be pretty average. A few also make you verify before you can touch anything, which is fair enough, but if the freebie is only small and the wagering is chunky, it can feel like a lot of mucking around for bugger all.
What I do rate is when the code actually works first go, the terms are easy to find, and they tell you straight up if winnings are capped. That saves heaps of confusion. The annoying ones are where you enter the code, nothing lands, then support tells you it was for new users from some random region or only on weekdays or whatever. Seen that more than once.
If anyone here still bothers with these, what are you looking for now? Low wagering, no weird game exclusions, decent cashout cap? Keen to hear which sites are still doing these properly and which ones are just using the freebie angle to get people through the door.