are no deposit bonuses actually worth it or just bait

I’ve grabbed a few no deposit bonuses over the years, mostly just for the curiosity factor and to see if anything comes out of it. The obvious catch is those crazy rollover requirements and capped cashouts that seem to kill any real chance of walking away with something decent. Sometimes they want you to make a deposit before withdrawing anyway, which kind of defeats the point if you ask me. The playthroughs can get so high you’re stuck grinding low stakes games just to inch closer.

At the same time, I’ve actually hit small wins here and there, like just enough to buy dinner, so it’s not a total scam either. Maybe some folks have a strategy for wringing out more value from these or just take it for the free entertainment. Has anyone found a way to really beat the system on these or are they just a nice distraction?