A deposit bonus adds bonus funds as a percentage of a qualifying deposit, up to a stated cap. It can form part of a welcome package or be a reload offer for existing customers. The terms that matter most are the match rate and cap, the wagering requirement and whether it covers the deposit too, game weighting, and whether your own money or the bonus is staked first.
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What a deposit bonus is
A deposit bonus, often called a match bonus, adds bonus funds based on the size of a qualifying deposit. A 50% match, for instance, adds half the deposit as bonus funds up to a maximum amount.
When offered to new customers, it is usually part of a welcome bonuses. Offers for existing customers are commonly called reload bonuses.
Match rate and cap
The match rate and the cap work together. A high match rate with a low cap can add less than a lower rate with a higher cap, depending on the deposit.
The cap also means that depositing more than it adds no further bonus. If the wagering requirement applies to the deposit as well, though, the requirement keeps growing with every extra unit deposited.
Sticky, non-sticky and cashable bonuses
How the two balances interact matters as much as the headline numbers.
- Non-sticky: your deposit is staked first and the bonus sits separately. If you stop while still using your own money, you can typically withdraw it and forfeit the bonus.
- Sticky, sometimes called phantom: the bonus amount itself can never be withdrawn, only the deposit and winnings above it1.
- Cashable: once wagering is complete, the whole balance, including the bonus, becomes withdrawable1.
The CMA's guidance says customers should be able to tell clearly whether they are playing with their own money or with bonus funds, and should be able to leave a promotion with their remaining deposit and any winnings2.
Game weighting
Game weighting sets how much each stake counts towards wagering. A game weighted at 100% counts in full. A game weighted at 10% counts for a tenth, so it needs ten times as much staking to clear the same requirement1.
Lower weightings are often applied to games with a lower house edge, which stops customers clearing wagering on the cheapest games1.
Worked example
Assume a 50% reload bonus on a $200 deposit, giving $100 in bonus funds, with a 20 times wagering requirement on the bonus only. That means $2,000 of weighted stakes.
| Game played | Weighting | Actual stakes needed | Assumed house edge | Expected loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot | 100% | $2,000 | 4% | $80 |
| Blackjack variant | 10% | $20,000 | 0.5% | $100 |
| Excluded game | 0% | Cannot clear | – | – |
Expected loss here is stakes multiplied by house edge1. Weighting turns the lower-edge game into the more expensive route.
If the same 20 times requirement applied to deposit plus bonus ($300 × 20 = $6,000), every stake and loss figure in the table would triple. These are theoretical averages, and real sessions vary.
Common restrictions
- Maximum bet while bonus funds are active, expressed as a fixed amount per spin or hand.
- Expiry for completing wagering, after which the bonus and related winnings are removed.
- Payment method exclusions for the qualifying deposit.
- Maximum cashout on winnings derived from the bonus.
- Early withdrawal: requesting a withdrawal before wagering is complete can cancel the bonus.
Red flags in the terms
- Wagering that applies to the deposit, with no way to forfeit the bonus and take back your remaining deposit. The CMA lists attaching complicated or unfair play restrictions to deposits as something firms should not do2.
- Limits on how much of your own money you can withdraw, which the CMA also says firms should not impose2.
- Weighting tables that are missing, incomplete or subject to change without notice.
- No explanation of which balance is staked first.
- Very high multiples. Operators licensed in Great Britain cannot set wagering above 10 times from 19 January 20263, and figures far above that elsewhere mean far more required turnover.
Why a match does not change the maths
Matching a deposit increases the balance, not the odds. Every stake still carries the game's house edge, and the wagering requirement multiplies the number of stakes. Weighting and maximum bet rules then decide where and how quickly that turnover happens.
A deeper explanation of the arithmetic is in how wagering requirements work.
If gambling is causing harm. Losses cannot be recovered by playing more, and no game offers a guaranteed return. Free, confidential support is available, including services you can reach from the Maldives.