Bonus Terms Glossary

Bonus Types

All types of bonus offered by UK bookmakers for: poker, bingo, casino and sport.

Welcome Bonus

Extra funds given to a player when they first register. Usually prominently displayed on the homepage to inform potential customers about how much they can receive when making their first deposit. Sometimes they are also called a Matched Bonus. Depending on the betting site, these can range from free plays where no deposit is required to multiples of a first deposit. For example, Sky Casino's welcome bonus at the time of writing offered a £60 bonus on an initial deposit of £10. To withdraw any bonus or associated winnings, the bonus value (£60) must be wagered 50 times (£60 x 50 = £3,000).

New Player Bonus

See Welcome Bonus.

Sign Up Bonus

See Welcome Bonus.

Reload Bonus

Additional cash or credits given to a regular player when they make a deposit (can be one time bonuses, weekly/monthly bonuses or each time a deposit is made). These tend to be a lower percentage or amount than welcome bonuses, but can accumulate to significant amounts over time. The reload bonus can be tied to specific events, such as a second deposit, or via offer codes sent to specific customers. For example, Coral have offered a reload bonus up to £50 on a deposit of £100. Therefore, if you deposit funds and commit £100 to the bonus, then the reload bonus would be £50. This is subject to a wagering requirement of x 40; (£100 buy-in + £50 bonus) x 40 = £6,000). If this isn't achieved in 30 days then the whole bonus and associated winnings are voided from your account.

Re-Deposit

See Reload Bonus.

No Deposit Bonus

A bonus amount credited to a new players account, without the player needing to pay in any of their own money first. This is usually not a large amount, but a good way to try the casino before depositing. For example, 32red has offered a £10 free bet which must be played 50 times on eligible games before any winnings can be withdrawn (£10 x 50 = £500).

Bonus Percentage

The ratio of deposited funds to bonus amount. A 100% bonus offer means that the player pay in amount will be doubled, so a £50 deposit will qualify for £50 in bonus funds. A 200% offer means twice as much in bonuses e.g. a £50 deposit qualifies for £100 bonus.

Cashback

An offer to return a percentage of any losses incurred by the player. If a player loses £20 during a promotion period, or on eligible games, and the offer is for 25% cashback, then £5 will be returned to the players account.

Refer a Friend Bonus

Additional credits given when an existing player recommends the bookmaker to a friend, paid out once that friend has registered, deposited and played through funds up to a certain level.

High Roller Bonus

A high roller bonus is given to new players who deposit a large amount of money. This is often at a lower percentage than the standard welcome bonus, but amounting to a higher value. For example, a £300 bonus on deposits of £1000 is a 30% bonus which can be worth more in cash terms.

Freerolls

Poker games and tournaments which do not cost anything to play, but pay out real prize money. Freerolls are sometimes restricted to new players as a way of letting them learn the games without risk.

Rakeback

An offer found at some Poker sites, where a percentage of the Rake (the money taken by the House on each hand), is returned to the player.

Loyalty Points

Additional cash or bonus credits earned each time a bet is placed, generally at a rate of around £1 in credits for every £1000 staked. Once a set number of points have been accumulated, they can be redeemed via the cashier.

Comp Points

See Loyalty Points.

Cashable Bonus

Once the wagering requirement has been fulfilled, then the bonus can be withdrawn as cash. For example, if £100 is deposited for a matched bonus (£100), leaving your account balance at £200, then after any wagering requirements are fulfilled, the full £200 can be withdrawn (plus any winnings).

Non-Cashable Bonus

A welcome bonus that cannot be withdrawn. The benefit to this type of bonus is that real money games can be played (earning comp points where applicable) without any risk to the customer's own cash. Any winnings made from the bonus can be withdrawn after any wagering requirements are met. This is a good way of trying out multiple different games before depositing any funds.

In-Play Bonus (Casino)

A bonus provided by certain online casinos, which provide a small bonus if certain in-play conditions are met. For example, Sky Casino have paid in-play bonuses if two consecutive 13s are rolled in Roulette or if you have a run of bad luck and lose 10 consecutive hands in Blackjack.

In-Play Bonus (Sport)

A bonus offered by online bookmakers usually targeting specific games or events, where the in-play bonus is offered for free after a pre-match bet is wagered. For example, Bet365 have previously offered a 'risk-free' in-play bonus where a refund of up to £50 was given if the first in-play bet lost. Both the pre-match bet and in-play bet required payment up front so the bonus in this case is not a cash bonus.

Enhanced Odds

An enhanced odds bonus is targeted for specific sports/tournaments and offer better odds for a new customer (generally) than can be found elsewhere. For example, the best odds for an England win against the Netherlands in a football friendly at time of writing was 3/4, but Coral was offering greatly enhanced odds of 8/1 to new customers with the additional incentive of a free £5 bet should you lose.

Free Spins

Free spins are a popular way to try out a new casino or new game as they are frequently given as a welcome bonus or as a promotional bonus for new game launches. Whilst certain promotions require a cash deposit in exchange for hundreds of free spins, welcome bonuses tend to offer fewer spins (5-20) but without having to add any cash up front.

VIP Promotions

Casinos with VIP schemes, such as Bet365, offer increasingly exciting bonuses with progression up the VIP ladder. Whilst all clients are 'bronze' level at Bet365, accrual of 50,000 'comp points' triggers the award of £50 worth of bonus chips. 150,000 comp points and promotion to Silver status returns £100 of bonus chips, increasing to £350 on bonus chips with 500,000 comp points at Gold level. As with most generous bonuses, wagering requirements must be followed before any bonus can be cashed. In this case, the bonus must be played 20 times on real money games in 30 days.

Mobile Only Bonus

As smartphone usage is becoming more and more popular, the market potential for 'betting-on-the-fly' is one that bookies are keen to capture. Bonuses for using your mobile or tablet for the first time are typically up to £50 but are payable regardless of whether you are a new or existing customer. For example, at the time of writing, Bet365 were offering a 100% bonus with a qualifying bet of between £1 and £50.

Accumulator Bonus

An accumulator bonus is a linked single bet over a series of events such as horse racing or football leagues. For example, winnings from a £5 bet placed on the first race/game are placed on your next selection plus an accumulator bonus of x%. If this also wins, then the total is placed on your third selection with an increasing accumulator bonus and so on and so on. If your selection continues to be fruitful then potentially the final event could have a large stake placed on it, accumulating your low initial bet into something life-changing. The disadvantage being that if the final bet fails then it feels like a substantial amount of money has been lost rather than the original £5 wager. Bet365 have offered accumulator bonuses of between 5% for a treble bet (three events) up to 100% or maximum bonus of £100,000 for 14-fold bets (14 events).

Terms and Conditions

All bonuses come with terms and conditions attached to prevent anyone from depositing money, claiming a bonus, and then cashing it out instantly.

Wagering Requirement

The amount a player will need to place in bets before being able to withdraw any money back to their own bank. Usually a multiple of the combined cash deposit and bonus amounts. As an example, if a player deposits £50, and gets a £50 bonus, and the wagering requirement is stated as "20x", then the amount that needs to be placed in bets is £50 + £50 x 20 = £2000. Only after a total of £2000 has been staked can any withdrawal request be made.

Turnover Requirement

See Wagering Requirement.

Maximum Bonus

This is the highest amount of bonus funds possible. If a bonus is advertised as "100% up to £100", then any money deposited over and above £100 will not qualify for any bonuses.

Game Contribution

The rate at which different games count towards the overall wagering requirement. Games with a potentially low house edge generally count less than games with a more fixed payout level.

Eligible Games

Some games do not count at all towards the wagering requirement, and these will usually be listed by the casino. For example, 32Red consider slots to have a 100% contribution, poker has a 50% contribution, whilst roulette has only a 10% contribution.

Bonus Credit

Bonuses are generally paid in the form of credits, which can be used to fund game play, not actual cash. When the wagering requirements have been met, only the winnings made with the bonus credits can be cashed out. The actual bonus amount is deducted from the players balance.

Cash Bonus

A bonus amount that can be converted to cash and withdrawn once the wagering requirements have been met.

Bonus Expiration

The timescale by which the wagering requirement must be met, typically around 30 days from the date of claiming it. If the requirement is not met, unused bonus credits are likely to be removed from the account.