Casino marketing throws a dozen bonus types at you, all measured in different units and wrapped in different conditions. Here’s what each one actually is, what it’s really worth, and the one number you should check before touching any of them.
The only number that matters: effective wagering cost
Before the tour, one piece of math. A bonus with a wagering requirement makes you bet the bonus (or bonus + deposit) X times before withdrawing. Multiply the wagering by the house edge of what you’ll play and you get the expected cost of unlocking it. A $100 bonus at 40x wagering means $4,000 of bets; at a 4% house edge that’s ~$160 of expected loss to unlock $100. Negative value, dressed as a gift. Run any offer through our Wagering Calculator before opting in — it does this math in two seconds.
Deposit match bonuses
The classic: deposit $100, get $100 extra. Great if wagering is 10x or less on the bonus only. Mediocre at 20–35x. A trap at 40x+, especially when the requirement covers deposit + bonus. Also check the max bet rule — most sites void the bonus if you bet above ~$5 per round while it’s active.
Rakeback
A percentage of the house edge returned on every bet, win or lose. This is the most honest bonus in gambling: no wagering, no unlocking, just a slightly thinner house edge. 5–15% rakeback is typical; VIP tiers push higher. If you play regularly, lifetime rakeback quietly beats any welcome offer. Sites like Stake and Gamdom built their reputations on it.
Free cases and case battles
The skin-gambling native format: open a free case daily, or get bonus cases on deposit. Value is usually small ($0.10–$3 per case) but the wagering is often 1x or zero on winnings, which makes free cases one of the few genuinely +EV promos. Check whether winnings land as withdrawable balance or locked bonus balance — that detail is the whole ballgame. Current offers are on our promo pages, e.g. the Gamdom promo code and Clash.gg promo code.
Rains and chat giveaways
Free balance dropped into chat at random intervals, split between active users. Individually tiny — cents per rain — but they cost nothing and reward simply being around. Treat rains as a loyalty trickle, not an income.
Faucets
A legacy crypto-casino feature: claim a few cents of free balance every few minutes or hours. Originally designed to let you test games for free, and that’s still their only sane use. Nobody grinds a faucet into a withdrawal; the minimums and captchas see to that.
Reload and lossback offers
Reload = a smaller deposit match for existing players; same wagering math applies. Lossback (cashback on net losses over a period) is softer — 5–20% back on a losing week. Lossback has real value precisely because it only pays when you lose: it’s insurance, not a gift. Factor it into which site deserves your volume.
Sticky vs. non-sticky (the fine print that changes everything)
A non-sticky (“parachute”) bonus keeps your deposit and bonus separate: you play real money first, and if you win big before touching the bonus, you can forfeit the bonus and withdraw immediately. A sticky bonus merges everything — your own deposit is locked behind the wagering too. Same headline number, wildly different value. Always find this in the terms before depositing.
Quick value ranking
- Rakeback — real, continuous, no strings
- Free cases with 0–1x wagering — small but genuinely free
- Non-sticky deposit bonus under 15x — worth it with discipline
- Lossback — softens bad weeks
- Rains/faucets — pocket change, zero risk
- Sticky bonuses at 35x+ — marketing, not value
When two sites look equal, compare their rakeback and lossback instead of their welcome banners. The welcome bonus is what a site pays to acquire you; the rakeback is what it pays to keep you. The second number tells you much more about the operator.