Bonus guides

Which offers are written up, and why these

A guide is only worth writing where the operator published enough to explain: a stated wagering rule, a stated entry cost and a reward that can be measured. 20 offers clear that bar today. The rest are in the tables with what they do state — the gaps there are the operator’s, and filling them with plausible-sounding prose is exactly what we refuse to do.

What each one comes down to

One paragraph per guide, built from the same figures the guide itself works through. If this is enough, there is no need to open the full write-up.

The terms every guide has to deal with

A guide is only worth writing where the operator published enough to explain. These six lines are what each one works through, in the operator’s own numbers.

Wagering requirement

The number of times a bonus has to be staked before anything can be withdrawn. Sometimes it applies to the bonus alone, sometimes to bonus plus deposit — the second is twice the work for the same number. Where an operator states which, the offer’s own page says so.

Game weighting

Not every game counts the same towards wagering. Slots usually count in full, table games often at 10% or not at all. A 35× requirement cleared on roulette at 10% weighting is 350× in practice.

Maximum bet while wagering

Most bonus terms cap the stake allowed while a wagering requirement is open, commonly at £5. A single bet above the cap can void the bonus and everything won from it, and this is enforced automatically.

Maximum win or conversion

The most that can be withdrawn from what a bonus produces. Free spins and no-deposit offers are capped far more often than deposit matches, and a capped headline of £500 can be worth £50.

Expiry

Two clocks: the promotion’s own end date, and the life of the reward once credited — often 7 days, sometimes 24 hours. The second one is the one people miss.

Excluded payment methods

Deposits by certain e-wallets are excluded from bonus eligibility at many operators. It is the most common reason a qualifying deposit turns out not to qualify.

The rules behind the offers

Every operator here is licensed in Britain

A Gambling Commission licence is a condition of being listed at all. It brings deposit protection to the standard the regulator sets, participation in the national self-exclusion scheme, and a route of complaint that is not the operator itself.

Bonuses cannot be made conditional on continued play

Licensed operators may not require further wagering to withdraw money that is already the player’s own, and must make significant terms clear at the point the offer is presented. That is why a rule on the page matters more than the same rule buried in a general terms document.

Stake limits on slots

Online slot stakes are capped for adults in Britain, and lower for younger adults. Any offer that talks about qualifying stakes is working inside those limits.

Advertising rules

Promotions cannot be presented as risk-free when a deposit is at stake, and must not imply that gambling is a solution to financial trouble. Where an operator’s wording pushes at that line, the quote on the offer’s page shows it in their words, not ours.

Questions about these guides