There is no denying the allure of the online casino bonus and with the ever-increasing competition among the top casinos, one can hardly be surprised by the many bonus options available. Today we will look into one major difference between the casino bonuses, namely cashable and non-cashable (sometimes called “sticky”) bonuses. Sadly, this distinction trips up quite a few players and the failure to understand the difference, and which of the two types of bonuses you are claiming, leads to dissatisfaction, to say the least, among the players. Let’s quickly take a look at the basics:
Non Cashable Bonus:
- Cannot be cashed as part of your winnings
- Stay with the casino, hence the “sticky bonus” term
- Often higher amount than cashable bonuses
- Only used to increase your playing bankroll
- Playthrough requirements may be higher
Cashable Bonus:
- Can be withdrawn with your winnings
- Counts towards the playthrough requirements
- Lower wagering requirements
- Usually no limit on withdrawal amount
A few things at the online casino would infuriate you more than finding out that the bonus you claimed was a non-cashable one, thus failing to satisfy the play-through requirements. This could be seen as both the player’s and the casino’s fault – every bonus having so many terms, sometimes such important information is bunched up with the rest of the terms, making it hard to spot. Other times the player would simply make assumptions about the bonus offer and fail to read the terms of the promotion. Regardless, it’s very important to check whether a bonus is cashable of non-cashable before claiming.
Non Cashable Bonus
It’s not that a non-cashable “sticky” bonus is a bad thing, on the contrary, a casino player could easily take advantage of this type of offer and make some serious bank. In addition, the sticky bonuses tend to offer more “bang for your buck”, increasing your bankroll with much less investment, compared to a simple, cashable match bonus. But there are some conditions of the sticky bonus one should consider.
First and foremost, the bonus cannot be withdrawn by the player, as we already mentioned a few times, and as you may gather from the name alone. Let’s work through an example: SlotoCash is offering a $100 non-cashable bonus when you deposit $50. The player takes the offer and runs up the bankroll to $500 and proceeds to withdraw. At this point, the casino will remove the $100 sticky bonus, leaving the player with only $400. As one can see from the example, there isn’t much of a mystery around how the non cashable bonus works.
At this point you should also consider that the wagering requirements may be higher for the non-cashable bonus, as well as the fact that some promotions will have the bonus both count in the calculations for the minimum play-through requirement, and at the same time be removed from the amount, before the casino calculates whether you have satisfied said requirements. It could get a tad complicated, which is why every casino player should read the terms and conditions of the sticky bonus beforehand, in order to make sure it’s an offer they are willing to accept.
Another factor affecting the use of the non-cashable bonus is that some online casinos will also tack on a maximum winning, when the customer decides to claim this type of bonus. For instance, if the bonus offer in our previous example had a max payout of $300, not only would the non cashable bonus be removed from the initial $500 in winnings, but another $100 will be lost, since you could only withdraw $300.
Cashable Bonus
This bonus offer is much easier to work with, since it is as simple as it gets. With the cashable bonus, both your initial deposit and the bonus itself can be withdrawn by the player, granted the playthrough requirements are met. Once you make a deposit and claim the cashable bonus, the resulting combined bankroll is what you are working with. Once the wagering requirements have been satisfied, you are free to withdraw your entire bankroll, no bonus subtractions necessary in this case.