Bonus credit, free bets and cashback
Write down whether the offer provides cash, bonus credit, a free-bet token or a refund in another form. Then identify the qualifying action. A headline amount without those two pieces is not enough to compare two offers.
Use a four-column note: money you supply; qualifying conditions; reward received; withdrawal conditions. Keep your own deposit separate from the reward, and use the terms for the exact local promotion to describe each part.
- Must the user opt in, and is the offer limited to new accounts?
- Which deposit methods, sports and market types qualify?
- Does the advertised amount depend on several separate steps?
- Is the reward cash, restricted credit or a token with an expiry?
Calculate the wagering requirement
In a fictional example, a 30-unit bonus with a five-times requirement on the bonus needs 150 units of qualifying wagers: 30 × 5. This is turnover, not 150 units of profit or a required closing balance.
Change the assumed basis to a 30-unit deposit plus that 30-unit bonus, still at five times, and the requirement becomes 5 × (30 + 30) = 300 units. These examples differ because the stated base differs. Neither calculation predicts the balance remaining after the bets settle.
Record eligible bet contribution and the deadline alongside the multiplier. A stake that does not qualify under the promotion may still settle as a bet without reducing the bonus’s remaining requirement.
Free-bet returns: is the stake included?
Consider a purely illustrative 12-unit token used at decimal odds of 3.50. If its terms pay winnings but do not return the token stake, the winning credit would be 12 × (3.50 − 1) = 30 units. A standard winning cash stake at the same odds would instead return 42 in total, including the original 12.
The difference is why our ordinary odds calculator should not be used to value an unfamiliar bonus token. Check whether the stake is returned, whether the resulting winnings have conditions and what happens if the selection is void. The actual offer determines the answer.
Qualifying odds, markets and expiry dates
Read the minimum odds, eligible sports and markets, maximum qualifying stake and deadline together. A requirement to place a bet before expiry differs from a requirement for it to settle before expiry. A postponed event can therefore affect qualification even when the accepted ticket remains open.
Check the treatment of Cash Out, void selections and refunded stakes in the promotion itself. Also read what happens to bonus credit and any restricted winnings when you decline the reward or request a withdrawal. Your deposit, promotional credit and resulting winnings can have different balance labels.
- Do cash-out, void, refunded or partially settled bets qualify?
- Is there a maximum qualifying stake or maximum convertible amount?
- What is the deadline and time zone for each stage?
- What happens to the reward if the player requests a withdrawal?
Which stakes actually reduce the remaining requirement?
| Recorded bet | Stake | Accepted odds | Turnover counted | Turnover remaining |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won, settled in time | $40.00 | 2.20 | $40.00 | $110.00 |
| Lost, settled in time | $30.00 | 2.00 | $30.00 | $80.00 |
| Won, odds too low | $25.00 | 1.80 | $0.00 | $80.00 |
| Void, stake refunded | $20.00 | 2.50 | $0.00 | $80.00 |
| Still open at the deadline | $35.00 | 3.00 | $0.00 | $80.00 |
The five stakes total C$150, but only the first two count: 40 + 30 = C$70. C$80 of qualifying turnover remains. The losing bet contributes because it meets the conditions; the winner at 1.80 does not. Winning or losing does not by itself determine the turnover counted.
The still-open bet misses this example’s settlement deadline. Settling later does not automatically extend that deadline. Another promotion may define minimum odds, voids, Cash Out or the counting stage differently. This ledger explains turnover, not the account balance or the value of a free-bet token.
A sportsbook bonus-terms checklist
Before accepting a promotion, keep its name, reward type, account currency, qualifying action, wagering basis and deadlines together. Match those details to the promotion shown in your account rather than assuming that a headline describes every condition.
If a condition is missing, ask a precise question: does this market count, must the bet settle before expiry, and is the free-bet stake returned? The worked examples explain the calculations; the selected promotion determines which calculation applies.
- Reward: cash, restricted bonus credit, a free-bet token or another format.
- Turnover: multiplier, exact basis and qualifying contribution.
- Bet rules: eligible markets, minimum odds, stake limit and Cash Out or void treatment.
- Dates: opt-in, qualifying-bet, settlement and reward-use deadlines.
- Withdrawal: treatment of deposited funds, bonus credit and any capped winnings.
Calculate the requirement in your example
Compare bonus-only with deposit-plus-bonus turnover, then change the game contribution to see which amount counts.