The screen shows a balance, but the cashier shows a different number
That gap is the first thing to understand about promotional credit. The balance on the main screen is what the operator lets you stake. The balance on the withdrawal screen is what has cleared every condition attached to the promotion. Between the two sits a set of rules, and those rules, not the headline number, decide whether any of the credit becomes money you can take out.
Bonus credit is a conditional liability on the operator's side. It exists so you can place wagers you would not otherwise place. The operator is willing to fund those wagers because the conditions attached to the credit are designed to keep the money inside the wagering system for a certain amount of play before it can leave. That is not a trick and not a secret; it is the entire structure of the offer, and it is printed in the terms.
Wagering requirements are a volume of play, not a hurdle to jump once
A wagering requirement, also called playthrough, is a multiplier. It states how much total wagering must happen before bonus-related funds can be withdrawn. The arithmetic is simple. If a promotion grants 50 units of credit with a 30x requirement, then 1,500 units of total wagers must be placed. That is the example arithmetic, and it is the only way to understand a multiplier: total wagers, not the bonus amount, and not the balance you see after one spin.
What matters is that the requirement is consumed by total stakes, not by net results. If you wager 10 units on a spin and the spin returns 8 units, you have still contributed 10 units toward the requirement. If the spin returns 14 units, you have still contributed 10. The requirement is a meter that advances with every stake you place, regardless of outcome. That is why a bonus can feel like it is progressing even when your balance is falling.
Game weighting changes how fast the meter advances. Not every wager counts equally. A slot wager may count in full toward the requirement, while a table-game wager may count at a reduced rate, or not at all. The terms page lists the weighting per game category. Before you opt in, read that list. A 30x requirement on slots is a different volume of play than a 30x requirement where only half of each blackjack wager counts.
Maximum-cashout caps set the ceiling on what can leave
A maximum-cashout cap is a limit on how much of the bonus-derived winnings can ever be withdrawn, no matter how well the play goes. If a promotion carries a cap, then any balance above that cap is removed at the point of withdrawal. The cap applies to winnings generated from the bonus, and the terms state whether it applies to the bonus amount itself, to winnings, or to both.
The cap changes what the promotion is worth. A bonus with a low cap and a high wagering requirement is structurally different from one with a high cap and the same requirement. The cap is the upper bound on the useful outcome. You cannot evaluate a promotion by its headline credit alone; you need the requirement, the weighting, and the cap together, because they interact.
| Term | What it controls | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Wagering requirement | Total stakes that must be placed before withdrawal | Promotion terms, usually expressed as a multiplier |
| Game weighting | How much each wager counts toward the requirement, by game type | Terms page, often a table or list of percentages |
| Maximum cashout | The ceiling on withdrawable winnings from the bonus | Promotion terms, stated as a fixed amount |
| Expiry window | How long the credit and any unfinished requirement remain valid | Terms page or the bonus details screen |
Expiry windows turn time into a condition
Bonus credit does not sit in the account indefinitely. An expiry window is the period within which the wagering requirement must be met. If the window closes before the requirement is complete, the credit and any winnings derived from it are typically removed. The clock usually starts when the credit is granted, not when you first use it.
Expiry interacts with wagering in a way that is easy to underestimate. A large requirement with a short window forces a high pace of play. A small requirement with a long window allows a slower pace. Neither is better in the abstract; the point is that the two numbers must be read together. A promotion that looks generous on the multiplier can be tight on the calendar, and the calendar is part of the cost of opting in.
What the reader can and cannot know from outside
This article cannot state the specific requirement, weighting, cap, or expiry attached to any particular operator's current promotion. Those figures are set by the operator, they change between promotions, and they are published in the promotion's own terms. The method for evaluating any bonus credit is the same: open the terms, find the four fields above, and do the multiplication yourself. If a term is missing or unclear, that is itself information about how the promotion is presented. The reader's own operator publishes the numbers that apply to their account.
Loyalty and comp programmes build value from tracked play
Separate from bonus credit is the value that accrues from normal play. Loyalty programmes and comp schemes are not promotions in the bonus-credit sense. They are accounting systems. The operator tracks how much you wager, how long you play, and what games you play, and converts that activity into points, tier progress, or comp value.
The underlying concept is theoretical loss, sometimes called theo. It is an estimate, not a record of what happened. The calculation is average bet multiplied by decisions per hour multiplied by the house edge of the game being played. As a labelled example: suppose a player wagers 5 units per hand, plays 60 hands per hour, and the game carries a 2% house edge. The theoretical loss for that hour is 5 times 60 times 0.02, or 6 units. That is the expected rate of loss over the long run for that betting pattern, not the result of any single hour.
Theoretical loss is the basis on which comp value is typically granted. A venue or operator can afford to return a fraction of theoretical loss as food, rooms, or points because the theoretical loss is what the play is expected to cost the player over time. The comp is not a rebate on actual losses. A player who wins on a given night still generated theoretical loss, and a player who lost more than expected did not generate more theo than the calculation says.
| Input | What it measures | Why it matters for comps |
|---|---|---|
| Average bet | The typical stake per decision | Directly scales theoretical loss |
| Decisions per hour | How fast the game runs | Faster games generate more theo per hour |
| House edge | The built-in advantage on the specific bet | Different bets and games carry different edges |
| Session length | How long the tracked play lasts | Multiplies the per-hour theo into a session total |
Why two games with the same stake do not earn the same comps
Because theoretical loss depends on all three inputs, two players staking the same amount can generate very different theo. A slot player staking 5 units per spin at 500 spins per hour is wagering 2,500 units per hour. A blackjack player staking 5 units per hand at 60 hands per hour is wagering 300 units per hour. Even before considering the different house edges, the volume of action is different by nearly an order of magnitude. The comp system sees that difference and values the play accordingly.
This is also why the game you play changes the value of a loyalty programme. The programme does not reward you for being present. It rewards tracked wagering, adjusted by the edge on the specific game. A player who wants to understand their comp value should look at the three inputs for their own play, not compare point balances with someone playing a different game.
No betting pattern changes the built-in edge
One thing must be said plainly. Bonus credit and comp programmes change the cost of play at the margin. They do not change the direction of the underlying arithmetic. A slot with a given return to player percentage keeps that percentage whether you are playing with deposited funds or bonus credit. A progression system that raises and lowers stakes redistributes outcomes across sessions but does not remove the house edge on any individual wager. The value in a promotion is the value of its terms, read carefully, not a path to guaranteed profit.
The honest way to evaluate any promotional credit is as a reduction in the expected cost of a fixed amount of play, subject to conditions. If the conditions are acceptable, the promotion lowers the cost. If the conditions are not, the promotion is not worth opting into. That is a decision the reader makes with the terms in front of them.
FAQ
Can bonus credit be withdrawn immediately?
No. Bonus credit is normally locked behind a wagering requirement, a maximum-cashout cap, and an expiry window. The withdrawal screen shows only the portion that has cleared every condition. Read the promotion terms to see which conditions apply to your credit.
Do all games count equally toward a wagering requirement?
Rarely. Most promotions weight games differently. Slots often count fully, while table games and live dealer games may count at a reduced rate or not at all. The weighting table is part of the promotion terms and should be read before you start playing.
How is comp value different from bonus credit?
Bonus credit is granted as part of a specific promotion and carries explicit conditions. Comp value is earned from tracked play over time, calculated from theoretical loss: average bet times decisions per hour times house edge. Comps are typically a fraction of that theoretical loss, not a rebate on actual results.
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This article is general information about how these mechanics work. It is not legal advice and not a recommendation to gamble or to use any particular operator. Availability and legality differ by jurisdiction — check the rules that apply where you are.