The bonus
Sticky v non-sticky
- Maths reviewed by Josh Miller
- Tested by Diana Westfield
A sticky bonus can never be withdrawn: it stays in your balance and gets taken off when you cash out. A non-sticky bonus waits behind your own money and only comes into play if you lose your deposit. With £100 matched 100%, 35× wagering on the bonus and a 96% slot, the free CasinoCalcs sticky bonus calculator above puts the sticky version at −£37.30 per deposit and the non-sticky one at −£3.26. Same offer on paper, very different value.
Sticky vs non-sticky: how each one plays
- Sticky: you play £200 from the start and must wager £3,500 before cashing out. At 4% house edge that wagering costs about £140 on average. Then the £100 bonus is removed. You usually finish with less than you deposited.
- Non-sticky: you play your own £100 first, with no strings. Hit your cash-out target (£200 here) and you withdraw, giving up the bonus. That happened in 31.8% of sessions. Lose the £100 and the bonus switches on, with its wagering, as a second chance.
The non-sticky version is better because you can walk away at the top. The bonus only costs you something in the sessions where you’d have lost your deposit anyway.
Things that change the result
- Wagering on deposit + bonus doubles the play-through and makes both versions worse.
- The cash-out target on a non-sticky bonus: lower targets are hit more often, higher ones pay more when hit.
- Volatility: high-volatility slots bust more sessions but give bigger chances of clearing the bonus with a win.
- Terms the model leaves out: max bet rules, max win caps and game weightings. Read them before you take an offer.
To value one offer in detail, or compare two side by side, use the wagering requirement calculator. The bonus value calculator gives a quick EV, and the cashback calculator handles cashback offers.
Play for fun with money you won’t miss. If you’re spending more than you planned, BeGambleAware.org is free and confidential.