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Bonus terms glossary

Bonus terms are written in a dialect: turnover, rollover, contribution, sticky, sticky-versus-non-sticky, cap, expiry, forfeiture. None of it is difficult once it is translated, but untranslated it is the main reason players accept offers they do not understand. Here is the vocabulary, in plain English.

The core financial terms

Wagering, turnover, play-through and rollover are the same concept: the volume of qualifying stakes required before bonus-related money can be withdrawn. The multiple tells you how many times the base must be played through, and the base tells you whether that is the bonus, the deposit, or both.

Bonus credit is the promotional balance itself. It is separate from your real balance, it is not withdrawable on arrival, and its release is governed by the terms. These two ideas — the requirement and the credit — are what most of a rulebook is actually about.

The categorising terms

Contribution describes how much each game counts towards the wagering requirement. Game weighting is the same thing expressed as categories, and the contribution table lists them. Excluded games are those that count for nothing, which is why the table is as important as the requirement itself.

The maximum stake rule caps how much you may bet while a bonus is active. It is phrased in different ways — maximum bet, stake limit, maximum wager — but the effect is identical: exceed it and the operator may void the bonus and anything won with it.

The limiting terms

A maximum win or cap sets the ceiling on what a bonus can produce. Once reached, further winnings are removed before the wagering continues. The cap defines the best realistic outcome of the offer, no matter how the games behave.

Expiry and validity define the deadline for claiming or completing the conditions. Sticky and non-sticky describe whether the bonus credit is removed when you withdraw, or whether it converts into withdrawable funds once the requirement is met. Both are set by the operator.

The procedural terms

Forfeiture is the removal of bonus credit and related winnings, usually because a rule was broken or a deadline passed. Cancellation is the voluntary version, where you give up the bonus to regain control of your own funds, normally losing anything won with the credit.

Opt-in describes the step that activates an offer, and it matters because skipping it leaves the deposit as an ordinary deposit. Verification is the identity check that usually precedes a first withdrawal, and it can hold up both money and bonus until it is complete.

Terms that catch people out

• “Free” — usually means no deposit is required, not that the credit is unconditional.
• “Cashback” — normally returned as bonus credit with wagering, not as cash.
• “No wagering” — check the rest of the terms before believing the phrase.
• “Guaranteed” — an immediate warning sign; chance cannot be guaranteed.
• “Instant withdrawal” — usually subject to verification and the bonus conditions.

None of these words is illegal or inherently deceptive, but each one compresses a set of conditions into a phrase. Where a phrase hides the conditions, the conditions are in the operator’s terms and conditions, waiting to be read.

A working method

When you meet a new term, look it up in the rulebook rather than guessing from the marketing. A minute spent translating saves a dispute later, and the vocabulary above covers the great majority of what any bonus terms will throw at you.

Keep the glossary beside the terms as you read. The clauses are written to be precise, and precision is on your side once you are fluent in the words the clauses use.

Why the vocabulary matters

A player who can translate the terms is a player who can decline a bad offer in seconds and accept a good one with confidence. That is the entire practical benefit of learning this vocabulary — not sophistication, just clarity.

Read the glossary once and the rulebook stops being a wall of text. The definitions here are explanations, not terms — the operative wording is always the operator’s own, so check the terms and conditions for the version that governs your offer.

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