How to compare casino bonuses

A casino bonus is a contract with a price tag hidden in the terms. The headline number tells you what the casino puts in. The wagering, the max bet, the expiry and the game weighting tell you what you have to put through the reels before any of it is yours. This guide turns those terms into money, then runs three live offers from our database through the same test.

The short version: compare bonuses on expected value, not on size. A small offer with a light rollover regularly beats a big one with a heavy rollover.

The five terms that decide the value

Read these five lines in every offer, in this order. Each one can turn a generous-looking bonus into a poor one.

1. Wagering and what it applies to. The multiple tells you how many times you bet the amount. "On bonus" means the bonus only; "on deposit plus bonus" means both, which doubles the bets on a full match. This is the term that moves value the most. Some sites call it playthrough or rollover; it is the same idea.
2. Expiry. The days you get to finish the rollover. A short window forces bigger or faster bets, and an unfinished rollover usually means the bonus and its winnings are removed.
3. Max bet. The largest stake allowed while the bonus is active. Break it once and the casino can void your winnings. A low cap also slows you down, which matters when the expiry is short.
4. Game weighting. Slots usually count in full; table games and live casino often count at a fraction or not at all. If you plan to play blackjack, a bonus where blackjack counts at a tenth is worth very little to you.
5. Cash-out cap. Common on no-deposit and free-spin offers: winnings above the cap are removed when you withdraw.

After those come the smaller filters: minimum deposit (if that is your first filter, start from the low deposit casino list), eligible payment methods (some e-wallets are excluded from welcome offers), sticky or non-sticky bonus money, and whether a bonus code is needed. A young brand often runs a sharper offer to win sign-ups, but with a shorter track record behind it; the new casinos page shows the licence and score next to each one.

Turn the rollover into money

The fastest honest comparison takes three steps. You can run them by hand or in our wagering calculator.

The house edge in step 2 is 100% minus the slot's RTP. RTP is a long-run average, so any single session can land far above or below it. That is exactly why the expected value is the right yardstick for comparing offers: it removes luck from the comparison, not from your session.

Two adjustments keep the number honest. If wagering applies to deposit plus bonus, add the deposit in step 1. If the games you will play count at a lower weighting, divide the bets by that weighting: at 10%, every euro of blackjack counts as ten cents of rollover, so the required bets grow tenfold.

Three live offers, side by side

Here are three welcome packages for players in Ireland from the bonus records in our database, all from casinos licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (check any of them on the MGA licensee register). The terms were last read on the operators' pages on 3 November 2026. The casinos are NetBet, Videoslots and 888 Casino.

The ranking flips the headline order. 888 Casino shows the largest number and ends last on expected value, because forty times a bigger bonus is a lot of spinning. NetBet's rollover, a quarter of 888 Casino's multiple, is light enough that the bonus keeps most of its value even after the house edge. Videoslots sits in between: a modest bonus with a standard rollover, plus a handful of spins.

The expiry changes the picture again. Clearing 888 Casino's rollover inside 90 days at the capped stake is possible for a regular player; clearing a rollover inside 7 days, as NetBet asks, is easy only because its total is small. Videoslots allows 60 days, which makes its EUR 7,000 a steady pace rather than a sprint. Always read the bets needed next to the days allowed.

Free spins and wager-free offers

Free spins need a different yardstick. Find the value per spin (often the minimum stake on the named slot), multiply by the number of spins and by the slot's RTP. If winnings are paid as cash, that is the expected value. If winnings carry a rollover, run them through the three steps above.

Wager-free offers skip the rollover entirely, so even a small one can beat a large match bonus. NetBet's spins are a case in point: in our record their winnings carry no wagering, which makes them worth roughly the spin value times the RTP, paid in cash.

Cashback is different again: it returns part of your net losses, so it is worth most to the player who was going to play anyway, and nothing on a winning week.

Check who stands behind the offer

A bonus is only as good as the casino's willingness to pay it out. Before you compare numbers, confirm the licence on the regulator's own register; our guide to casino licences shows where each one keeps its list and how to complain. If you pay with crypto, read our guide to crypto casino bonuses as well: coin value can move while you clear a rollover.

A five-minute comparison checklist

• Write down the bonus, the wagering and whether it applies to bonus or deposit plus bonus.
• Work out total bets and expected loss at the RTP of the games you will actually play.
• Put the total bets next to the expiry and the max bet. Can you finish in time at a stake you are comfortable with?
• Check the game weighting for your games, and the cash-out cap on spins and no-deposit offers.
• Confirm the licence on the regulator's register, then read the operator's full terms page.

Set your deposit limit before you claim anything, and treat any bonus as entertainment money. If play stops feeling like a choice, our responsible gambling page lists the tools and helplines that can help.