Welcome bonus: read it before your first deposit
By Kristaps Birznieks · updated October 2026
The welcome bonus is the first offer you see after signing up. It is usually a percentage added to your first deposit, a package spread over several deposits, or a free bet in the sports section. The banner shows the percentage and the maximum amount. For someone who plays live tables or bets on sport, the more important question is different: what happens to the bonus if you never touch a slot?
The casino version: start with the contribution table
A casino welcome bonus normally comes with a wagering requirement — an amount you must stake before the bonus and any winnings from it can be withdrawn. The key document is the game contribution table. If slots count 100% and live roulette counts 10%, every euro you stake at the wheel reduces the requirement by just ten cents.
A worked example: a €100 bonus with 35x wagering means €3,500 in stakes. If live blackjack counts 10%, you would need €35,000 at the blackjack table. With good rules and basic strategy the house edge is around 0.5%, so the expected loss is roughly €175 — more than the bonus itself. At European roulette (2.70%) the same turnover carries an expected loss of about €945. This is why a casino welcome bonus rarely suits a table player.
The sports version: odds and deadline
A sports welcome offer may be a free bet or bonus funds with their own wagering. Check three things: the minimum odds, the deadline, and whether accumulators are judged by each leg or by the combined price. With a free bet, find out whether the stake is returned with a win. Usually it is not — only the profit is paid — so a free bet is worth less than its face value. A €10 free bet at odds of 3.00 pays €20 profit if it wins, but on average it is worth about €6.67 before the bookmaker's margin.
Maximum stake and banned play
While the bonus is active there is usually a maximum stake. At a live table it is easy to exceed: if you cover several positions on the roulette layout, the limit may apply to your total bet for the round. Blackjack doubles and splits can count too. Bets that cover nearly every outcome — red and black together, or Player and Banker in the same baccarat round — are commonly banned, and breaking these rules is a frequent reason winnings are removed.
How to decide
- Mostly live tables: compare the contribution with the multiplier and work out the expected loss.
- Mostly sports: make sure your usual odds meet the minimum requirement and that the deadline matches the fixtures you follow.
- You want no restrictions: decline the offer when you register or deposit; cancelling it later can be harder.
The general rules are explained in bonus terms, the arithmetic in wagering requirements, and the table maths in table games. If you are a returning player, see the reload bonus instead.
Every figure on this page is an example for the arithmetic. Percentages, multipliers, deadlines and limits are set by the operator and can change at any time — the cashier and the bonus terms on the operator's site are what count.