How to read a bonus terms page in five minutes

A bonus terms page is long on purpose. Most of it is boilerplate. The parts that cost you money fit on one line each, and once you know the six headings to search for, you can judge any bonus before you deposit. Use your phone's find-in-page. It takes five minutes.

1. Wagering: D+B or B only

Wagering is how much you must bet before bonus money can be withdrawn. The multiplier matters less than what it multiplies. "40x bonus" means 40 times the bonus amount. "40x D+B" means 40 times deposit plus bonus, which is roughly double the work.

Worked example on a C$50 deposit at 100% match with 40x wagering. Bonus only: C$50 bonus, 40 times C$50, so C$2,000 in bets. D+B: C$50 plus C$50 is C$100, 40 times that is C$4,000 in bets. Same headline, twice the grind. Red Dog runs its main welcome at 40x on D+B. SpinMills prints 40x on the bonus and 35x on free spins. Rolling Slots and Need for Spin are at 45x.

2. Game weighting

Not every bet counts in full. Rolling Slots prints the clearest version we found: slots count 100%, instant games 10%, roulette 5%. A C$10 roulette spin clears 50 cents of wagering there. Live tables at most of these sites count 0%, and Need for Spin bars live casino altogether while a bonus is active. If you play blackjack, a slots bonus is not for you.

3. Validity window

How long you have to finish. Rolling Slots gives 5 days. SpinMills gives 10. Red Dog gives 30 days on the welcome. Divide the wagering by the days: C$4,000 in 5 days is C$800 a day, every day, at a C$7 max bet. Most people do not finish, and when the clock runs out the bonus and any winnings from it are removed.

4. Max bet

The largest stake allowed while the bonus is active. Rolling Slots C$7, SpinMills C$8, Red Dog and Slots Empire $10. Go over once and the site can void the winnings. We wrote a separate max bet guide because it catches more people than wagering does.

5. Max cashout

The ceiling on what the bonus can ever pay. SpinMills caps winnings at 5x the bonus, so a C$40 bonus can never pay more than C$200 no matter what you hit. Spinlander caps free spin winnings at C$150, and SpinMills caps spin wins at C$160. Red Dog and Slots Empire cap the welcome at 30x the deposit. A cap is not a scam, but a 5x cap on a bonus you must wager 40x is a bad trade.

6. Excluded games

A list of slots you cannot play with bonus funds, usually high-RTP titles and anything with a buy-bonus feature. Search the page for "excluded" or "restricted". Play one by accident and the win can be voided under the same clause as the max bet.

What goes wrong

• You read the promo page, not the terms page. The promo page says 270% up to C$4,500. The terms page says 45x, 5 days, C$7. Two different documents.
• You assume D+B is B. Doubling the wagering target halfway through a bonus is a bad surprise.
• You play live roulette to clear it. At 5% weighting you will run out of days first.
• You withdraw before the bonus is done. Most sites forfeit the bonus and its winnings on the spot. Some let you cancel the bonus and keep the deposit; ask chat first.

Write the six numbers on a note before you deposit. If any one of them is missing from the terms page, treat that as the answer. Our bonuses page does the arithmetic on a C$50 and C$200 deposit at every site we list, and the Rolling Slots review walks through the terms with the full numbers. To see a terms page that prints everything up front, open SpinMills and scroll to the welcome pack rules.