Sinceour website focuses on all things related to casino bonuses, we must talk about something many players overlook. Namely, whether a bonus is cashable or non-cashable.
One of the biggest mistakes new players at the online casinos make, when it comes to claiming the many bonus offers available, is assuming that every bonus at that online casino will be part of the overall winnings when you withdraw. And while this may be true for most bonuses, some of them are non-cashable, also known as “sticky bonuses”. This begs the question: Can you withdraw the casino bonus? Below we will explain the differences between a non-cashable bonus and a cashable one.
Cashable Bonuses
- Can be withdrawn by the player, along with the deposit and winnings
- Remain as part of your balance
- Tend to have lower wagering requirements
- The better type of bonus
- More popular
As the name suggests, the player can withdraw the bonus along with their winnings. When claiming a cashable bonus, the amount received in free chips when you made a deposit remains as part of your withdrawal. It is very simple to use, as it requires no calculations – what you see in your bankroll is what you get when you request a withdrawal. In other words, you can cashout your full bankroll, as long as all other conditions of the bonus have been met.
This is the type of bonus that is most widely available at the online casinos these days. Ans as we mentioned, most players assume that every bonus they redeem at the casino is of the cashable type. While this is mostly true, there are some casinos that still choose to offer non-cashable bonuses, so let’s look at those in turn.
Non-Cashable Bonus
- Cannot be cashed out
- Serves only to increase your bankroll
- It is removed from your balance when you make a withdrawal
- Sometimes it requires higher wagering
- It may come with additional conditions
- Less popular
While most online casinos have abandoned this type of bonus, the non-cashable bonus still makes the rare appearance out there, so it’s important to understand the difference compared to the cashable one.
Sometimes referred to as a sticky bonus, the non cashable bonus acts as a standard free offering, but in the end, the amount you received in free chips cannot be withdrawn. Sometimes you may hear people call this type a play-only bonus, which is another great way to explain how it works. Basically, the casino will give you the bonus amount advertised, and you can play the games with it. However, if you accumulate enough winnings and decide to withdraw, the bonus amount itself will be removed from your balance, i.e. you will only be able to cash out your winnings and the amount of the deposit you’ve made in order to claim the bonus. The actual bonus itself sticks with the casino, hence the “sticky bonus” moniker.
Let’s look at an example of a non-cashable bonus. Let’s say that you made a $50 deposit at a casino and as part of an offer you received and extra $100 bonus of the non-cashable type. After some playtime, you’ve accumulated a total balance of $500 and decided it was time to withdraw. When you go to cash out your bankroll, since it was a non-cashable bonus, the casino will remove the $100 bonus given to you initially, and you will only be able to withdraw $400.
Another drawback of the non-cashable bonus is that some casinos will not only have higher wagering requirements when claiming this type of bonus, but even require a higher payout threshold. In some cases a casino may obligate the player to have a balance greater than the amount of the bonus plus the deposit, if they wish to make a withdrawal. For example, if the player deposits $200 and gets a $200 sticky bonus, they will not be able the request a cashout that is less than $400, even if all other terms, such as wagering, have been satisfied. And since this is a non-cashable bonus, the $200 will still be removed from your balance.
In conclusion
As you can tell from the differences between the cashable and the non cashable bonus, the latter is a raw deal for the player. Luckily, most of the online casinos today have stopped offering the sticky type of bonus, and for a good reason. Since the cashable bonus is the norm and people tend to assume it, you can imagine the outcry a non-cashable bonus would generate among the casino’s customers. There is no reason to risk changing the players’ satisfaction for the worse, especially when your competitors are offering better deals, thus most online casinos will avoid publishing non-cashable bonuses.
That’s not to say that the sticky bonus should be avoided at all costs. If you like the casino you patronize and it tends to promote non cashable bonuses on occasions, you can either forgo redemption or claim them, with the knowledge that the bonus is sticky in mind. Overall, the non-cashable bonus is not the best deal you can get, but in the end, it increases your balance, giving you better chance at winning, even if the bonus itself is a play-only. Knowing the difference can help you make an informed decision, and more importantly, avoid surprises at cashout time.
