Guides

Casino bonus guides

Notes on wagering, bonus terms and traps, game contribution, KYC, the crypto cashier, and VPN rules. Root Score is how we read a printed welcome.

How we score: Root Score Welcome terms archive

What you'll learn

How wagering is counted, and which games contribute toward it.
Where max bet, cashout caps, feature buy, and time limits sit in the bonus terms.
When KYC is required, including on a crypto cashier, and how VPN rules differ by operator.
What Root Score measures, and where the dated terms are kept.

Casino bonus wagering and contribution

Wagering, game contribution, free spins versus a match, and the first read.

How to wager a bonus

Playthrough is the price of the extra funds. Here is the formula, the latches, and the walk — in the order you actually meet them.

Updated 26 Aug 2026

14 min

Wager-free bonuses: what no wagering means

A wager-free bonus puts no playthrough multiplier on the bonus or on free-spin winnings, so winnings are normally paid out as cash. This guide explains what that removes and what it leaves in place, how wager-free differs from non-sticky, and which clauses still limit a withdrawal.

Updated 6 Oct 2026

8 min

Games that clear a chest

Two jobs. High RTP keeps you in the walk. High variance can turn leftover bonus into a cashier trip — or into nothing.

Updated 26 Aug 2026

10 min

Game weighting vs. RTP: which games count toward wagering?

RTP is the share a slot pays back over a very long run, while game weighting is the share of each bet that counts toward the bonus wagering. A slot with 98% RTP at 10% weighting clears wagering far more slowly than a 96% slot that counts fully. The contribution table sits in the bonus terms.

Updated 4 Sep 2026

6 min

RTP files: the studio sheet is not the lobby

Book of Dead’s 96.21% is a default. Operators load lower files. The only number that counts is the one on the info panel in the room you are in.

Updated 4 Sep 2026

7 min

Free spins vs. deposit match: what is the difference?

A deposit match adds bonus money to your balance, while free spins are rounds on one named game, often with wagering on the winnings and a cap on what you can withdraw. When a welcome offer shows both, they are two separate products, and Root Score rates the cash match on the first deposit.

Updated 4 Sep 2026

5 min

Staged welcome packages: why the advertised total is not your first bonus

A staged welcome package adds several deposit bonuses together into one advertised total, so the headline figure is never what you get on your first deposit. Root Score rates only the first stage, using its wagering, its base, its deadline and its limits. Hit’n’Spin and Lucky7even show how the split works.

Updated 4 Sep 2026

6 min

Casino bonus limits and traps

Max bet, feature buy, ante bets, cashout caps, and time limits.

Maximum bet rules: how a casino bonus gets voided

Most bonus terms set a maximum bet while the bonus is active, often around €5, sometimes €2 or a percentage of the bonus. If you bet above it, the casino can cancel the bonus, the winnings or both. Raising the stake to chase a feature and adding an ante are the most common causes.

Updated 10 Oct 2026

6 min

Can you use bonus buy with a casino bonus?

Most casino bonus terms either exclude bonus buys or treat them as a stake above the maximum bet, which can void the bonus and its winnings. Ante bets work in a similar way because they raise the stake. If the terms ban feature buys, it is safest to trigger features through normal spins.

Updated 4 Sep 2026

6 min

Does an ante bet count toward the maximum bet on a bonus?

Yes. An ante bet raises the amount you stake on every spin, so it counts toward a bonus maximum bet. With a €5 limit, a €4 spin plus a 25% ante is already €5, and one step higher breaks the rule. Feature buys are usually excluded by name, while ante bets often are not.

Updated 4 Sep 2026

5 min

Cashout caps on bonuses: what 5× your deposit means

A 120% match with a 5× cashout cap is a smaller chest than the banner. Ice prints it. No-deposit tours print it. We keep publishing the arithmetic because the industry will not.

Updated 10 Oct 2026

6 min

Casino bonus time limits: how the expiry date can end a bonus

A casino bonus usually has an expiry date, and that deadline is separate from how long a withdrawal takes. If the wagering is not finished in time, the bonus and its winnings can be removed. Rooster’s ROOSTER2 code gives seven days for 40x at a €5 maximum bet, and Ice gives five days.

Updated 4 Sep 2026

5 min

No-deposit offers without the traps

Free spins with a cashout cap can still be useful. Here is when they are, and when they are bait.

Updated 26 Aug 2026

5 min

Casino bonus terms and KYC

Small print, sticky wallets, sister brands, and when identity checks happen.

Reading the small print

The clauses that decide whether a bonus is a chest or a pit — in the order they usually bite.

Updated 26 Aug 2026

6 min

Sticky, non-sticky, and the two wallets

Sticky glues deposit and bonus until playthrough is done. Non-sticky keeps two wallets. Cash is used first. If you have not touched the bonus, you can usually take the deposit home.

Updated 10 Oct 2026

6 min

Do sister casinos share the same bonus terms?

Sister casinos often share a design and sometimes payment methods, but each one has its own bonus terms, so you cannot assume one casino’s rules apply to the other. Rooster’s ROOSTER2 code is 40x within seven days at a €5 maximum bet, while SpinsUP’s first deposit is a different offer.

Updated 4 Sep 2026

5 min

Identity on day one

A licensed room will still ask for papers, especially before a withdrawal. A coin is a payment method, not a mask.

Updated 4 Sep 2026

5 min

How we score

Root Score on the printed welcome, and the welcome terms archive for the dated fields. Root Score Welcome terms archive

Root Score: how we rank casino bonuses by terms

Root Score is the mean of equal-weight attribute curves (match, amount, wager after B vs B+D, and win cap when listed), plus fixed latch rules — not a raw average of the printed figures. Affiliate commission never changes the order.

Updated 1 Oct 2026

7 min

What does ‘terms checked’ mean on Bonusjungle?

“Terms checked” is the date on which we last read a casino’s published bonus terms against the offer shown on the card. It is not a claim that we deposited, played or withdrew. If that date is older than two weeks, we treat the offer as unconfirmed until the terms are read again.

Updated 26 Aug 2026

5 min

Teach, don't sell: read bonus terms yourself

This guide is meant to explain, not to sell. It shows how to read a welcome bonus, a no-deposit bonus and a wager-free offer from the published terms, how Root Score uses those terms, where the dated terms archive is, and which things this site openly does not measure.

Updated 7 Oct 2026

14 min

Responsible play and VPN rules

Limits, each operator's VPN terms, and when to stop.

Playing in control

Bonuses are not a reason to chase. Tools, limits, and when to walk away.

Updated 26 Aug 2026

4 min

VPN and casino terms

A VPN is a privacy and travel tool. It is not a licence, and it does not change which countries a casino accepts. Read each operator’s terms, follow your local law, and use the Vault filter for the published stance.

Updated 2 Oct 2026

8 min

Online gambling in Germany: what is legal (GlüStV 2021)

What is legal in Germany: GlüStV 2021, the GGL whitelist, the €1 stake per game, the €1,000 monthly deposit limit and the 5-second rule. 18+.

Updated 7 Oct 2026

8 min

Online casinos in Switzerland: what is legal (Gambling Act)

Online casinos in Switzerland: legal only at casinos with a concession extension and an ESBK permit. Block list and the legal position, as of 10 October 2026. 18+.

Updated 10 Oct 2026

6 min

Online casinos in Austria: what is legal (Gambling Act)

Online casino is legal in Austria only at win2day, the platform of the Austrian Lotteries. They hold the concession under § 14 GSpG until 30 September 2027. Operators with a Malta, Curaçao or other foreign licence do not hold an Austrian concession. Under the settled case law of the Supreme Court, players can reclaim losses from such operators (most recently 7 Ob 16/25s of 19 February 2025).

Updated 10 Oct 2026

9 min

Casino bonuses in Switzerland: the 10 ESBK casinos

Switzerland licenses online casino play only at the casinos on the ESBK list. This page compares bonus terms we read on those operators' own pages. Houses that are not on the list are not included.

Updated 10 Oct 2026

9 min

Crypto cashier

Deposits, networks, fees, and identity checks on a crypto cashier. See crypto casinos

How crypto deposits work at an online casino

A coin transfer is a payment, not a shortcut. Network fees, confirmations, min deposits, and the walk from wallet to cashier.