The one-line difference
A non-sticky (cashable) bonus lets you withdraw both the bonus amount and the winnings once wagering is complete. A sticky bonus deducts the bonus principal from any withdrawal — you can win from it, but you never take the bonus itself home.
Same headline, different product. A “€100 match, 35× wagering” that turns out to be sticky is worth roughly half the EV of the same offer non-sticky. Reading the T&C for one sentence tells you which product you’re looking at.
The three T&C tells
Operators rarely use the words “sticky” or “non-sticky” in marketing. In the fine print, look for one of these:
- “Bonus balance is not withdrawable” or “bonus funds are locked to the account” — sticky.
- “Wagering deducts from bonus balance first” followed by “bonus expires on withdrawal” — sticky.
- “Bonus and winnings become withdrawable after wagering” with no locking clause — non-sticky.
If the T&C is silent, ask support in writing before depositing. A screenshot of a support answer holds up in dispute; a phone call does not.
Worked example — same headline, two outcomes
Deposit €100, claim a €100 match bonus with 35× B wagering. You clear wagering and your bankroll finishes at €300 (a common Monte Carlo mode for 96.5% RTP medium-vol slots).
Non-sticky path — withdraw €300. You started with €100 of your own money, so profit is +€200.
Sticky path — the €100 bonus is deducted. You withdraw €200. Profit is +€100 — exactly half.
The gap widens at higher clearance outcomes and shrinks at lower ones, but the shape is stable: sticky halves the upside and doesn’t help on the downside. Same wagering cost either way.
EV table — sticky penalty by wager multiplier
Approximate EV per €100 bonus, 96.5% RTP slots, non-sticky vs sticky, using our Monte Carlo model at /bonuses:
| Wager (× B) | Non-sticky EV | Sticky EV | Verdict on sticky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20× | +€40 | +€10 | NEUTRAL |
| 25× | +€25 | −€5 | NEUTRAL |
| 30× | +€10 | −€20 | SKIP |
| 35× | −€10 | −€40 | SKIP |
| 40× | −€30 | −€60 | SKIP |
| 45× | −€45 | −€75 | SKIP |
| 50× | −€60 | −€90 | SKIP |
Two things fall out of this table:
- Any sticky bonus at 30× or above is a hard SKIP. The math never recovers.
- Even at 20×, a sticky is only marginal. If the same operator offers 20× non-sticky and 20× sticky, the non-sticky is always better; if only sticky is available, treat it as entertainment budget, not bankroll growth.
The verdict rule you can apply in ten seconds
Combine wager and stickiness into a single call:
- CLAIM — non-sticky, wager ≤ 30× B, no D+B, max-bet ≥ €5, max-cashout ≥ 5×.
- NEUTRAL — non-sticky at 35× B, or sticky at ≤ 20× B. Play only if you enjoy the game and treat losses as entertainment.
- SKIP — sticky at ≥ 25× B, any D+B wagering with sticky, any bonus without a documented max-cashout, any bonus that voids on Skrill/Neteller deposits.
Every bonus in our /bonuses table already carries a verdict computed from these rules plus the live Monte Carlo run — you don’t need to re-derive it, but the framework is here so you can audit any bonus we haven’t tracked yet.
Why sticky bonuses still exist
If sticky is strictly worse for the player, why does it persist? Three reasons:
- Legacy operators — smaller platforms built in 2010–2016 haven’t rewritten the bonus engine. Cheaper to keep the old T&C than migrate.
- Crypto casinos — sticky bonuses shield the operator from bonus-hunt arbitrage that’s harder to detect on-chain than on card rails. Also correlates with weaker KYC.
- Massive-headline offers — a “500% match up to €5,000” ad reads as generous. Making it sticky quietly halves the actual value; most players don’t notice until the withdrawal.
None of that is illegal — it’s disclosed in the T&C. It just means the headline is misleading, and reading the T&C for one sentence is worth ten minutes of your time.
Related concepts that interact with stickiness
- Wagering scope — bonus-only (B) vs deposit+bonus (D+B). Sticky + D+B is the worst combination in the market. See wagering-requirements.
- Max cashout — a sticky bonus with a max-cashout cap is doubly limited. Some crypto operators run “sticky, 5× max cashout” — the ceiling is €500 on a €100 bonus regardless of what you win.
- Game contribution — stickiness doesn’t affect contribution weighting, but it interacts with clearance-time math: sticky bonuses reward faster clearance because the sticky share erodes any prolonged session.
- Wager-free bonuses — the opposite end of the spectrum. See the wager-free glossary term and no-wagering.
Where to check first
Non-sticky, low-wager offers filtered and priced live: low-wager casinos. No-deposit offers (which are always effectively sticky because you didn’t deposit anything to reclaim): no-deposit casinos. Full bonus ranking with per-offer verdict: /bonuses.
The 20-second decision
Before claiming any bonus:
- Read one sentence of the bonus balance clause. Sticky or not?
- Read the wagering multiplier and scope. B or D+B?
- Match to the verdict rule above.
If the result is SKIP, close the tab. If CLAIM, deposit. If NEUTRAL, decide whether you’re playing for EV or entertainment — both are valid, but be honest which one it is.