How to read any bonus in 30 seconds
Open the bonus terms of the offer you are looking at and find the answers to five questions. One casino can set different numbers for different offers, so read the rules of this offer, not a neighbouring one.
- Wagering: what multiple, and on what base? Look for “wager” or “playthrough”. The base is the sum the multiple is applied to: the bonus only (“The bonus wager is x40”, Golden Crown) or deposit plus bonus (“30 times the sum of the deposit plus the bonus”, Fair Go). Some terms do not name the base: Grand Rush gives “a 60× wagering requirement” without saying 60× of what. If the base is not written, ask support before you deposit, because when the bonus equals your deposit, a deposit-plus-bonus base doubles the bets you owe.
- Expiry: how long do you have? Golden Crown gives 14 days for the bonus, and spins have their own clock: “Every set of spins should be activated within 24 hours; otherwise, they will expire.” If you cannot finish the wagering in that time, the bonus and what you won with it can be lost.
- Maximum bet: what is the largest stake allowed, and what happens above it? Golden Crown: A$7 per spin on one offer, A$3 on another, and the limit covers bonus rounds you buy inside a game. Grand Rush: “$5 per round” (no currency code given), and bets above it “will void all winnings”. If you play with a bonus, keep every stake under this number.
- Game contribution: which games count, and by how much? Contribution is the share of each bet that counts towards wagering. At Golden Crown slots count 100% and table and live casino games 5%, so A$1 bet on blackjack clears 5 cents of the requirement. If you mostly play tables, a bonus takes about twenty times more betting to clear. Details: which games count.
- Cash-out cap: how much can you take out at the end? Golden Crown caps winnings from a deposit bonus at 5× the deposit, up to A$7,500; Ozwin and Fair Go cap a no-deposit bonus at 5× the bonus. If the cap is low, a big win is cut to the cap and the rest is lost.
If all five answers are acceptable to you — a multiple you can meet, enough time, a stake limit you would not pass, the games you play counting in full, and a cap you can live with — the bonus may suit you. If one of them is not, that is the clause that will decide the outcome, and playing without the bonus may be the better choice.
Types of casino bonus and what to check in each
The examples come from the operators' terms and promotion pages as shown to an anonymous visitor from Australia on 2 November 2026. They are examples, not the usual terms of the whole market: we did not count every casino. A headline on a promotion page does not mean the offer is open to your account.
| Type | What you get | Conditions to check (examples, 2 Nov 2026) | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit match (first deposit and sign-up offers) | A percentage of your deposit added as bonus credit, up to a ceiling, often with free spins. Golden Crown's headline: “100% UP TO $15,000 + 300 FREE SPINS”. Jackpot Jill's “475%” is the sum of the percentages over a package of deposits; the first deposit is matched 125% | Multiple and base: x40 on the bonus at Golden Crown, 30× deposit plus bonus at Fair Go. Cash-out cap: 5× the deposit, up to A$7,500, at Golden Crown. Maximum bet and expiry: questions 2 and 3 above | First deposit bonuses |
| Reload | A match on a later deposit. PlayAmo: 50% on the second deposit up to A$1,400, and 50% up to A$250 on Fridays | Golden Crown's reload: 40× (deposit bonus + winnings from free spins) and a bonus code. Golden Crown may treat reloads as abuse if every deposit and bet you make between them is made with an active bonus, and can then restrict or stop your bonuses | All bonuses |
| Free spins | Spins on a named pokie at a fixed stake; winnings become bonus credit. Golden Crown's welcome spins: Bonanza Billion, 30 a day for 10 days | Golden Crown: x40 on the spins too; each set to be activated within 24 hours and played within 24 hours; winnings from deposit spins capped at 5× the deposit, up to A$150. “Zero wager” spins (Jackpot Jill) have no multiple; check that offer's terms for how long they last and any cap on their winnings | Free spins, no-wagering bonuses |
| No-deposit bonus | Credit or spins without a deposit. PlayCroco's promotion page: “$10 FREE chip!” | Cash-out cap: 5× the bonus at Ozwin and Fair Go, A$75 at Golden Crown, 6× the chip at Lucky Tiger, Rich Palms and Shazam; Ignition: “no deposit bonuses under $100 will have a maximum cashout amount of $125” (no currency code). Multiple: 60× at Grand Rush. Availability: BitStarz's country list for no-deposit offers does not include Australia | No-deposit bonuses |
| Cashback | A share of losses returned as bonus credit. Golden Crown: “Cashback up to 20%” of the previous day's losses; Fair Go: 25% (40% for VIPs) on every “busted deposit of minimum $10” made without a deposit bonus. A busted deposit is one you have lost: the same clause says your balance must be “lower than $1” to claim | Golden Crown: to withdraw cashback winnings, your bets must reach five times “the total amount spent during the day”, by 23:59 UTC of that day (10:59 am the next day in Sydney under daylight saving, 9:59 am outside it). The terms do not say whether “spent” means deposits, bets or losses, so ask support which sum is multiplied before you count on the cashback. Its terms also contradict themselves on a cap: one clause says “no limitations” on cashback winnings, another limits them to A$15,000. Plan on the lower figure, A$15,000, and ask support which clause applies before you rely on it. Its rate table is headed “DEPOSIT AMOUNT”, while the text ties the rate to losses. Fair Go: 20× wagering | Cashback bonuses |
| High roller / VIP | Bigger ceilings for large deposits, such as Golden Crown's “up to $15,000” | A bigger ceiling does not change the clauses: at Golden Crown the welcome bonus carries the same x40 and the same cash-out cap of 5× the deposit, up to A$7,500 | High roller bonuses |
| Comp points | Points for play, exchanged for money. Lucky Tiger, Rich Palms and Shazam: the smallest exchange is “100, which converts to $1” | How many points a bet earns is not written in those terms, so the value of points per dollar bet cannot be worked out from them | Bonus terms explained |
What wagering requirements cost in dollars
Two numbers turn a multiple into dollars. Turnover = multiple × base: the total you must bet. Expected cost = turnover × (1 − return): what that betting loses on average. We use a 96% return because four popular pokies sit between 95.97% and 96.71% on their studios' sites (Bonanza Billion, Sweet Bonanza, Big Bass Bonanza, The Dog House). It is an average over very many bets, not a forecast for your session, and a casino may run a lower-return version of a game.
- Bonus only, 40×. A$100 bonus: 40 × A$100 = A$4,000 of bets; 4,000 × 0.04 = about A$160 expected cost — more than the A$100 bonus.
- Deposit plus bonus, 30× (Fair Go's deposit coupons). A$100 deposit and a 100% bonus of A$100: 30 × A$200 = A$6,000 of bets, about A$240.
- Deposit plus bonus, 35× (Ozwin; Lucky Tiger, Rich Palms and Shazam match bonuses). The same A$100 + A$100: A$7,000 of bets, about A$280.
- No-deposit, 60× (Grand Rush). A A$50 bonus, counting 60× on the bonus because the terms do not name the base: A$3,000 of bets, about A$120. No money of yours is in play here: a cost above the bonus means that, on average, the A$50 runs out before the A$3,000 of bets is done.
- Table games at 5% contribution. To clear the A$4,000 from the first example on games that count 5%, you must bet 4,000 / 0.05 = A$80,000; on roulette counting 50% at Grand Rush, A$8,000. We give only the turnover here: we have not collected the returns of table games, so we do not put a dollar cost on it.
A cash-out cap does not lower these costs; it only limits how much you can take out if you win.
When the cost figures do not apply. If you would bet that turnover on 100%-contributing pokies anyway, the cost is the price of your usual play, not of the bonus, and the bonus works like a discount on it. The bonus rules still apply while it is active: every stake must stay under the maximum bet (from A$3 at Golden Crown to “$10” at Ozwin and Fair Go in the terms we read), so if your usual stakes are higher, the bonus does not fit your play; the expiry and the cash-out cap also stay.
Eight bonus rules that decide whether to take it
These are the clauses as the casinos wrote them on 2 November 2026, each with what it does to your money. A quote shows what the operator writes, not how strictly it applies the rule in practice.
In the bonus rules, in this order — with the wording we found
- 1. Multiple and base. “The bonus wager is x40, both for match part and spins” (Golden Crown); “players must wager 40x the bonus amount before being allowed to cash-out or as stipulated in a promotion's terms and conditions” (Wolf Winner, King Johnnie, Jackpot Jill); “30 times the sum of the deposit plus the bonus” (Fair Go; Ozwin: 35 times). Effect: the base decides your turnover; when the bonus equals the deposit, a deposit-plus-bonus base doubles it.
- 2. Maximum bet. “Bets exceeding these limits will void all winnings” (Grand Rush, “$5 per round”); “Betting above $10 during a bonus playthrough will result in any promotion winnings voided” (Ozwin, Fair Go); at PlayAmo, Woo and CasinoChan the limit is A$8 (at PlayAmo and Woo, buying game features “will add to your bet amount”), and above it the casino “reserves the right to confiscate the winnings”. Effect: one stake above the limit can cost every winning made with the bonus; “reserves the right” means it may, not that it always does.
- 3. Expiry. “The validity of the bonus is 14 days from its receipt unless otherwise stated” (Golden Crown); “Bonus funds and winnings will be forfeited upon expiry of the bonus” (King Billy). Effect: unfinished wagering at the deadline costs the bonus and what you won with it.
- 4. Game contribution. “All bets made while playing slots contribute 100% to bonus wagering. Bets made in table games, live casino games, lottery, or other available games contribute 5%” (Golden Crown). Effect: on low-contribution games the turnover multiplies; see which games count.
- 5. Cash-out cap. Deposit-bonus winnings: “x5 the amount of the deposit the bonus was activated on, but no more than … 7,500 AUD” (Golden Crown); “a maximum withdrawable limit of 10× your deposit … up to and not exceeding $10,000” (Grand Rush, no currency code); “limited to a maximum withdrawal value of $5000 and any remaining balance will be forfeited” (Casino Mate, sign-up bonuses); no-deposit bonuses: “a maximum cash-out of 5x the bonus amount” (Ozwin, Fair Go). Effect: anything above the cap is removed when you withdraw.
- 6. Sticky, and withdrawing during a bonus. “The bonus amount is sticky, and the initial bonus amount will be deducted upon withdrawal” (Lucky Tiger, Rich Palms, match bonuses); King Billy's example for a sticky bonus: €2,000 on balance after wagering, €100 bonus deducted, €1,900 withdrawable. The opposite: “Your bets are deducted from the real money balance first” (Golden Crown). While a bonus is active, Jackpot Jill will not let you withdraw unless you “forfeit your bonus”; BitStarz lets you take out your deposit only after cancelling the bonus, which forfeits “the bonus amount and all associated winnings”. Effect: leaving early costs the bonus at both sites; at BitStarz the terms say it also costs the winnings made with it.
- 7. Abuse clauses. In the general terms of ten sites (among them Golden Crown, Casinonic, King Billy and PlayAmo): “Maintaining a deposits-to-bonus ratio exceeding 50%” and “Delaying play until wagering requirements expire or manipulating game rounds”. The ratio clause does not say how the ratio is counted, so if you take a bonus on most of your deposits, ask support how they measure it before you play. At Casinonic, Dundee Slots, Ricky and King Billy, abuse “will result in the closure of the relevant Player's account” and the casino “reserves the right to … confiscate all winnings”; Jackpot Jill may “refund only the original deposit amount minus any costs”. Effect: the account can be closed and winnings kept; the terms do not say how often this is used.
- 8. Codes and opt-outs. Golden Crown's reload and Ozwin's welcome need a bonus code, per their terms. “A gambler has the right to refuse to receive any bonuses from the Casino” (Golden Crown; Spinago and Casino Rocket say the same), but at Golden Crown choosing “I refused from all bonuses” means “you won't receive a Welcome Bonus”. Effect: you can say no; at Golden Crown that gives up the welcome offer.
The same wording at several sites. Some clauses appear word for word at several casinos: the 40×-the-bonus clause at Wolf Winner, King Johnnie and Jackpot Jill; the deposit-plus-bonus 35× clause at Lucky Tiger, Rich Palms and Shazam; the abuse list at ten sites. The same text does not prove the sites are one company, and a number from one site does not carry over to another: at Casinonic and Dundee Slots the multiple is 50×, at King Billy 30×, not Golden Crown's 40×. Which casinos are related is on sister sites.
Game contribution: which games count towards wagering
Contribution is the share of each bet that counts towards wagering (Grand Rush: “Percentage of wager that counts towards wagering requirements”). Two of the documents we read give percentages by game:
| Game | Golden Crown | Grand Rush |
|---|---|---|
| Slots (pokies) | 100% | 100% |
| Keno | not named (lottery and “other available games”: 5%) | 100% |
| Roulette | 5% (table games) | 50% |
| Three Card Poker | 5% (table games) | 50% |
| Baccarat | 5% (table games) | 25% |
| Video poker | not named | 10% |
| Blackjack | 5% (table games) | 5% |
| Live casino games | 5% | not named |
Other sites exclude games instead of weighting them. For free bonuses, Ozwin and Fair Go say wagering on blackjack, video poker, craps, American roulette, baccarat and “other table games and non-pokies games” will not count (Ozwin adds “unless specifically stated”); for their deposit coupons that clause is silent. Lucky Tiger and Shazam list games that “cannot be played with bonus funds”, among them roulette, baccarat and craps; Rich Palms has a shorter list under the same clause. Grand Rush: new players “may not use match offers on their first three deposits on video poker or table games”, and “No winnings on progressive slots will be honoured if a player has an active bonus.” Jackpot games are also out at BitStarz (excluded from wagering) and King Billy (not available with an active bonus).
What this means for you: if you play tables or jackpot pokies, check this clause first — a bonus may be cleared twenty times slower, not at all, or cost a jackpot win. Bingo has its own rules: online bingo and bonus wagering.
Where to compare current bonuses
This page does not list today's offers or codes. The current offers are on our bonuses page, by type on first deposit, free spins, no-deposit, cashback, high roller and no-wagering pages, and in our casino reviews below. Where a casino needs a code, its terms say so (Golden Crown's reload, Ozwin's welcome). Offers change, and a headline does not mean your account will get it; use the five questions above on the terms of the offer you are shown.
On the law, Australia's regulator ACMA says: “The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 makes it illegal for gambling providers to offer some online services to people in Australia”, and that such services “will not give you the same customer protection as a licensed service”; Australian regulators will not be able to help if such a service withholds your winnings. What that means for a player is on is online gambling legal in Australia.
When to play without a bonus
You can refuse a bonus: Golden Crown, Spinago and Casino Rocket write it into their terms (at Golden Crown, refusing gives up the welcome bonus). Without a bonus there is no wagering multiple, maximum bet, expiry or cash-out cap on your money. One rule stays: the casino's turnover rule on the deposit itself. Golden Crown and nine other sites require each deposit to be wagered three times before withdrawal, RocketPlay and Ozwin once; withdrawing an unwagered deposit costs a fee of at least 10% at Wolf Winner, King Johnnie, Jackpot Jill and Casino Mate, and 15% at Ozwin.
An example with one base. Deposit A$100 at Golden Crown without a bonus: after A$300 of bets the deposit rule no longer stops a withdrawal. Take a A$100 bonus at x40 on the bonus: A$4,000 of bets first, at no more than A$7 (or A$3) a spin, winnings capped at 5× the deposit, A$500, and an expected cost of about A$160. With an active bonus you cannot simply leave: Jackpot Jill requires you to forfeit the bonus before a withdrawal, and at BitStarz cancelling the bonus to take out your deposit also forfeits the winnings made with it. Giving up a bonus does not remove the deposit rule above: it is in the general terms and covers any deposit, so an unwagered deposit may still need one to three times its amount in bets, or cost a fee, before you can withdraw it.
Skip the bonus if:
- you play tables or live games — at 5% contribution the A$4,000 becomes A$80,000 of bets, or the games do not count at all;
- you want to be able to stop and withdraw at any time — an active bonus blocks that;
- you would not bet the turnover anyway — then the expected cost is more than a A$100 bonus on a 40× bonus-only multiple.
When this does not apply: if you play pokies that count 100%, would bet that turnover anyway and the cap does not bother you, the bonus can work as a discount on your usual play. Some cashback is designed for players without a bonus: Fair Go pays it only on a deposit made without one.
FAQ
What does 40x wagering mean?
That you must bet 40 times a sum before you can withdraw. Check the base: at Golden Crown it is the bonus, so a A$100 bonus means A$4,000 of bets, about A$160 in expected cost at a 96% return; where the base is deposit plus bonus, as at Fair Go (30×) and Ozwin (35×), a A$100 deposit with a A$100 bonus means A$6,000 or A$7,000.
Can I withdraw a casino bonus?
Not before the wagering is done. With a sticky bonus (Lucky Tiger, Rich Palms, King Billy's sticky bonuses) the bonus itself is deducted when you withdraw, so only the winnings go out, and caps may cut them. To withdraw while a bonus is active, Jackpot Jill requires you to forfeit the bonus; BitStarz lets you take out your deposit only after cancelling the bonus, which forfeits the bonus and all winnings made with it.
Are no deposit bonuses real?
Some are written into the terms, such as PlayCroco's “$10 FREE chip!”. They come with a cash-out cap (5× the bonus at Ozwin and Fair Go, A$75 at Golden Crown) and high multiples (60× at Grand Rush). Not every offer is open to Australia: BitStarz's country list for no-deposit offers does not include it.
Why was my bonus cancelled?
The reasons written in the terms we read: a bet above the maximum (at some sites including bought bonus rounds), play on games that do not count or are excluded, the bonus expiring, behaviour the terms list as abuse (such as “a deposits-to-bonus ratio exceeding 50%”, a clause that does not say how the ratio is counted — if you take a bonus on most deposits, ask support how they measure it), or a withdrawal requested while the bonus was active. Check the clause your casino named.
Can I refuse a bonus?
Yes, at the sites whose terms we quote: Golden Crown, Spinago and Casino Rocket give you the right to refuse bonuses. At Golden Crown refusing means you won't get the welcome bonus. Without a bonus, Golden Crown and Casino Rocket still require each deposit to be wagered three times before withdrawal.
What protection do I have if I take a bonus from an offshore casino?
Less than with a licensed service, if the site is one the law does not allow to serve Australians. ACMA says the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 “makes it illegal for gambling providers to offer some online services to people in Australia”, that such services “will not give you the same customer protection as a licensed service”, and that Australian regulators will not be able to help if such a service withholds your winnings. Our page is online gambling legal in Australia explains which services that covers.
How do I compare two casino bonuses?
Ask the same five questions of both: the multiple and its base, the time allowed, the maximum bet, the contribution of the games you play, and the cash-out cap. For the same bonus amount, the one that needs less turnover and has a cap you would not hit costs less on average, whatever the headline says.
Sources and method
On 2 November 2026 we loaded 64 documents — the bonus rules of 23 operators, the general terms and conditions of 31 and their promotion pages — from an Australian connection (Sydney), as an anonymous visitor without an account; on 5 November we found every quote on this page again in those copies. Pages behind a login (cashier, account) were not seen. A quote shows what the operator writes; we did not test how the rules are applied. Cost figures are arithmetic: turnover × (1 − 0.96). The 96% is an assumption based on the returns the studios publish for Bonanza Billion (95.97%, BGaming), Sweet Bonanza (96.48%), Big Bass Bonanza (96.71%) and The Dog House (96.51%, Pragmatic Play), read on 24 October 2026. The law quote is from ACMA's pages on the Interactive Gambling Act, read on 23 October 2026. Two earlier facts on this page were corrected on 2 November: RocketPlay requires a deposit to be wagered once, not three times, and PlayAmo's A$250 reload is on Fridays, not daily. Bonus codes are omitted deliberately. We earn a commission when readers sign up through links on this site; it did not decide what is written here. Next check of the terms: by 2 December 2026.
Gambling is a cost, not an income; you must be 18 or over. Free, confidential support is available 24/7 on 1800 858 858 through Gambling Help Online.