The vast majority of online casinos utilize bonuses and promotions as a tactic to attract new players and incentivize continued play. These offers at LuckyDays Casino come in many forms – free spins, matched deposits, cashback deals, and more. One type that often seems especially enticing due to its unique rules is the sticky bonus.
What Exactly Constitutes a Sticky Bonus?
In simple terms, a sticky bonus refers to a casino promotion where the bonus funds are not withdrawable. Unlike a traditional matched deposit bonus, where you may cash out your bonus funds after meeting applicable playthrough rules, with a sticky bonus the bonus money itself remains tied to your account indefinitely. You can use it to place real-money wagers, but cannot take the bonus amount out of your account.
This may seem like a great deal at first glance – you get to keep deposited money in your account, playing and winning with it as you please. But the appeal of the sticky bonus starts to lose its luster once you understand the finer details of how they truly operate.
Do Sticky Bonuses Ever Expire?
One key question surrounding sticky deposit deals is whether or not the bonus funds ever expire. With some casinos, the answer is yes – if you don’t use the bonus money within a specific timeframe, it will be removed from your account.
Others let you keep the funds for as long as you maintain activity on your account. The bonus money essentially has no expiration as long as you continue to play regularly. This may make them appear more useful than traditional matched deals whose bonus funds expire after 30-90 days in many cases.
Role of Wagering Requirements
All casino bonuses, sticky or not, come with wagering requirements – the amount you must playthrough before making a cash withdrawal. This is stated as a multiplier value. For example, 30x means you must wage through 30 times the sum of your deposit plus bonus.
| Bonus Type | Wagering Multiplier | Other Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 30-40x | Bonus cashout allowed after met |
| Sticky | 20-35x | Bonus always stays tied to account |
Wagering on sticky deposit deals tends to be on the lower end, often between 20-35x versus a standard 30-40x playthrough. This may seem positive and offset concerns about the non-cashable nature of the bonus.
But when considering playthrough requirements, you must think about more than just the raw multiplier value. The terms and conditions matter greatly in determining if a sticky bonus truly carries legitimate value.
Important Fine Print on Sticky Promotion Terms
While sticky deposit deals may seem too good to be true at first glance, the actual terms and conditions applied to these promotions can significantly reduce their usefulness. Two factors in particular determine how valuable and player-friendly a sticky bonus truly is:
1. Eligible Games for Playthrough
One of the most common tactics used by casinos to limit sticky bonus earnings is restricting which games contribute towards playthrough requirements. Often, only certain slot titles will count at an extremely low percentage rate. Table games and video poker may not count whatsoever.
This means you may need to wage hundreds of thousands of dollars to clear a small $100 bonus. That 20x multiplier can be deceiving.
2. Maximum Allowed Bet Sizes
Another popular tactic is capping the size of bets permitted when playing with active sticky bonus funds. Some casinos restrict wagers to $5 per spin when you have a sticky bonus activated, even if the game itself allows higher bets. This significantly hampers earning potential.
So while a 20x wagering requirement seems low compared to a 40x multiplier on a standard deposit bonus, the game and betting restrictions that come with sticky deals often make them much harder to actually clear in reality.
Are Sticky Bonuses Ever Worth Accepting?
Given the extremely limited nature of sticky deposit bonuses, they generally provide little real value to slot fans despite seeming lucrative at first glance. The only potential exception would be if you plan to play very casually with tiny session bankrolls. The bonus funds may help your smaller wagers last a little longer under the right circumstances.
But for the vast majority of players, standard matched deposit bonuses with reasonable playthrough terms tend to be a much better promotion. You have the ability to cashout your bonus after meeting wagering requirements, playing whichever games you desire at unrestricted bet sizes.
So while the concept of getting to keep bonus funds indefinitely may seem very enticing, the reality is sticky bonuses simply don’t offer as much flexibility and value. Make sure to closely scrutinize the terms and judge their worthiness to your individual playing style before jumping to claim one.
