A “300% up to 3 BTC” headline tells you almost nothing. The value of a casino bonus lives entirely in four lines of its terms and conditions. Here is what to look for — the same four things our Transparency Score measures for you.
1. Wagering requirement
This is the multiplier you must bet before you can withdraw bonus winnings. A “40×” requirement on a $100 bonus means $4,000 in wagers first. Anything at or below 10× is generous; 40× and up is where most “big” bonuses quietly become unwinnable. It is the single most important number on the page.
2. Maximum bet while wagering
Many casinos cap your bet size (e.g. $5) while a bonus is active, and void your winnings if you break it — often without a clear warning. A bonus with no max-bet trap is friendlier than a larger one that’s easy to forfeit by accident.
3. Maximum cashout
Some bonuses cap how much you can ever withdraw from them, regardless of how much you win. A “max cashout 5× bonus” turns a dream win into a fixed, small payout. Honest operators either don’t cap, or state the cap prominently.
4. Expiry
How long you have to meet the wagering. Seven days against a 40× requirement is effectively impossible for a normal player; 30 days is reasonable.
The bottom line
Read these four lines before the headline number. A smaller bonus with low wagering, no max-bet trap, no cashout cap, and a fair window is worth far more than a giant one wrapped in traps. That trade-off is exactly what our Transparency Index scores — so you don’t have to read every T&C yourself.