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Non-cashable bonuses are often called "sticky bonuses", and are the most common type of online casino bonus.^[1] Sticky bonuses can be bet, but cannot be cashed out. When the player makes a withdrawal, the sticky bonus is typically removed from the withdrawal total. A player might receive a 100% match sticky bonus on a $100 deposit with a wagering requirement of $2000. While meeting the $2000 wagering requirement, the player could bet both the deposit and the sticky bonus. When cashing out, the $100 bonus would be removed from the balance. If the player cashed out $300, $100 would be subtracted out, leaving $200. The player is not allowed to cash out a balance of below $100 since no cash would remain after the bonus is removed.

The benefit of a sticky bonus can be explained as financial leverage: if the player deposits $100, receives a $100 (100%) match, and then earns 50% gambling (so they now have $300), then cashes out, they have earned $100 on their initial deposit of $100, for a 100% gain: the sticky bonus has doubled or "levered up" their gain.

The average return of a sticky bonus is sometimes expressed in terms of a target gain. Average return = (chance of reaching target) * (target - bonus - deposit - wagering requirement * house edge) - (chance of not reaching target * deposit). With a target of 2x(bonus+deposit) and 50% chance of reaching the target, the equation reduces to 50% * (bonus - wagering requirement * house edge). Expressing in terms of chance of bust and "element of risk", the formula for return becomes bonus * chance of bust - average wagering * element of risk.^[2]

The sticky bonus described above that is removed after wagering is sometimes known as a "phantom bonus." There are other variations of a sticky bonus in which you do not need to exceed your original balance to make a withdrawal. Instead any win is immediately cashable.^[3]

Compare cashable bonuses/non-cashable bonuses to stake returned/stake not returned free bets.

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