Many readers assume a bonus balance spends like their own money the moment it lands in the account, and that wrong idea costs them the whole win. The condition behind this offer is the playthrough requirement: the bonus is a sum you must turn over at the tables and slots before any of it can leave. Read it as a rule about your money, not a formality, because the moment you request a withdrawal before finishing it, the bonus and everything won with it can disappear.
Activating the Bonus
Claiming works as a chain of steps, and skipping one breaks the chain before it starts. Follow the order below the first time you play.
- Create or open your account with a password you have not used elsewhere. A weak password on a gambling account is the easiest way for someone else to take the bonus before you do.
- Complete the profile details the operator asks for. Missing details are the most common reason a bonus is held back when a player tries to cash out.
- Sign in through the pointsbet login page before you deposit. A deposit made while logged out can sit outside the offer and cannot be converted afterwards.
- Open the bonus section of your account and select the welcome offer. Choosing it after the deposit has gone through leaves you with no way to attach it.
- Enter the promotional code in the field the offer shows, if one is required. A code typed with a stray space fails silently, so check the field before you confirm.
- Make your qualifying deposit and watch for a confirmation message. If nothing appears on screen, the offer was not attached, and the money now counts as a plain deposit.
- Where the offer requires it, confirm through pointsbetlogin.com that the bonus has been credited to your balance. A bonus that never appears cannot be played through, so this check saves a support request later.
A bonus sitting in your account is not the same as a bonus you can keep. The playthrough requirement attaches to every part of it, including free spin winnings. Treat the credited balance as locked until you have finished the turnover, and plan your stakes with that in mind.
What the Terms Mean
The table below sets out the conditions that decide whether a bonus becomes cash, with the practical check attached to each.
| Term | What it means for you | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Playthrough requirement | You must stake the bonus a set number of times before withdrawing | The multiple, and whether it applies to the bonus alone or to deposit plus bonus |
| Eligible games | Only some games count toward the turnover | Which games contribute and at what share |
| Maximum bet | Stakes above the cap void the bonus | The stake limit that applies while the bonus is active |
| Expiry | The bonus and its winnings vanish after a set window | The period counted from crediting, not from your first spin |
| Withdrawal cap | Winnings from the bonus may be paid only up to a ceiling | The cap figure and whether it applies to free spin wins too |
The term players misread most is the playthrough requirement. Many count their deposits as turnover and believe they are close to finished when they have barely started. Only stakes made from the bonus balance count, and only on games the offer lists as eligible. A player who spends the bonus on an excluded game has played through nothing at all. That is why the same requirement drains one account in an evening and another over weeks.
How the Maths Works
Everything below is a worked example only, not the operator’s real terms. The figures are chosen to make the formula visible. Your own offer carries its own multiple and its own rule about what the multiple applies to. Use the example to learn the shape of the sum, then run your own figures through it.
Take a deposit of 100 and a playthrough of x45 on the bonus amount. Multiply the bonus by the multiple: 100 times 45 gives 4,500. That is the total you must stake before the bonus can turn into withdrawable money. Nothing about this figure depends on luck, only on how much you put through the games.
Now think about what that total means in practice. If your average stake is one unit, you need 4,500 separate stakes to clear it. Lower stakes stretch the time, higher stakes get there sooner but burn the balance faster. The balance is finite, so the size of your stake decides how many attempts you get.
Suppose the multiple applies to deposit plus bonus instead of the bonus alone. The same deposit then produces a base of 200, and at x45 the target doubles to 9,000. This difference between a bonus-only rule and a combined rule is the single biggest swing in the whole calculation. Two players with identical deposits can face targets that differ by a factor of two.
Expected loss matters as much as the target. Each spin or hand carries a house edge, so every stake made to clear the requirement costs a little on average. A generous-looking bonus with a heavy multiple can cost more in expected loss than it pays back. Work out the cost before you start chasing the target, not after.
Finally, the maximum bet rule caps how fast you can clear the requirement. If stakes above the cap are not allowed, you cannot simply raise your bet to finish sooner without risking the bonus. A player who raises the stake past the limit may lose the whole balance on the spot. Plan the number of stakes you can afford and keep them under the cap.
Which Games Count
Not every game on the platform contributes to the playthrough requirement. Slots usually count in full, while table games often count at a reduced share or not at all. Live dealer tables tend to sit at the bottom of the list. Playing the wrong game feels productive while your turnover stays flat.
A game listed at a reduced share means only part of each stake counts. Stake on such a game and you add less to the target than the same stake on a fully eligible slot. Over a long session the difference in progress is large. Read the contribution list before choosing where to play, not after your balance is half gone.
Some games are excluded outright and do not move the target at all. Playing them is the same as playing with real money and no bonus attached. A player who spends the bonus on an excluded table has gained nothing toward withdrawal. The win may stand, but it will not become cash until the turnover is met elsewhere.
Check whether the contribution list changes while a bonus is active. Operators sometimes adjust which games count, and a game that counted at the start may not count later. If your progress stalls unexpectedly, the game list is the first thing to compare against. Keep your play on games you know are fully eligible.
Mobile play in the phone browser follows the same rules as the desktop site. There is no separate contribution list for players on a phone. The game you open is judged by the same table wherever you play it. The pointsbet login page leads to the same account and the same conditions.
Free Spins Rules
Free spins are part of the bonus, not a gift outside it. Winnings from those spins usually arrive as bonus money, not cash. That means the playthrough requirement attaches to them as well. A player who wins on free spins and immediately requests a withdrawal will find the win locked.
The number of spins, the game they apply to and the value of each spin are all fixed by the offer. Spins usually expire faster than the rest of the bonus. Any spin not used inside its window is simply removed. Use them early rather than saving them for a lucky session.
Many offers pay free spin winnings straight into the bonus balance, where the maximum bet rule now applies to them. A stake above the cap during playthrough risks everything won, not just the new stake. Treat spin winnings as bonus money with rules attached. Do not raise your stake simply because the win felt free.
Some free spin offers carry a withdrawal cap on what the spins can produce. Anything above the cap is removed rather than paid. That cap is a condition on value, not a guarantee that you will reach it. Knowing it exists prevents disappointment at the cashier.
Spin winnings cleared under the same playthrough rules as other bonus money are what you actually keep. Spins you never open protect a bonus that could otherwise be voided. Players on the pointsbet app in a browser see their spin balance in the same account area as desktop users. There is no separate mobile-only spin pool.
Common Mistakes
Most voided bonuses come from a handful of habits, and each one is easy to avoid once named. Read the list before your first bet, not after a loss.
- Requesting a withdrawal before the playthrough is finished. The system cancels the bonus and anything won with it. Finish the turnover first, then withdraw.
- Staking above the maximum bet during playthrough. Even one oversized bet can void the whole bonus. Set your stake before you start and leave it there.
- Playing excluded games to try to speed up progress. The stakes add nothing to the target and the time is wasted. Keep your play on fully eligible games.
- Assuming the multiple applies to the bonus alone. Many offers apply it to deposit plus bonus, doubling the target. Confirm which base your offer uses.
- Missing the expiry window and losing the balance overnight. The clock runs from crediting, not from your first bet. Start the turnover soon after the bonus lands.
- Depositing before the offer is selected or the code is entered. The deposit becomes a plain one with no bonus attached. Attach the offer first, then deposit.
- Opening a second account to claim the offer again. Duplicate accounts breach the rules and can cost you both balances. Use one account and claim once.
Avoiding these mistakes costs nothing and protects everything the bonus is worth. The pointsbet casino app opens in a phone browser, and the same rules follow you there. If a bonus behaves unexpectedly, the cause is almost always on this list. One careful session beats several ruined accounts.