Deposit Match

ABOUT DEPOSIT MATCH OFFERS

Deposit match offers are generally more high risk but can be very lucrative. They involve depositing a certain amount and being credited with bonus funds immediately by the casino (e.g. 100% deposit match up to £50 where you'll deposit £50 and be given £50 in bonus funds which will become cash after completing a wagering requirement). Cash funds are usually used before bonus funds and the Simulator is used to calculator the EV and the bust rate (how often you will lose your deposit amount) of the offer.

Deposit Match offers typically require large wagering before the bonus funds will turn in to cash (e.g. 20x the deposit + bonus amount - this would mean £2,000 of wagering in the above example), but the bonus often tips the edge in our favour.

Although very similar to each other, there are a few different styles of Deposit Match offer that require slightly different strategies. Click one of the quick links below to learn more about these types of offer and how to work out the EV:

Stake Recommendation

Unlike a simple Wager & Get Free Spins offer, Deposit Match offers will vary in value based on the stake size. You will generally want to play with higher stakes to maximise the value. Higher stakes will also mean a higher bust rate though so you'll want to find a good balance of value and not busting out too often.

A good starting point is £1-£2 spins on a slot or £5-£10 when playing on Roulette/Blackjack. Some offers will have a maximum stake so make sure you don't play higher than that amount!

You can load up the Simulator and run it with different stake amounts to see what suits you from a value/bust rate perspective.

Quick Tip! Winnings caps can sometimes throw a spanner in the works for your choice of stake and maybe even how much you deposit for the offer. If for example you're capped at £100 winnings from a Deposit Match offer, then there's no point depositing £100 - instead you should go with a smaller deposit. Equally you might find that smaller stakes are better value. Again, play around with the Simulator and see what works.

Standard Deposit Match

For what we call a Standard Deposit Match, cash funds are used before bonus funds and cash funds still count towards your wagering requirement - you don't have to lose your cash first before working towards converting the bonus in to cash, your cash wagers are still doing the job.

This simulation assumes we won't be cashing out early if we hit a nice win with cash balance - it doesn't mean we can't cash out early with this type of offer (we can!). It's just the way that we're choosing to simulate it - without a target profit for our cash play and assuming that we're going to finish the whole wagering requirement (unless of course we bust out first).

Example: 100% Matched Bonus
Extra Info: We’re using a £50 deposit. Deposit + Bonus needs wagering 20x.
Simulator (Click Here For Pre-Filled Simulator):

Actual Past Offer Example: William Hill 100% Matched Bonus

Deposit Match With Target Profit

This is exactly the same as a Standard Deposit Match offer except for the fact we're choosing to set a target profit. The actual offer style from the casino is the same, it's just our personal change in strategy that differs.

Setting a target profit means that we'll stop the offer early and withdraw our cash (forfeiting the bonus in the process which is fine if we have sufficient cash). We'll only stop early if we reach a profit of the amount we've set on the simulator whilst wagering with cash balance. For example - we're doing the £50 Deposit Match offer seen below and set ourselves a target profit of £50. If at any point we have a cash balance of £100+ we will stop.

It may still be the best choice to carry on wagering if you're close to finishing the wagering requirement (see more about this in the Should I Ever Finish The Offer Early? section), but this is the general target we've set ourselves from the beginning.

Why set a target profit?

  • It will often significantly reduce the bust rate (meaning you'll come out with profit more often).
  • Sometimes it will actually increase the EV of the offer (particularly if there is a winnings cap on the bonus).

Example: 100% Matched Bonus
Extra Info: We’re using a £50 deposit. Deposit + Bonus needs wagering 20x. Target profit has been set to £50.
Simulator (Click Here For Pre-Filled Simulator):

Actual Past Offer Example: Merkur Slots 50% Matched Bonus

Deposit Match (Cash/Bonus Staked Together)

For the previous Deposit Match offers, cash funds were used first and after losing your cash balance, you'd begin playing with the bonus balance. The difference here is that cash and bonus funds are used together with each spin (e.g. a £2 spin will use £1 cash balance and £1 bonus balance). This is the same as the Standard Deposit Match example in terms of calculating EV (provided that both cash and bonus funds count towards the wagering requirement).

It makes no sense to set a target profit when cash and bonus funds are used at the same time with each spin. Since your cash/bonus balances will remain equal until wagering is completed, it means that if the offer was +EV at the start then it'll be +EV at every step of the way due to never having a big imbalance of cash balance vs. bonus balance.

Actual Past Offer Example: EnergyCasino 100% Matched Bonus

Second Chance Bonus

These offers are slightly less generous and generally more risky than a Standard Deposit Match. For a Second Chance Bonus, cash funds are used before bonus funds but only bonus funds count towards wagering (cash wagers do not count). Think of it exactly like the name - a second chance. Once you lose your cash balance you'll start playing with bonus funds and this is when wagering towards converting the bonus into cash starts (unlike with a Standard Deposit Match where play with cash funds are still doing the job for the wagering).

We will always have a target profit with second chance bonuses and wagering can never be completed from cash wagering alone.

Example: 100% Matched Bonus
Extra Info: We’re using a £50 deposit. Deposit + Bonus needs wagering 20x. Target profit has been set to £50.
Simulator (Click Here For Pre-Filled Simulator):

Actual Past Offer Example: Mr Green 100% Matched Bonus

Should I Ever Finish The Offer Early?

Sometimes. Deposit Match offers aren't as straight forward as Wager & Get offers in this regard. There are circumstances where it's very much the best value decision to stop the offer early and withdraw your cash. This is when you're still playing with cash balance (haven't reached the bonus yet) and you've hit a big win. Sometimes your cash balance at this point is too high compared to the wagering left and the bonus you'll earn so it's the correct value decision to stop.

On the flip side, if you've lost your cash balance and you're just playing with bonus funds then there's no benefit in stopping. You might as well see if you can complete the wagering on the bonus since you can't lose any more cash at this point!

Here are the different styles of Deposit Match offer explained in this guide and whether it can sometimes be correct (from a value perspective) to stop before completing the full wagering amount:

  • Standard Deposit Match - Sometimes
  • Deposit Match With Target Profit - Sometimes
  • Deposit Match (Cash/Bonus Stakes Together) - No. Cash and bonus are being staked together at the same time and any winnings go back to cash/bonus in equal measure. This means that if the offer was +EV at the start then it'll be +EV at every step of the way since you'll never have a big imbalance of cash balance vs. bonus balance.
  • Second Chance Bonus - Sometimes

So how exactly do you know if you're in a position where it's best to carry on or best to withdraw your cash? Look no further than this guide to learn more.