Put two offers side by side and the larger number wins every time. That is what the number is for. But the headline on a Maldives casino bonus is the one part of the offer the operator gets to choose freely, and the conditions attached to it are where the actual value is decided.

This guide sets out why the biggest offer is so often the worst one, how to compare offers on a common basis, and which smaller offers tend to be worth more than they look. The examples use round numbers to show the arithmetic; the real terms are whatever the operator publishes, and those are listed for the brands we cover in our bonuses section.

Why the headline is the least useful number

A bonus has two halves. The first is the amount, which appears in large type. The second is the set of conditions that decide whether the amount can ever become money, which appears in a separate document. The first half costs the operator nothing to increase.

This is not a trick so much as a structure. An operator competing for attention has one lever that works instantly and one that works slowly, and it will always pull the fast one. A “200% up to $1,000” offer and a “100% up to $200” offer can easily be worth the same, or the larger one can be worth less, depending entirely on the second half.

Conditions scale with the offer

Large offers tend to carry heavier conditions, and the effects compound because several of them multiply together.

That last row is the one most often missed. A headline that reads as one number is frequently a package: a first deposit bonus, then a second, then a third, each with its own minimum and its own clock. The advertised figure is the total of all of them, and reaching it means depositing several times.

Comparing two offers on the same basis

The way to compare offers is to convert each one into a single number: the turnover it demands. Take a hypothetical pair, both at a $150 deposit.

Offer B hands you twice the money and asks for four and a half times the turnover. Measured in bonus received per unit of turnover, which is the only basis on which the two are comparable, the smaller offer is worth more than twice as much.

The second calculation worth running is the expected cost of clearing: turnover multiplied by the house edge of the game you intend to play. On Offer B above, that cost is over four times larger than on Offer A, while the bonus is only twice as large. The method behind that calculation is set out in our guide to how wagering requirements work.

The offers that are worth more than they look

Several kinds of offer have small headlines and unusually reasonable terms:

• Low wagering offers. A smaller match at a low multiplier, applied to the bonus alone, is often the best value on a site.
• Free spins with wagering on winnings only. Forty times a small win is a much smaller number than forty times a matched deposit.
• Cashback. Real cashback paid as withdrawable cash with no wagering is the most straightforward offer there is, and it is worth checking whether the cashback is cash or another bonus, because the two are often given the same name.
• No wagering bonuses. Rare, usually small, and worth their face value, which almost nothing else is.

The general pattern: the more modest the headline, the more likely the terms are survivable. An operator that wanted to attract attention with the number would have made the number bigger.

Reload offers, cashback and loyalty

The welcome offer is the one that gets compared, and it is the one you can use exactly once. If you intend to keep an account open, the ongoing offers matter more over any reasonable period.

Worth checking before you judge a site on its welcome bonus: whether reload offers exist at all and how often, whether cashback is paid as cash or as a further bonus, and whether the loyalty scheme converts to anything withdrawable or only to more play. A site with a modest welcome offer and steady, clean reloads is a better long term proposition than one with a spectacular headline and nothing behind it.

The case for taking no bonus at all

Declining the bonus is a real option and it is frequently the right one. Playing with your own deposit means no wagering requirement, no maximum bet cap, no excluded games, no time limit, and the balance is withdrawable whenever you choose.

That freedom has a value that does not appear in any comparison table. If you intend to deposit, play for an evening and withdraw whatever is left, a bonus converts a simple transaction into a locked balance with conditions attached. Most operators let you decline the offer at deposit, and some allow you to forfeit it later, though usually at the cost of the winnings attached to it.

Sticky, non sticky and wagering free

Three structures sit behind most offers, and they behave very differently even at identical multipliers.

• Non sticky. Your deposit and the bonus are kept separate. You play with your own money first, and if you win you can withdraw without touching the bonus at all, forfeiting it. This is the most player friendly structure and it is worth looking for specifically.
• Sticky. Deposit and bonus merge into one balance. Nothing is withdrawable until the requirement is met, including your own money. Most large headline offers are sticky.
• Wagering free. Credited as cash with no playthrough. Almost always small, and worth exactly its face value.

The terms rarely use these words. You identify the structure by looking for a clause describing what happens to your deposit if you abandon the bonus: if it is returned, the offer is non sticky; if the whole balance is forfeited, it is sticky. That one clause tells you more than the multiplier does.

Where the number and the reality separate

One last practical point. The advertised offer is calculated on your deposit, so a “100% up to $500” bonus gives a $50 player a $50 bonus, not $500. The headline describes the ceiling, not the offer, and the ceiling is set at a level most players will never deposit to reach.

Before comparing two sites, work out what each offer gives you at the amount you actually intend to deposit. On that basis the ranking of two offers often reverses, because the site with the lower ceiling frequently has the better percentage and the lighter conditions at ordinary deposit sizes.

A comparison checklist

1. What deposit is needed to reach the advertised maximum?
2. Is this one bonus or a package across several deposits?
3. What is the multiplier, and is it applied to the bonus or to deposit plus bonus?
4. What is the turnover in currency, and what is the bonus per $1,000 of that turnover?
5. What contribution rate applies to the games you actually play?
6. What is the maximum bet, and how many spins does the turnover imply at that size?
7. How many days are allowed, and what daily pace does that require?
8. Is there a cap on winnings?
9. Would you rather simply keep the balance withdrawable?

Run that list against two offers and the comparison usually answers itself. Each casino review on this site records the same terms for the operators we cover.