Beyond welcome offers, many casinos reward existing players with cashback, loyalty points or VIP perks. They can add a little value, but they’re designed to keep you playing.
Here’s how each type works, how to work out what it’s really worth, and what to check in the terms.
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1How cashback works
Cashback returns a share of your net losses over a set period, such as a day or a week. If you lose £50 overall with 10% cashback, you get £5 back.
Check whether it’s paid as cash, which you can withdraw straight away, or as bonus funds with wagering. Under UK rules, wagering on casino bonuses is capped at 10x, but cash cashback is still better. Also check whether it’s based on net losses or only on certain games.
2Cashback never covers your losses
A 10% cashback deal still leaves you with 90% of your losses. It reduces the cost a little; it doesn’t make a losing session a winning one. Never play more to “earn” cashback.
3How loyalty points work
Loyalty schemes give you points for every pound you stake, which you can swap for bonus funds, free spins or prizes. To see what they’re worth, work out the return as a share of your stakes.
For example, if you earn 1 point per £10 staked and 100 points buy £1, you get back £1 for every £1,000 you stake. That’s 0.1%, small next to a slot’s house edge of around 4%. Our house edge guide explains why.
4VIP schemes in the UK
VIP or “high value customer” schemes offer perks such as account managers, faster withdrawals or gifts. Since 2020, the Gambling Commission has required casinos to restrict these schemes to over-25s and to check that rewards are affordable and not causing harm before offering them.
If you’re offered VIP status, it’s because you’ve staked a lot. It’s a good moment to check your spending against your budget.
5Terms to check
- Cash or bonus: how is cashback paid, and is there any wagering?
- Expiry: do points or cashback expire if you don’t use them?
- Eligible games: do all games earn points, or only some?
- Minimums: is there a minimum loss before cashback applies?
- Opt-in: do you need to claim it, or is it automatic?
Our guide to reading casino bonus terms shows where to find these details.
6Our verdict
Cashback paid as cash is the most useful of these rewards, and loyalty points are a small bonus on play you’d do anyway. None of them should change how much you gamble. If you’d like a break from marketing, you can opt out of promotions in your account, and the safer gambling tools are there if you need them.