Deposit bonuses can never be cashed out directly. Instead, the bonus can only be withdrawn after meeting the casino's terms and conditions and wagering a certain amount of money.
However, the more savvy online casino players will wager the required amount of money on minimal risk games and, after fulfilling the wagering requirements, still have a large chunk of the initial deposit bonus to withdraw. The key to this comes down to two fundamental factors.
1) Understanding the wagering requirements.
How many times does the money need to be played through? Can it be used on any game, or are certain games prohibited? Is there a maximum bet limit while completing the wagering requirements?
2) Finding the games with the best chance of winning.
Every game has what is known as the house edge. That is the amount a player, on average, can expect to lose per bet.
For instance, blackjack has a house edge of 0.5%. So if a player received $1,000 in deposit bonuses and used it to play 1,000 hands of blackjack at $1 a bet, they could expect to lose $5 of the $1,000 they stake. If they had met the relevant terms and conditions, they could then withdraw the remaining $995 of the bonus.
Of course, this is a simple way of explaining how to turn deposit bonuses into real money. Still, the principle is true no matter what the bonus and the relevant terms and conditions are. There will usually be the opportunity to make money from a deposit bonus.