A casino's displayed balance is not always the amount you can withdraw. Your own deposited money, winnings from that money and restricted promotional credit can appear in different wallets. Understanding which pot funded a bet is more useful than looking only at a large total at the top of the screen.
This guide explains cash balance versus bonus balance at online casinos serving adults in Great Britain. It includes an account-reconciliation example and a support-message template. It does not recommend accepting a bonus or making another deposit to release existing money.
Cash balance vs bonus balance: the short answer
Your deposit balance includes unspent deposits and winnings from bets funded by your deposits. A restricted bonus balance represents promotional funds or winnings that still have relevant conditions attached. Labels such as “cash”, “real money”, “playable” and “available” need to be read alongside the account's explanation.
The Gambling Commission's fair-terms glossary explains the regulatory categories. Its deposit-balance definition also covers the appropriate deposit-funded share of winnings from mixed wagers and bonus winnings whose wagering conditions have been satisfied.
Do not interpret that as meaning every number on a casino screen is immediately payable. A transaction can still be pending, and legitimate regulatory checks can apply. The first task is to identify the money's origin and status, then ask about any specific restriction.
Five labels that can cause confusion
| Label | What to check |
|---|---|
| Cash or deposit balance | Unspent own funds and associated winnings; confirm whether any pending transaction is excluded. |
| Bonus balance | Which promotion created it and which conditions remain. |
| Playable balance | Whether this adds cash and promotional credit together. |
| Withdrawable balance | What the cashier currently permits and the reason for any difference from cash funds. |
| Pending withdrawal | Money requested for payment that may already have left the displayed wallet. |
The table is a set of questions, not permission for an unclear interface. The Commission's withdrawal guidance says deposit and bonus balances must be clearly displayed separately. A combined in-game figure should not leave you unable to find that distinction on the account page.
For example, “£80 playable” might consist of £30 cash and £50 restricted credit. It would be a mistake to plan an £80 withdrawal solely from that headline. It would also be a mistake to assume the £30 is itself bonus money just because a promotion is active.
Follow the money: a simple worked example
Imagine you deposit £40 and receive a £20 promotional credit. The account initially shows £40 cash and £20 bonus. These are separate records, even if another part of the interface displays £60 playable.
Suppose a £2 bet is taken entirely from cash and the total amount credited for the result is £5. The cash calculation is £40 − £2 + £5 = £43. The net gain on that round is £3. The bonus pot remains £20 in this example because it did not fund the bet and no other adjustment occurred.
Next, suppose the account records a £1 bet funded entirely by restricted bonus credit and credits a £3 return back to that restricted pot. That pot becomes £20 − £1 + £3 = £22. Cash remains £43. We are assuming a particular wallet allocation for teaching purposes; the actual account history must show what happened on your site.
The combined figure is now £65, but that does not make the whole £65 cash. Equally, the existence of £22 promotional credit does not explain away the £43 cash. Keep each ledger separate before checking a withdrawal screen.
What if a bet uses cash and bonus funds?
First establish whether the game actually used both. Do not infer a mixed wager simply because both pots were positive. A casino may use a specified order, and the transaction record should explain the source of the stake.
Consider an illustrative £2 wager funded by £1.50 cash and 50p bonus. Cash supplied 75% of the stake. If the total return is £8, a proportional allocation gives £6 to the cash-funded share and £2 to the bonus-funded share. This demonstrates the deposit-share principle in the Commission's glossary; it is not a claim about a particular operator's software.
Be precise about “return” and “profit”. The £8 above is the amount credited for the result, not £8 plus an assumed stake refund. If an account report uses net profit instead, the calculation needs to be adjusted. Mixing those definitions is a common reason a spreadsheet seems not to match a wallet.
If support gives only a total, ask for the stake-source split and the allocation of the resulting return. A transaction-level explanation is more useful than a general answer that “bonus terms apply”.
Can you withdraw cash while a bonus is active?
The Commission's withdrawal guidance says the deposit balance must be available for withdrawal even when a bonus is active or pending, subject to necessary regulatory obligations. It also says players must not have to complete wagering requirements to withdraw that balance. Fair, disclosed processing arrangements can still apply.
This is a distinction between your money and a conditional reward. Ask separately what happens to the promotional pot if you withdraw. Losing an uncompleted bonus under an applicable fair term is not the same question as whether you can retrieve deposit-funded money.
Before confirming, record the cash amount, bonus amount, proposed withdrawal and any warning about cancellation. If the warning appears to remove cash winnings as well as promotional credit, ask for a written breakdown first. Our bonus-cancellation guide covers the cancellation decision in more detail.
Why wagering progress is not an account balance
A wagering tracker measures qualifying activity. It does not measure money saved, profit earned or a guaranteed future payment. A player can make progress while losing the funds needed to continue, and completing a tracker does not reverse losses already incurred.
As at this guide's publication, the Gambling Commission's rewards and bonuses code caps bonus wagering requirements at ten times. That limit does not mean every promotion has ten-times wagering, nor that a promotional credit is automatically cash.
For a hypothetical £10 bonus subject to 5x qualifying turnover, the stated target would be £50. If qualifying bets of £15 have counted, £35 of that target remains. Those figures alone cannot tell you the remaining bonus balance: outcomes, allocation rules and other recorded adjustments matter.
Use the wagering calculator to understand a stated condition, not to decide how much more to gamble. A condition you do not want to complete is a reason to decline or consider cancelling the promotion, not a reason to exceed your budget.
How to reconcile a balance without making another bet
Take a snapshot of the account at one moment. Record the time zone, cash balance, bonus balance, pending withdrawals and any unsettled game rounds. Comparing a cashier screenshot from morning with a game screen from evening can create an apparent discrepancy that is simply later activity.
- Choose a starting balance from the transaction history.
- Add completed deposits and returns credited during the period.
- Subtract stakes and withdrawals debited during that same period.
- Record refunds, corrections and promotional transfers separately.
- Compare the calculated ending balance with the matching wallet, not an unrelated total.
Keep a pending withdrawal on its own line. If it has already been debited from the wallet, subtracting it again understates your money. Likewise, a bank card authorisation is not automatically a completed casino deposit. The missing-deposit guide deals with that separate problem.
A useful record sheet has columns for timestamp, transaction ID, wallet, type, debit, credit and resulting balance. Leave uncertain entries marked “unexplained”. Do not force them into a bonus-loss category merely to make the totals match.
A support message for an unexplained balance
Use this template through the operator's official support channel, replacing the brackets with your records:
At [time and time zone] my account showed [cash amount], [bonus amount] and [withdrawal amount] pending. I cannot reconcile [specific difference]. Please provide the transaction entries explaining this difference, including which wallet funded round [ID] and where its return was credited. Please also identify any restriction on my cash withdrawal separately from the conditions attached to promotional funds.
Attach relevant screenshots with unnecessary personal information removed. Do not include a password, one-time code or full card number. Ask for a case reference and keep the response alongside your own records. This gives any later reviewer a clear account of the disagreement.
If the response does not resolve the issue, use the operator's formal complaints process. Our complaints and ADR guide explains the next stages. The CMA's consumer advice on gambling promotions also explains the importance of clear conditions and distinguishes own-money play from restricted bonuses.
Common questions
Does “real money” always mean instant withdrawal?
No. The label does not promise an instant bank transfer. Ask whether the difference comes from a pending payment, an account check, an unsettled transaction or a promotional restriction. Those are different issues needing different explanations.
Should I deposit more to unlock a confusing balance?
Do not deposit merely to investigate a display or obtain an explanation. Ask support to identify the existing funds and conditions first. More spending can make both the financial loss and the account record harder to untangle.
Are free-spin winnings always cash?
No universal assumption is safe. Read whether the specific offer credits unrestricted winnings or funds with remaining conditions. The number of free spins and the size of a displayed result do not answer that question.
Does cancelling a bonus prove the remaining balance is correct?
No. Cancellation is an account event, not an audit. Save the before-and-after figures and check which entries changed. If cash-funded winnings appear to have disappeared, request the transaction explanation.
Sources, examples and support
Prepared on 1 November 2026 using the Gambling Commission's fair-terms glossary, withdrawal guidance and rewards code, plus CMA consumer guidance linked above. Numerical examples are invented and assume no unmentioned fees, unsettled bets or adjustments. Actual interface labels and transaction records vary.
18+ only. If a confusing balance is encouraging you to keep gambling, pause and seek support. Visit GamCare or our safer-gambling resources.