Best Cashback Bonuses in Australian Online Casinos for 2025

The classic casino formula for cashback bonuses is usually a set cashback percentage (say, 10%), a set maximum amount (say, up to A$1,000), and a given timeframe. Now, in most cases, the cashback is calculated on the money you lose. This is important to remember because I often see players confused about it.

Unless the T&Cs state otherwise (which they rarely do), the cashback is calculated on your net losses. If the cashback is 10% of up to A$1,000 and is calculated weekly, it means that you get 10% back of the money you lost during the week, not of all the money you played.

Casinos don’t look at your total bets or total losses in isolation, but they calculate the net losses over a set period (daily, weekly, or monthly). The basic cashback bonus calculation formula that most casinos use is:

Net Loss = Total Real Money Bets – Total Winnings – Bonuses Credited – Withdrawals

Note from Australian Gamblers: Most casinos do count your withdrawals when calculating cashback, and that’s perfectly normal. They base it on your net loss, which usually means deposits minus withdrawals and your closing balance. So if you deposited A$5,000, won A$1,000, withdrew that A$1,000, and then lost the rest, your cashback would be calculated on A$4,000, not the full A$5,000.

Let’s take an example. Say that we deposited A$5,000, and during the week, we won a total of A$10,000 and lost a total of A$9,500 while playing. Our total outcome for the week is: we started with A$5,000, and ended with A$500 since we lost most of our winnings.

It means that you’re down A$4,500 from the money you deposited, so you should get A$450 in cashback. Now, the cashback you receive is usually distributed as bonus funds, so you can’t withdraw it directly.

You must play it at least once for it to become withdrawable, and you need to be careful about the games that you play because not all games are eligible.

In comparison to other bonus types, there aren’t really many cashback bonus types. Since they’re based on the money you lose, almost every cashback bonus is essentially the same. Still, there are some variations to consider that affect the bonus experience, and the most important one is the cashback calculation period.

• Daily Cashback – Your losses are credited the very next day. Although it sounds good, the maximum bonus amount is usually smaller when compared to weekly or monthly cashback.
• Weekly Cashback – A weekly cashback is usually the “sweet spot” for cashback bonuses. It’s the classic setup, and I like it because it’s predictable and you don’t need to log in every day to get your bonus. The percentage and maximum bonus amount are usually better as well.
• Monthly Cashback – The monthly cashback is usually calculated on the first day of the following month, and the maximum bonus amount is usually in the thousands of dollars. It’s good because you don’t have to log in every day to claim it, but a month can be a long time to wait for your bonus, and you usually get just a few days to use your cashback bonus credits.
• VIP or Level-Based Cashback – Many casinos tie higher cashback percentages to VIP levels. For example, King Billy and RioAce offer great cashback deals, starting at 3-10% cashback and progressing to an impressive 35% cashback with minimal to no wagering requirements. The downside is that reaching the high VIP levels is very difficult and takes a lot of time (and money played at the casino).
• Live Casino Cashback – This is my personal favourite type of cashback bonus. While most other types of casino bonuses ignore live games, these deals are the exact opposite: they only work for live casino losses. So, if you’re like me and like a hand of blackjack or baccarat, a live casino cashback might be the only bonus you can get at the casino for live dealer games.

If you’ve played at Australian online casinos for a while, you’ve probably seen plenty of bonus types like free spins, deposit matches, or reload offers. Cashback is different, and here’s why I think it stands out.

Most bonuses are tied to a deposit or a specific game. For example, a 100% deposit bonus might double your money, but it usually comes with high wagering requirements (20x, 30x, or even 50x for some bonuses). That means that you need to bet a lot before you can actually withdraw something, which is not always realistically achievable.

Let’s see how cashback works versus other casino bonuses, and why I consider it one of the best deals you can claim:

• Cashback vs Deposit Bonuses – Most welcome bonuses now include a deposit match, which usually provides a match percentage of your deposit (e.g., 100%) of up to some amount, like A$1,000. As good as it sounds, deposit matches usually come with higher wagering requirements, so if the WR is 30x, you’ll need to play through A$30,000 before you can withdraw anything. Also, it’s usually just pokies that contribute 100% towards the wagering. Cashback bonuses usually have much lower wagering requirements, so you’re more likely to really see a benefit from the bonus.
• Cashback vs Free Spins – This is a bit of an unfair comparison because they’re very different bonuses. Free spins give you a set number of spins on certain pokies, but they also come with higher wagering requirements, and winnings are often capped. So, again, you don’t have full control over the bonus you receive.
• Cashback vs Reload Bonuses – I see reloads as a smaller version of a welcome bonus. They’re usually deposit matches, but they match a lower percentage and/or up to a lower amount than the welcome bonus. They’re good when you’re topping up your account, but come with the same issue: high wagering and restricted games.
• Cashback vs No Deposit Bonuses – Let’s be honest here: we can’t really fault casinos for providing no deposit bonuses, because they’re free! But these offers usually come with low withdrawal limits (sometimes capped at A$100) and very high wagering. I see them as the polar opposite of cashback, when you get a bonus based on your gameplay at the casino, but the WR and terms are much less restrictive.
• Cashback vs VIP & Loyalty Programs – Cashback and VIP/Loyalty programs are often two sides of the same coin. Many casinos offer cashback as a part of their VIP perks, and the cashback usually increases as you reach higher levels.

You may be thinking that I favour cashback bonuses over other types, and you’re right. In most cases, I favour cashback bonuses because they’re way less restrictive and suit the style I usually play (live casino games and poker). However, the true value of a casino bonus largely depends on the T&Cs, and even a cashback bonus can be bad, and a deposit match can be good if the conditions are favourable.

The cliché I can use now is that ‘not all cashbacks are worth your time’, but to be honest, I actually think all cashback bonuses can be useful. You were playing with your own money and you lost, so if you get something back of the money you lost, you take it.

Now, choosing the best cashback bonuses is a different store, and I spend a lot of time testing casinos and bonuses before deciding whether the bonus is actually good value. These are the most important factors I focus on:

• Casino Reputation – The first thing I check is licensing and transparency. Ain’t nobody got time for dealing with bad casinos. That’s why I always stick to casinos licensed by recognised authorities. I test payments myself, and I read through player reviews to see how quickly they process cashback payouts.
• Wagering Requirements –  This one’s huge. Cashback is meant to mitigate losses, so I usually avoid any cashback bonus that has over a 5x wagering requirement. The primary purpose of cashback is to recoup some of your losses or provide a small boost. Many of the best casinos on my list offer 0x wagering cashback, which is the ideal setup, but anything over 15x is not a great deal.
• Cashback Value and Cap – I always check both the percentage and the maximum limit. A 20% cashback sounds amazing, but if it’s capped at A$50, it’s barely noticeable. I prefer offers like 10% up to A$500 that don’t feel very limiting on the amount you get.
• Time Limit – This is one of the overlooked issues with cashback bonuses. I regularly see cashback deals where you can only use the bonus credits for 24 hours after being credited. That’s fine for a lower amount, but for larger amounts, players typically need at least a few days to use their bonus credits.
• Cashback Calculation Period – I mentioned that the usual cashback calculation periods are daily, weekly, and monthly. While I don’t have anything against daily or monthly cashback, I’ve found that the sweet spot is weekly cashback. Some of you might prefer daily or monthly cashback, though, and that’s fine too.
• Games Covered – Some casinos only apply cashback to live dealer or pokies losses, while others include table games and even sports bets. I prefer all-around offers that count every wager, so you don’t have to track which games qualify.
• VIP or Loyalty Level Requirement – Plenty of casinos now tie their cashback bonuses to their VIP programmes. While that’s fair, I always mention if a deal is exclusive or open to everyone. The best casinos give you at least a small cashback (5-10%) from day one, and then scale it up as your loyalty level grows. For example, RioAce’s 35% cashback with 0x wagering requirements might be the best one out there, but it’s only available for level 30 VIP players, which is why I knocked it down to the 9th place on my list.

I’ve tested every single casino listed here and personally claimed all of these cashback bonuses (except for the few top-tier VIP ones that require insane wagering volume). What I can say with absolute confidence is that every one of these cashback offers actually works and is very much worth it.

As I mentioned, cashback bonuses can’t really be “bad” by nature since you’re getting a portion of your losses back, which is always a win compared to getting nothing. The only thing that separates a great cashback deal from a mediocre one is how fair the terms are, like low wagering, reasonable limits, and transparent rules.

If you play regularly, a great cashback bonus can make a big difference in your net win/loss balance, especially if you prefer live games. Even a small 3% adds up over time, so if you’re going to play anyway, pick one of the casinos that gives you something back when luck isn’t on your side.