why does every welcome bonus look amazing until you read the terms

I keep seeing these shiny welcome bonuses everywhere, like 100% up to 500 or “bet 10 get 100 free,” and every time I dig into the terms it gets way less exciting. Wagering requirements alone are usually wild, like you need to flip your deposit and bonus over 35 times before it’s withdrawable, and by the time you’re done you’ve risked way more than the bonus is worth. Some even make you wager just your winnings if it’s free spins, but you’re still in for a marathon just to clear it.

Then there’s sneaky stuff, like slot contributions being lower than sports bets, or max bets limits when you’re on bonus funds. Once I saw you couldn’t even play half the good slots with bonus money. Feels like all the eye-popping promos are more about the fine print than the offer.

Am I missing some trick to getting value out of these bonuses, or is it just better to skip the promos and stick to playing straight up?