Slots Sign Up Bonus: What You Actually Get in 2026

A slots sign up bonus is the first offer a casino puts in front of you, and the gap between what is advertised and what clears into withdrawable cash has never been wider. UK-licensed brands publish wagering terms you can read in one screen. Offshore operators print numbers three times larger with conditions buried on page nine. This guide separates the two.

The comparison below runs on 2026 data: UK Gambling Commission licence conditions, published wagering requirements, and the actual mechanics of how a welcome package converts. Expect concrete figures, named operators, and a working method for reading an offer in under sixty seconds before you deposit anything.

What a Slots Sign Up Bonus Actually Delivers

How does a deposit match bonus work in practice?

A deposit match bonus credits a percentage of your first deposit as bonus funds. Deposit £20 at a 100% match and you play with £40, but the £20 bonus carries a wagering requirement. Wager £20 × 30 = £600 in qualifying bets before the bonus balance converts to withdrawable cash. That multiplier is the number that decides whether an offer is worth taking.

Licensed UK operators publish the multiplier on the offer page itself. Bet365 casino runs first-deposit matches in the 100% range with wagering around 20x on slots. William Hill casino historically sits near 40x on older promotions but now lists terms inline. Ladbrokes casino and Coral casino both cap the matched amount, usually at £50 to £100, which keeps the clearing requirement predictable for a casual depositor.

Offshore brands work the opposite way. A 200% match up to £2,000 looks generous until you apply the multiplier. At 45x wagering on a £100 deposit you clear £4,500 of slot turnover before a single pound leaves the account. The headline number grows; the clearing math does not improve.

Why do free spins bundles get capped at 10 or 50?

Free spins sign up offers are capped because every spin has a fixed cost the operator carries. Sky Vegas casino has historically handed out 50 free spins with no wagering on winnings, and MrQ casino runs a similar no-wagering model. Those spins are priced per play, so the casino limits volume to keep the promotion's expected cost inside budget.

The economics are straightforward. A 10p spin on a 96% RTP slot costs the house 0.4p on average. Multiply by 50 spins and the expected cost is £2 per player, before factoring in conversion rates. Operators accept that cost because a share of free-spin players deposit afterwards, and that deposit carries its own lifetime value.

Offshore operators flip the arithmetic. They advertise 200 or 500 free spins because the spins run on lower-RTP titles or with win caps of £50 to £100. JackpotJoy casino and Gala Bingo, both UK-licensed, cap spin values at 10p to 20p and publish the cap. A licence forces the cap into the open; without one it hides in the terms.

Which bonus formats dominate UK casinos in 2026?

The market has consolidated around four formats: deposit match, free spins bundle, cashback on first-day losses, and no-wagering offers. PlayOJO casino built its brand on no-wagering entirely, returning spin winnings as cash. Betfair casino and Paddy Power casino lean on matched deposits with modest multipliers, while Sky Bet casino cross-sells sports and slots through a shared wallet.

Cashback-style offers have grown since 2024 because they sidestep the wagering debate. Grosvenor Casinos and Genting Casino both run first-day loss-back promotions at 10% to 20%, credited as cash or bonus with lighter conditions. The trend matters: operators are moving away from headline matches toward structures that survive regulatory scrutiny and player complaints.

Offshore brands still lead with the 200%+ match because it photographs well in an advert. Goldenbet, Mystake, and Donbet all run packages above 150% with free spins attached. The format persists because it converts cold traffic, not because it returns more value per pound deposited.

What wagering requirement should you walk away from?

Above 40x on slots, walk. Below 25x, the offer is competitive for UK-licensed brands in 2026. Between 25x and 40x, check the cap, the game contribution list, and the time limit before deciding. Those three variables change the effective cost more than the multiplier itself.

Worked example: £20 deposit, 100% match, 30x wagering. You must turn over £1,200. On a slot with 96% RTP and 5% house edge, expected loss across £1,200 of turnover is roughly £60, which equals the bonus plus your deposit. The offer is break-even at best. Drop the multiplier to 20x and the expected loss falls to £40, putting you ahead of the curve.

888 Casino, Unibet casino, and Betway casino all publish wagering in the 25x to 35x band on their standard welcome packages. Offshore operators pushing 50x or 60x are asking you to fund the house edge twice over before withdrawal becomes possible.

Licensed Versus Offshore: The Structural Contrast

What does a UKGC licence actually guarantee?

A UK Gambling Commission licence imposes three things an offshore permit does not: segregated player funds, published and enforceable terms, and a complaints route ending at a regulator rather than a support inbox. Licensed operators must display wagering requirements in the same visual field as the offer. That single rule kills most misleading advertising.

Ladbrokes casino, Coral casino, Betfred casino, and William Hill casino all operate under full UKGC remote licences with licence numbers verifiable on the Commission's public register. Their bonus terms are versioned, dated, and archived. If an operator changes a rule mid-promotion, existing players keep the original terms.

Offshore licences from Curaçao, Anjouan, or Kahnawake carry none of that weight. Withdrawal disputes end with the operator's own arbitration clause. Betano, NineWin, Fat Pirate, and Rolletto operate under offshore frameworks where a 5,000% bonus is legal to advertise because no regulator reviews the claim.

How do withdrawal limits differ between the two?

UK-licensed brands set monthly withdrawal ceilings tied to payment method and verification level rather than bonus status. Sky Vegas casino, Virgin Games casino, and Mr Vegas casino process standard withdrawals within 24 to 72 hours using debit cards, bank transfer, or e-wallets such as PayPal and Skrill. Verification happens once, then stays done.

Offshore operators frequently attach withdrawal caps to bonus play. A common pattern: maximum cashout of 5x or 10x the bonus amount. Deposit £100, receive £300 in bonus, and the ceiling lands at £1,500 to £3,000 regardless of what your balance shows. Mystake, Goldenbet, and Donbet have all run offers with attached cashout caps in that range.

The practical effect is a hidden multiplier. A 40x wagering requirement combined with a 5x cashout cap means you clear £12,000 of turnover to withdraw a maximum of £1,500, and only if the balance holds. Licensed brands do not pair those two conditions on the same offer.

Why do offshore bonuses run 300% or higher?

Because the cost of the bonus is not paid the way a licensed operator pays it. Offshore brands acquire players through affiliate networks where a first deposit of £50 can carry a £150 to £250 acquisition cost. The bonus is that acquisition budget, dressed up as generosity. Marketing spend and player offer become the same line item.

Consider the arithmetic from the operator's side. A 300% match on £100 gives the player £400 to play with. At 45x wagering the expected player loss across £18,000 of turnover, assuming 96% RTP, is around £720. The operator recoups the £300 bonus and keeps margin, provided the player actually completes the requirement. Most do not, and forfeited bonus balances fund the next promotion.

Licensed UK operators cannot run the same play because the Advertising Standards Authority and the UKGC review promotional claims, and because the licence requires terms to be fair by design. That constraint caps the headline number but also caps the trap.

Which brands sit on each side of the line?

UK-licensed and prominent in this market: Bet365 casino, William Hill casino, Sky Bet casino, Ladbrokes casino, Paddy Power casino, Coral casino, Betfred casino, Gala Bingo, Sky Vegas casino, Betfair casino, Virgin Games casino, Betway casino, JackpotJoy casino, 888 Casino, PartyCasino, Grosvenor Casinos, Unibet casino, MrQ casino, PlayOJO casino, LeoVegas casino, and BetMGM casino. All hold current UKGC remote licences.

Offshore-licensed operators commonly promoted with large welcome packages: Mystake, Goldenbet, Donbet, NineWin, Fat Pirate, Rolletto, Velobet, Betano, Kinghills, Ramenbet-style brands, and Roobet. These are legal businesses under their own regulators, but the bonus terms, fund handling, and dispute process sit outside UK jurisdiction entirely.

The distinction is not moral. It is contractual. One side publishes terms a UK court would enforce; the other publishes terms enforceable only by its own licence holder.

What happens to your balance if the operator folds?

Under UKGC rules, customer funds must be segregated or protected to a stated level, and the protection grade appears in the licence record. If an operator enters insolvency, ring-fenced balances return to players ahead of general creditors. That protection applies whether you hold £40 or £40,000.

Offshore operators are not required to segregate balances. A platform running a 500% welcome offer with a thin balance sheet is carrying your deposit alongside its operating cash. Nothing suggests any specific brand is insolvent; the point is that no regulator forces the separation, so the risk sits with you.

For a player choosing between a 100% match at Bet365 casino and a 300% match at an offshore site, this is the quiet variable. The advertised difference is 200 percentage points. The structural difference is who holds your money if things go wrong.

Reading an Offer in Sixty Seconds

Which numbers matter before you click deposit?

Four numbers, in this order: wagering multiplier, max bonus, time limit, and game contribution. Everything else is decoration. Multiply the deposit by the match percentage to get the bonus, multiply the bonus by the wagering figure to get required turnover, then check how many days you have and which games count at 100%.

Worked case with a real structure: £30 deposit, 100% match, £60 bonus, 30x wagering, 14 days, slots 100%. Required turnover is £1,800. Spread across 14 days that is roughly £129 of daily slot play. On a 96% RTP title the expected cost of that turnover is about £90, against a bonus worth £60. You are paying £30 for the privilege of clearing a £60 credit.

Now change one variable. Same offer, but table games contribute 0% and three popular slots are excluded from the list. The effective turnover requirement rises, sometimes past 25x in practice. That is why contribution tables deserve more attention than the headline percentage.

How do you spot a misleading headline?

Three warning signs appear repeatedly. First, a round number with no cap: "up to £10,000" without a stated maximum on the offer page. Second, wagering stated as "bonus + deposit" rather than bonus only, which doubles the requirement silently. Third, free spins advertised as "up to 500" where the actual grant depends on deposit tier.

Licensed operators avoid all three because the licence requires clarity. Sky Vegas casino states spin counts exactly. MrQ casino publishes no-wagering terms in plain language. PlayOJO casino carries its no-wagering position across every offer without qualification. Contrast that with an offshore page where "500 FREE SPINS" sits above a footnote reading "credited 10 per day over 50 days, max win £50."

The footnote is where the offer actually lives. Read it first. The headline exists to be seen; the footnote exists to be enforced.

What role do game providers play in bonus eligibility?

Providers determine RTP, volatility, and sometimes bonus eligibility directly. Pragmatic Play titles like Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus sit at 96.5% RTP and usually count 100% toward wagering. NetEnt releases such as Starburst and Gonzo's Quest run at 96.09% and 95.97% respectively, and both appear on most contribution lists.

Microgaming and its successor studio Games Global supply progressive titles including Mega Moolah, where the base game RTP drops to 88.12% because a share feeds the jackpot. Licensed operators typically exclude jackpot slots from wagering contribution. Offshore brands sometimes leave them in, which sounds generous until you calculate expected loss at a 12% house edge.

Evolution handles live tables, Hacksaw supplies high-volatility titles like Wanted Dead or a Wild, and Play'n GO powers Book of Dead at 96.21%. Each studio's catalogue interacts differently with bonus rules, which is why the eligible-games list is worth checking before you accept any offer.

When does a no-wagering offer beat a bigger match?

Almost always. A 100% match to £100 with 30x wagering requires £3,000 of turnover to clear. A 50% match to £50 with no wagering converts to cash on first win. The second offer is smaller on paper and larger in your pocket, because the clearing cost is zero.

PlayOJO casino built its entire proposition on this logic and has held the position since 2017. MrQ casino follows the same model with free spins paid as cash. Both brands sacrifice headline size for conversion certainty, and both retain players at rates the 300% offshore crowd struggles to match.

For a player depositing £20 to £50 a month, the no-wagering structure wins on expected value in the overwhelming majority of scenarios. Reserve the matched-deposit path for larger budgets where the clearing cost is a rounding error against your normal play volume.

Which payment methods affect bonus eligibility?

UK-licensed operators accept debit cards, bank transfer via Open Banking, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, and increasingly Apple Pay. Some promotions exclude e-wallet deposits from the welcome offer, a restriction inherited from anti-money-laundering practice rather than marketing. Always check the payment clause before choosing how to fund the first deposit.

Offshore brands add cryptocurrency rails: Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, and Litecoin. Crypto deposits often unlock larger advertised matches because the operator avoids card-processing fees and chargeback risk. The trade-off is that crypto balances carry no consumer protection equivalent to a chargeback, and withdrawal reversals are impossible once broadcast.

For a UK player in 2026, the practical rule is simple. If an offer only becomes available when you deposit with a method you would not otherwise use, treat that as a signal to read the rest of the terms more carefully than usual.

What It Costs to Clear a Bonus

How do you calculate expected loss during wagering?

Multiply required turnover by the house edge. A slot at 96% RTP carries a 4% edge, so £2,000 of turnover costs £80 on average. At 94% RTP the edge doubles to 6% and the same turnover costs £120. That single calculation tells you whether the bonus is worth more than the cost of earning it.

Take a real offer: £50 deposit, 100% match, 25x wagering on the bonus only. Turnover required is £1,250. On a 96% RTP slot the expected cost is £50, exactly equal to the bonus. On a 94% RTP title the cost rises to £75, and you are £25 behind before variance enters the picture.

Variance is the wildcard. High-volatility games from Hacksaw or Nolimit City can swing a session far above or below expectation. Licensed operators list volatility characteristics in game information panels; offshore sites rarely do, which matters when you are trying to finish a wagering requirement on a schedule.

Why do time limits change the maths?

Because they compress turnover into fewer sessions, which increases the chance of chasing losses. A 14-day window on a £1,800 requirement means roughly £129 per day. Miss two days and the daily load climbs to £150, pushing session length and stake size upward at the same time.

UK-licensed offers typically allow 14 to 30 days. Bet365 casino and William Hill casino commonly publish 30-day windows on deposit matches. Offshore brands compress to 7 days more often than not, which is not a coincidence: shorter windows raise forfeiture rates, and forfeited bonuses are pure margin.

The measured effect is predictable. A player with a 7-day window and a £2,000 requirement must roughly triple daily turnover compared to a 30-day window on the same offer. That pressure converts a neutral expected-value situation into a losing one through behaviour alone.

What is the real cost of a 300% offshore bonus?

Work it end to end. Deposit £100, receive £300, total balance £400. Wagering at 45x on bonus only equals £13,500 of turnover. Assume 95% RTP, a 5% edge. Expected loss across that turnover is £675. Your starting position was £100. The bonus added £300. Net expected result: minus £275.

Now compare a licensed alternative. Deposit £100, receive £100, 25x wagering on bonus, £2,500 turnover at 96% RTP. Expected loss £100. Starting position £100, bonus £100, net expected result minus £100. The offshore offer costs £175 more to clear, and delivers £200 more in headline credit.

That is the marketing tactic in one table row. The larger number funds a larger expected loss, and the difference is not hidden; it is arithmetic anyone can run before depositing.

Which games should you avoid while clearing?

Avoid jackpot slots, live dealer tables, and any title listed at under 50% contribution. Mega Moolah, Major Millions, and the Age of the Gods jackpot network all run reduced base RTPs because a slice feeds the pooled prize. Clearing wagering on them doubles the effective requirement.

Live blackjack and roulette from Evolution typically contribute 10% or 0% at licensed casinos. Grosvenor Casinos and Genting Casino publish contribution tables that make this explicit. Offshore operators sometimes advertise "all games count" while quietly excluding the highest-RTP titles from the eligible list, which is the worst of both worlds.

Stick to slots from Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Play'n GO, and Hacksaw that appear at 100% contribution. Check the list once, note three titles, and clear the requirement on those before wandering into anything else.

How does variance interact with a wagering requirement?

Variance decides whether you finish ahead of expectation on any single attempt, but wagering requirements punish variance asymmetrically. A lucky run that clears the requirement leaves you with withdrawable cash. An unlucky run ends with a forfeited bonus and nothing to show for the turnover.

High-volatility slots amplify both outcomes. A session on a 10,000x-max-win title can clear a £1,500 requirement in twenty minutes or evaporate the balance in the same span. Licensed operators display max win caps on bonus play, commonly 5x to 20x the bonus amount, which caps the upside deliberately.

The pragmatic approach: use medium-volatility games with steady hit rates while clearing, then switch to whatever you actually enjoy once the balance converts. PlayOJO casino and MrQ casino remove this whole calculation by paying bonus winnings as cash from the start.

What happens when you try to withdraw early?

Withdrawal before completing wagering cancels the bonus and any winnings derived from it. That rule appears in every welcome offer on both licensed and offshore sites. The difference is enforcement clarity: UK-licensed operators show a progress bar and a remaining-turnover figure in the account area.

Offshore platforms vary. Some show progress, some do not, and a few apply the rule retroactively to withdrawals initiated during an active bonus. Betano, Kinghills, and Rolletto have all been reported in player forums for disputes around early-withdrawal handling, which is exactly the ambiguity a UKGC-licensed brand cannot create.

Before your first withdrawal request, confirm three things in the account: wagering completed, no active bonus, identity verified. Licensed operators check all three in one pass. Offshore sites often run them sequentially, adding days to the process.

Choosing an Operator in 2026

Which UK-licensed brands offer the strongest slots welcome packages?

Sky Vegas casino leads on free spins with no wagering attached, historically 50 spins on registration plus further spins on first deposit. MrQ casino runs a comparable no-wagering structure with spins credited as cash. PlayOJO casino pays all spin winnings as real money across its welcome package, and JackpotJoy casino bundles spins with a modest matched deposit.

On matched deposits, Bet365 casino and William Hill casino publish 100% matches with wagering in the 20x to 30x band, capped between £50 and £100. Ladbrokes casino, Coral casino, and Betfred casino operate in the same range with 14 to 30 day windows. Betfair casino and Paddy Power casino cross-sell sports and casino through shared wallets, useful if you already hold an account.

BetMGM casino entered the UK market with aggressive but compliant packages, typically a deposit match plus free spins on Pragmatic Play titles. LeoVegas casino, 888 Casino, Unibet casino, and PartyCasino all run standard 100% matches with published wagering. Virgin Games casino and Gala Bingo target bingo-adjacent players with spins bundled into smaller deposit tiers.

What should you expect from offshore welcome offers?

Expect 150% to 300% matches, free spins in the hundreds, and wagering between 35x and 60x. Mystake, Goldenbet, Donbet, and NineWin all run packages in that band, frequently with crypto deposit boosts that add 10% to 20% on top of the headline figure. Cashout caps of 5x to 10x the bonus appear often enough to check for on every offer page.

These operators serve players who want larger nominal balances and are comfortable with non-UK licensing. Fat Pirate, Velobet, Rolletto, and Kinghills market heavily through affiliate channels where the deposit bonus is the primary acquisition tool. The product itself, slots from Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw, and NetEnt, is often identical to what licensed UK sites run.

The difference sits entirely in the contractual layer: who enforces the terms, where disputes go, and whether your balance is protected if the operator fails. That layer is invisible in a screenshot of a 300% offer, which is precisely why it deserves attention.

How do you verify a licence before depositing?

Open the UK Gambling Commission public register, search the operator's trading name, and confirm the remote licence number matches what appears in the site footer. The register shows licence status, conditions, and any enforcement history. A licence in suspension or review is a live signal, not a footnote.

Offshore licences work differently. Curaçao's regulator restructured in 2024–2025, but verification still runs through individual licence holders rather than a single public database with enforcement teeth. Anjouan and Kahnawake licences carry lighter disclosure requirements. Confirm the licence exists, then weigh what it actually obliges the operator to do.

Cross-check with the operator's responsible-gambling page. Licensed UK brands link directly to GamStop, GamCare, and the National Gambling Helpline. If those links are absent or buried, that tells you something the bonus page will not.

Which offers are worth taking on a small budget?

On a deposit under £30, no-wagering offers dominate. Sky Vegas casino, MrQ casino, and PlayOJO casino all convert spin winnings to cash without a multiplier, which removes the clearing problem entirely at low stakes. A £10 deposit with 20 no-wagering spins at 10p has a defined outcome within minutes.

Matched deposits only start to make sense above £50, where the bonus covers a meaningful share of turnover. Below that threshold, a 30x requirement on a £15 bonus means £450 of turnover for £15 of credit, and the expected cost of clearing exceeds the reward on almost any realistic RTP.

For budget players, cashback offers work better than matches. Grosvenor Casinos and Genting Casino both run first-day loss-back at 10% to 20%, which pays out based on what you actually lost rather than a turnover target you may never reach.

What should a first-time depositor do differently?

Verify identity before depositing, not after. Licensed operators require KYC documents at first withdrawal at the latest, and doing it upfront removes days from the first cash-out. Have photo ID, proof of address dated within three months, and a payment method in your own name ready.

Set a deposit limit during registration. UKGC-licensed sites prompt for it as part of the onboarding flow, and the limit applies across that operator immediately. Offshore sites may offer the tool but rarely enforce it with the same rigour, and cross-brand limits do not exist outside the UK framework.

Finally, deposit the minimum that unlocks the offer rather than the maximum. A £20 deposit with a 100% match to £50 gives you £40 of playable balance and £600 of turnover to clear. Deposit £50 for the same offer and the requirement rises to £1,500 with only £50 more of bonus at stake.

When is it better to skip the bonus entirely?

Skip it when wagering exceeds 40x, when the time limit is under 10 days, or when your preferred games sit below 50% contribution. Any one of those conditions inverts the expected value, and two together make the offer a cost rather than a benefit.

Skip it also when you plan to withdraw quickly. A bonus freezes withdrawal until wagering completes, and if your normal play pattern includes occasional cash-outs, the constraint costs more in flexibility than the bonus returns in credit. PlayOJO casino and MrQ casino avoid this by having no wagering to complete.

There is no penalty for declining a welcome offer. Every licensed operator lets you deposit without claiming the bonus, and doing so leaves your balance withdrawable at any point. Sometimes the cleanest deal is the one you never signed up for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a slots sign up bonus free money?

No. A slots sign up bonus is credit that must be wagered a set number of times before it becomes withdrawable cash. A £50 bonus at 30x wagering requires £1,500 of qualifying slot turnover. Until that threshold is met, the balance is locked and can be lost along with any winnings generated from it.

What is a reasonable wagering requirement in 2026?

Between 20x and 35x on the bonus amount is competitive for UK-licensed casinos. Sky Vegas casino, MrQ casino, and PlayOJO casino go further with no wagering at all. Requirements above 40x, common among offshore operators such as Mystake and NineWin, push the expected cost of clearing past the value of the bonus itself.

Can you withdraw a sign up bonus immediately?

Not while wagering remains outstanding. Attempting a withdrawal during an active bonus cancels the credit and any winnings attached to it. Licensed operators display remaining turnover in the account area so you always know the position. Offshore sites vary in how clearly they show progress, and disputes tend to arise exactly there.

Do free spins winnings count as real cash?

It depends on the operator. Sky Vegas casino, MrQ casino, and PlayOJO casino credit spin winnings as cash with no wagering attached. Most other licensed brands apply a 20x to 40x multiplier to spin winnings, with caps of £50 to £100 per offer. Always check whether the spins are "no wagering" before assuming the winnings are yours.

Are offshore casino bonuses legal UK players?

Accessing an offshore casino is not a criminal offence for a UK resident, but the operator holds no UKGC licence, so UK consumer protections do not apply. Brands like Mystake, Goldenbet, and Donbet operate legally under Curaçao or Anjouan regulation. Your deposit sits outside UK jurisdiction, and disputes have no route to IBAS or the Commission.

How long does a typical bonus clearing take?

At £50 per spin average stake and a 96% RTP slot, clearing £1,500 of turnover takes roughly 30 spins, or about 20 to 30 minutes of continuous play. Spread across a 14-day window with casual sessions, most players finish in 3 to 7 days. Offshore 7-day windows compress that to a single weekend.

Do multiple accounts unlock extra welcome bonuses?

No. Licensed UK operators run identity checks that flag duplicate accounts using the same name, address, payment method, or device fingerprint. Attempting to claim a sign up bonus twice results in account closure and forfeiture of balances. The UKGC treats bonus abuse as a serious matter, and operators audit for it continuously.

Which slots contribute 100% to wagering requirements?

Most video slots from Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Play'n GO, and Hacksaw count at full rate. Titles like Sweet Bonanza, Starburst, Book of Dead, and Wanted Dead or a Wild appear on standard contribution lists at licensed casinos. Jackpot slots, live dealer games, and some table titles drop to 10% or 0%, so check the eligible-games page first.

A slots sign up bonus in 2026 rewards the player who reads the terms before the headline. Licensed UK operators publish clear, enforceable conditions and cap the offer at a level that survives scrutiny. Offshore brands offer larger nominal credit with heavier clearing costs, cashout caps, and no independent dispute route. Match the offer to your actual play volume, verify the licence, and treat every multiplier as a cost you are agreeing to pay.