Hi Slotsofun, sorry you had a bad experience with the bonus. I understand it's a little different than most casinos, but we try to be clear and fair about it. Both while advertising and while selecting the bonus, we do mention that wagering is done with the cash balance, and on the promotions page it's explained in more detail how it works.
You definitely don't have to deposit £1000 to meet the WR. What most players like to do is play on with the bonus up to a level where you think it's worth to deposit and clear the bonus. Others play more safe with their initial deposit to try and meet the WR before losing their cash balance. Either way, there are a lot of advantages to our bonus system as well.
While you play with your cash balance, there are no terms/restrictions. No max bet, no withdrawal restrictions or anything. Also there is no max win on bonus winnings. If you're lucky you could clear the bonus while playing with the cash, but the downside is that you'd need to re-deposit if you want to meet the wagering requirements after losing your cash.