Ya they are saying deposit $250 get a $250 free play but then rollover 10x each so 5k
Yes - BUT if you have the cash and that free play is unrestricted - very easy to toss it all on a dog and play the fave at another book for a quick profit.
Is it a risk - absolutely. But repeat 5 or 10x and pretty soon your playing on house money and are able to pull back your initial stake and let it sit in safer investments.
In the end a 10x RO just allows the book to offer a bonus and be profitable as they know most will try to scalp their way out and those who don’t (or try and fail) will remain profitable by paying an excessive vig on all those wagers they are forced to make.
I personally try to avoid free play for the most part - sometimes I’ll take a friendly free play bonus for a small amount and test my luck. But yes - putting 25-50% of your roll into one of those offers is financial suicide for most bettors.