Ah, it appears that on the 23rd September 2023 they have changed many of their bonus terms and conditions.

Regarding hero level, I'm a programmer.. I see red all day (in terms of bugs, not red streaks..) - at the end of the day I enjoy relaxing, which includes throwing a few bucks around.
If i were to suddenly change the behavior of any code that I developed, I would do so by changing prompts and the user experience - not by tucking something away 'at the back'.
I do this even for my own sake, to prevent the phone lighting up.

Many sites I've used in the past have had deposit bonuses, where it certainly isn't limited 'to the first deposit' (which also conflicts with support saying that instead, 'you must deposit on Tuesday or Thursday').

I've since heard that there are quite a few people who are less than happy with the unexpected change at bc.game; unfortunately I don't think I will see a resolution.

james