The general rule with most online casinos is that players must fulfill their wagering requirements before claiming any bonus winnings. Sometimes no playthrough bonus codes must be redeemed, other times, the bonuses are simply credited to the accounts of new players automatically. Below, we will use the “what is a 40x playthrough requirement at an online casino” question as an example to explain how playthrough casino system works. Note that this rate can be different at each online casino and it is possible to say that it changes between 15 – 45x.
Wagering requirements are the mandatory evil of almost every casino bonus. The majority of casino sites attract players with lucrative deposit bonuses and free spins – but 99% of these can’t instantly be converted into cash. Before you can withdraw any money, your bonus or free spins winnings need to be bet a set number of times.
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But what exactly is a wagering requirement? What does wager mean in casino terms? Is there a best way to wager a casino bonus?
We’ll explain all that and more, so you have a full understanding of how to beat wagering requirements.
What does wager mean?
Example video explaining the meaning of wagering requirements and how they work
If you decide to play at a casino using one of the many casino bonuses available, you will be given extra bonus money to play with. A wagering requirement is how many times you need to bet the bonus before it becomes real money which you can withdraw to your account.
Here’s a good wagering requirements example, taken from the video above. A casino is offering a bonus of 100% up to £50. You deposit £50 and get an extra £50 in bonus money. However, the casino has placed a x10 wagering requirement on the bonus money. This means you need to use your £50 bonus money to place bets worth £500 overall before it is considered real money which you can withdraw. The calculation is done by multiplying the bonus money by the wagering requirement (£50 x 10) for £500 overall.
In some cases, a casino might apply wagering requirements to both the bonus money AND the amount you deposit. In the above example, that would mean your £50 deposit being added to your £50 bonus money for £100. That would then be multiplied to find the wagering requirement (£100 x 10), which would be £1000. This clearly has a huge impact, effectively doubling how much you need to bet in this case. Therefore, it’s very important to check if you need to wager the bonus only or the deposit + bonus in the terms and conditions.
It’s possible that a specific casino uses a different name for wagering requirements. For example, they are also known as playthrough requirements or rollover requirements at some sites. Alternatively, they may be referred to as obligations instead of requirements. However, all these terms still have the same wagering meaning as described above. They are almost always written in the same way too – such as “x10”.
Why do casinos give bonuses with wagering requirements?
The reason for this is simple: casino sites are in the business of making money, and giving out free money wouldn’t be good for business. However, they want to make things attractive for the players as well to get them to sign up.
Giving players casino bonuses is a way of offering players incentives to join – namely, by giving them extra bonus money to play with. This allows players to enjoy the casino’s game selection, for example, which often consists of hundreds or even thousands of different games. Of course, there is the possibility that you will complete the wagering requirements too and be able to cash out the winnings. Whatever happens, it’s a nice extra from the casinos to give out; remember, they don’t have to do it!
What other terms affect wagering requirements?
Alongside what the wagering requirement amount is and what it applies to, there are a few other terms and conditions that may affect how you wager a bonus. A few examples include:
- Deposited money or Bonus money first? – You will either start playing with your own money that you deposited, or the extra bonus money you are given. This varies by each casino and is useful to know. For example, if you play with your own money first and win, you might be able to forfeit the bonus and withdraw the winnings without needing to wager.
- Max bet while wagering – Unfortunately, you can’t place big bets to clear the wagering requirements quickly. Instead, you are restricted to a maximum bet when completing them – usually £5.
- Expiry date – Most bonuses expire after a certain amount of time. You often need to have completed the wager requirements by this date – otherwise you may lose the bonus money.
- Game weighting / Exempt slots – Some slots don’t contribute as much to the wagering as others. For example, if a slot contributes 50% to the wagering, a £1 bet that you make on it would only be considered as £0.50 towards completing the wagering. Some slots are exempt too and contribute 0% (more on this later).
Of course, all casinos build their own bonuses and terms so there will be differences at each site. You should always read through the terms and conditions of an offer before making a deposit to make sure you agree with them. If you don’t understand a term, make sure to contact customer support first (many are available via live chat) so it can be explained to you.
How hard is it to complete wagering requirements?
This varies a lot – as some bonuses can be a lot easier than others! In almost all cases, the lower the wagering requirement the better chance you will have – as this reduces how many times you need to bet before you can withdraw the winnings.
However, this can all change if the wagering is for both the deposit amount and the bonus money. In that case, even a lowly x20 wagering requirement would be a lot higher than it looks. It could even end up being higher than a x30 wagering requirement that only applies to the bonus amount.
For example:
- You deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money with a wagering requirement of x20 for both the deposit amount and the bonus money. You need to add both £50 together for £100 and multiply it by 20 for £2000 overall.
- Alternatively, you deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money with a wagering requirement of x30 for the bonus money only. You multiply the £50 bonus money by 30 for £1500 overall.
This shows just how much impact a deposit + bonus term can have.
But are you always looking to win from a bonus? Not necessarily. Sometimes you might decide to use such an offer to play a new game without using your own money. Or maybe you want to try out one of the new online casinos to see what kind of features it has. In these cases, the wager requirements aren’t as much of an issue as your primary goal isn’t to win. You can take a much more relaxed approach – with any winnings being an added bonus.
Casino bonus wagering requirements – How to compare?
When browsing through our list of casino sites, we’ve made it easy for you to quickly find and compare each casino bonus wagering requirements. Within each casino card on our site, we tell you what bonus the casino is currently offering to new players. Next to each bonus, you will see a gray question mark symbol (?). Simply hover your mouse or tap it on mobile to bring up the key terms and conditions. We always include the wager requirements within these key terms and conditions.
However, we strongly advise that you also check that the wagering requirements (and other key terms and conditions) are the same once you get to the casino’s website. Some casinos change their bonus and/or terms without warning which we may not know about until we receive an update. Therefore, it’s a good idea to double-check this yourself to make sure you are getting what you think. If you find a casino bonus and/or terms and conditions that are outdated, please let us know either by writing a comment in the casino’s review or via our Contact Us. You will generally find wagering requirements written next to the bonus on the casino’s website. In some cases, this is mandatory – such as for UK players.
Online casino wagering UK
That’s because all online casino wagering must be clearly displayed at a UK casino. The fair and transparent terms and practices policy of the UK Gambling Commission ensures that wagering requirements must be found within the Significant Conditions section – which is always written alongside a bonus. All casinos found on Casino Professor are licenced by the Gambling Commission so they must adhere to this policy.
How to beat wagering requirements
To beat the wagering requirements, you need to use the bonus money to place bets until you’ve reached a certain amount. Every bet you make on eligible games will be added together. If your total bets reach the target, this means you have met the wagering requirements and completed them. Your bonus money will then be turned into real money which you can withdraw.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind. As mentioned above, casino sites often place a maximum bet while you are completing the wager requirements. This stops you from making a handful of massive bets to reach your target quickly. Instead, you are only allowed to place small bets at a time – £5 is usually the limit.
Wagering Requirement Weighting
Also, every game has a specific contribution to the wagering requirements. For example, a Slot A contributes 100% whereas a Slot B contributes 75%.
- £1 bet on Slot A = the full £1 being contributed to the wagering.
- £1 bet on Slot B = only £0.75 being contributed to the wagering.
The casino often decides the contribution (and possible exclusion) of a game based on its RTP (return-to-player). This is a theoretical percentage which indicates how much would winnings can be expected to be paid back compared with overall bets. For example, if you bet £100 on a slot with an RTP of 98%, the theoretical return rate would be £98. Of course, this is purely a mathematical calculation often based on millions of spins. You should NOT expect it to be accurate when you play. However, it does give an idea of a few slots that could possibly give the player a bit more of an advantage. Therefore, some casinos devalue any wager on high RTP games – possibly blacklisting them altogether.
You will be able to find how much a game contributes to the wagering in the terms and conditions. Here is an example:
- Slot machines (except those exempt): 100%
- Video Poker: 30%
- Casino Hold’em: 10%
- Oasis Poker: 10%
- TXS Hold’em poker: 10%
- Ultimate Texas Hold’em: 0%
- Baccarat (all kind): 0%
- Punto Banco: 0%
- Roulette (all kind): 0%
- Blackjack (all kind incl. Pontoon and Double Exposure): 0%
- All other games: 100%
As you can see, most slot machines contribute 100% – but not all. Some are exempt, and they are generally the ones with a high RTP (NetEnt’s Bloodsuckers is a common example of an exempt slot). Also, table games like blackjack and roulette often have high return-to-player rates which can see them devalued too.
Each casino will publish a different list for game weighting contributions. If you can’t find this list, or you are unsure about a specific game, make sure to ask customer support before playing.
Best slot for wagering
The best slot for wagering would be one that contributes 100% to the obligations and has a relatively high RTP. However, it’s also worth considering the slot variance / volatility too. A low variance slot pays out more frequently on average, but generally the payout is smaller. A high variance slot pays out less frequently on average, but generally the payout is higher. So, what to choose?
While there is no definite answer, it’s best to only really play a high volatility slot if you have a pretty big amount of bonus money – such as with a casino bonus. That’s because a low bankroll can often be wiped out before any winning spins on a high variance slot actually land. This is often the case when wagering free spins winnings, as you don’t usually start with quite as much.
Some of the best slots for wagering with low variance are:
- Starburst
- Gemix
- Tomb Raider
Some of the best slot for wagering with high variance are:
- Bonanza
- Dead or Alive 2
- Frog Grog
Of course, you need to make sure these games aren’t exempt from wagering or devalued at each casino you play at.
Wagering requirements calculator
You can use our wagering requirements calculator to find out exactly how much you need to bet before you can withdraw any winnings. This is a good way to measure up your chances of completing them.
We realise that wager requirements can be a bit confusing and aren’t exactly a fun part of playing casino. So, you can use the below tool whenever you like to work everything out.
Use our Wagering Requirements Calculator to know your bonus obligationsWagering Calculator – How to use
Simply populate the wagering calculator fields
In order for the calculator to work, you need to fill in the form completely. Here’s what needs to be included for each field:
- Deposit Amount: How much you deposit.
- Bonus Amount: How much bonus money you will get.
- Wagering: What the casino bonus wagering requirements are, found in the terms.
- “Bonus” or “Deposit + Bonus”: Select whether you need to wager the bonus money only, or the deposit amount and the bonus money. Again, this will be visible in the terms.
- Contribution %: How much the game/slot you will play contributes to the wagering.
- If you don’t have a game in mind yet, just write “100” to get the standard requirements.
Once all this has been inputted, just hit enter to see the result. The wagering requirements calculator will give you a number. That is how much you will need to wager before the money can be withdrawn, in your own currency.
Wagering requirements example
Although different sites have different wager requirements, there are a few playthrough obligations that are common.
Therefore, we thought it would be useful to provide a wagering requirements example for all these common terms so you can better understand how they work in full.
20x wagering requirement
A 20x wagering requirement means you must playthrough your requirements 20 times before you can withdraw any winnings.
Case: 100% up to £100 with a wagering requirement of x20.
Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the bonus money multiplied by 20 (£50 x 20 = £1000).
Deposit amount + Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the deposit amount + bonus money multiplied by 20 (£50 + £50 x 20 = £2000).
30x wagering requirement
A 30x wagering requirement means you must playthrough your requirements 30 times before you can withdraw any winnings.
Case: 100% up to £100 with a x30 wagering requirement
Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the bonus money multiplied by 30 (£50 x 30 = £1500).
Deposit amount + Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the deposit amount + bonus money multiplied by 30 (£50 + £50 x 30 = £3000).
35x wagering requirement
A 35x wagering requirement means you must playthrough your requirements 35 times before you can withdraw any winnings.
Case: 100% up to £100 with a x35 wagering requirement
Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the bonus money multiplied by 35 (£50 x 35 = £1750).
Deposit amount + Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the deposit amount + bonus money multiplied by 35 (£50 + £50 x 20 = £3500).
40x wagering requirement
A 40x wagering requirement means you must playthrough your requirements 40 times before you can withdraw any winnings.
Case: 100% up to £100 with x40 wagering requirements
Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the bonus money multiplied by 40 (£50 x 40 = £2000).
Deposit amount + Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the deposit amount + bonus money multiplied by 40 (£50 + £50 x 40 = £4000).
50x wagering requirement
A 50x wagering requirement means you must playthrough your requirements 50 times before you can withdraw any winnings.
Case: 100% up to £100 with a x50 wagering requirement
Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the bonus money multiplied by 50 (£50 x 50 = £2500).
Deposit amount + Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the deposit amount + bonus money multiplied by 50 (£50 + £50 x 50 = £5000).
Free Spins Wagering Requirement
For free spins, the wagering requirements work in a slightly different way. However, it’s very easy to work out what they are. Just multiply what you win from the free spins by the wagering requirement.
Case: You win £10 from your free spins with a x30 wagering
The wagering requirement is what you won from your free spins multiplied by 30 (£10 x 30 = £300).
Best way to wager casino bonus
The casino well and truly has the house edge here, so you want to boost your chances of cashing out by any legitimate means possible. Although it’s not possible to guarantee that you’ll beat the wager requirements, it’s generally considered that the best way to wager a casino bonus is to follow a few strategies.
Online casino low wagering requirements
- No Deposit Bonus
- 20 Welcome Spins (UK only)
- First Deposit Bonus
- 100% up to £100 + 180 FS
18+ | Gamble responsibly | GambleAware.org | T&C's apply
New customers. 20 Spins for selected AOTG slots credited on reg. 180 (20 per day) following first deposit. Spins valid for 24 hours. Exp in 30 days. Winnings credited as bonus funds with 20x wagering. Max win £100. Min £20 dep for bonus funds. 40x wagering. Game weighting/restrictions, Betting limits. Casino-only bonus. Payment restrictions + T&Cs Apply.
- No Deposit Bonus
- 10 Spins
- First Deposit Bonus
- 100% up to £50
18+ | Gamble responsibly | GambleAware.org | T&C's apply
Spins can be played on Book of Dead, 25X Wagering, Maximum cashout £100, Maximum bet cannot exceed £3.99, Spins are valued at 0.10 per spin, Standard bonus terms apply -- 100% first deposit match offer: Min deposit £10, Max deposit £50, Wagering: 25x bonus, Max bet is £3.99 per spin -- New players only, 18+, begambleaware.org
The most obvious is to choose the lowest wagering requirements casino. In general, the lower the wagering requirements the better as this often means a smaller target amount that you have to reach.
However, some casinos are sneaky and offer a low wager first deposit bonus – but you need to wager both the deposit amount and the bonus amount. In this case, what seems to be a reasonable obligation at first is actually much higher.
To avoid this, you can play at an online casino with low wagering requirements by selecting one of the options above.
Understand wagering terms
Alongside checking what the wagering requirements apply to, you should go over and understand the offer’s terms and conditions thoroughly. Possibly the worst feeling at an online casino is to think you’ve won from an offer, only to be told otherwise because you haven’t fulfilled a term.
In the worst cases, this could mean your bonus and any winnings being removed. This generally happens if you’ve broken a rule. For example, if you have placed a bet using the bonus money that was higher than the maximum bet.
In better cases, you may be able to rectify the mistake. For example, if you thought you’d completed the wagering only to realise that the slot doesn’t contribute 100%. You could simply change to a more suitable game and carry on.
However, you can avoid all of this by reading the terms and conditions before playing. It sounds simple, but that is often the best way to wager a casino bonus. That way, you know exactly what is needed to beat the wagering while not accidentally voiding your efforts. If you don’t understand a particular term, we strongly recommend contacting the casino’s customer support for an explanation.
Avoid wagering requirements?
As people really don’t like wager requirements, there are a few ways that casinos allow you to avoid them altogether. One way that is quite drastic is to not take an offer at all. Instead, you will deposit and play with your own money only. Most bonuses are automatically activated as very few players don’t want them. Therefore, check with live chat how to make a deposit without getting the bonus first, if you want to.
However, there is a way to get the best of both worlds – a casino offer that doesn’t have any wager requirements! Perhaps due to the Gambling Commission’s stance on unfair terms in recent years, there have been more platforms in the UK scrapping wagering requirements for good. This means you can play with an offer and be paid out in real money straight away. View the best casino sites no wagering requirements to see your options. Yet, the vast majority of sites do still use wagering requirements. Therefore, if you want to play with a bonus, it’s going to be difficult to avoid them in the long run.
FAQ
A wagering requirement is how many times you need to bet a casino bonus before it can be withdrawn.For example, you get a bonus of £50 that has a wagering requirement of x10. You would need to use the £50 bonus to place a series of bets until you had bet £500 overall (£50 x 10 = £500).
In almost all cases, a deposit + bonus wager requirement would be higher – so it’s very important to check this.
If you don’t understand a term, check it with the casino’s customer support before playing. Otherwise, you may accidentally break a term which could result in your bonus being forfeited.
The free bonus every player receives at every online casino is one of the best tools for those gambling websites to compete with each other. And no need to say that the players love them. And what’s not to love – free money just for choosing a casino? You’d be insane to skip on this kind of opportunity to increase your bankroll before you even spin those virtual slots reels.
But a mistake new online casino players make when they first join a gambling website (possibly lured by the large welcome bonus offer) is to not prepare themselves for the wagering requirements all casinos attach to their bonuses. They go by many names: wagering requirements, play-through requirements, rollover, but they all mean one thing – that nice bonus does come with some strings attached. And here we will explain those wagering requirements in a simple, but concise way. You will find out what is a bonus playthrough requirement, how does it work, how to best satisfy it, and much more.
Wagering Requirements Explained
Let’s briefly imagine a situation where an online casino is offering a 100% match bonus for new customers. Quickly thinking on our feet, we can say, “Hmm, I’ll just deposit, get the bonus, and withdraw it all right away!”, right? Double your money without absolutely no risk, who doesn’t want a piece of this imaginary pie?
Well, this is where the wagering requirements come into play. Since the online casinos aren’t being ran by idiots, every casino bonus comes with certain “play-through” requirements, before the customer can withdraw the winnings resulting from the bonus, (and/or the bonus itself, depending on whether it’s a cashable or non-cashable bonus). In a nutshell, the player must wager (or “play through”) a certain amount, before the money becomes eligible for withdrawal.
How The Play-Through Works
While there is some basic math involved, how the casino bonus wagering requirements work is very easy to understand. As mentioned, every bonus will come with them, and they are expressed as a multiplier of your bonus and deposit amount. Let’s look at an example, and we promise, everything will click right into place. For instance, a 100% welcome bonus by an online casino may come with “6 x deposit + bonus”, as a playthrough requirement. This means that the wagering requirement, i.e. the total amount the player must wager, should be equal or greater than six times the combined amount of the deposit and the bonus.
So, let’s imagine that the player deposits $100. They get another $100 free, as part of the welcome bonus, and start with the total of $200. Using our wagering requirement of 6 x deposit + bonus, it means that in this case, the player must wager at least $1,200, before they can withdraw any of the winnings, i.e. 6 x ($100 + $100) = $1,200. In other words, you need to place bets in the amount of $1,200 in order to satisfy those wagering requirements.
Thusly, the basics for calculating and clearing the wagering requirements follow this formula:
- Find out the playthrough multiplier (for example, 5x, 10x, 25x, etc)
- Add the bonus and deposit amount
- Multiply that amount by the wagering multiplier
- Place wagers in the amount of the wagering requirement or higher
- Withdraw your winnings and the bonus
Explain What An Online Casino Playthrough Requirement Is It
As you can see, because of the nature of the bonus offers at the casinos, the play-through requirements will nearly always come as a multiple of your bonus and deposit amount. Since the casino doesn’t really know he exact amount you would deposit, this blanket rule makes it very easy to calculate the wagering amount needed, regardless of the actual dollar amount deposited.
How To Beat The Wagering Requirements
Well, you cannot exactly circumvent this casino rule, but there are a few tips you can heed in order to improve your chances of actually cashing out winnings, after you claim a bonus.
First, always make sure you actually read the bonus T&C, because you need to know how much the wagering requirement is for that particular bonus. This is where most new online casino players make their biggest mistake – not knowing about the playthrough, they assume that when they have won enough, they can just cash out. Unless it’s a custom offer tailored specifically for you by the casino, it’s safe to assume that every bonus will come with wagering requirements.
Second, don’t be afraid to compare the wagering requirements the same way you would compare the bonus amounts. You’d be surprised how different the playthrough numbers could be not only between two different casinos, but even between two different bonus offers at the same online casino.
Explain What An Online Casino Playthrough Requirement Issued
And finally, try to avoid bonuses with very high playthrough requirements. Of course, we would all want to see bonuses with wagering stipulations in the single digits, but those would be very rare. Most of them, especially with welcome bonuses, would be around 20x – 30x bonus+deposit, but sometimes you can get lucky and find a wagering requirements in the teens, other times – well above 30x, the latter should be generally avoided, unless everything else seems like a really good offer and you can live with the higher bonus playthrough.