Online casino bonuses are among the most important things for online gambling lovers. They often seem very generous and profitable by offering free spins, cashbacks, bets, and many more. However, many players don’t know that to get this promotion, you should complete a little challenge called wagering requirements. To read and understand this requirement is very important because you can think that you will activate the promotion, but the wagering requirements are too high, so it turns out you can’t.
In this review, we are going to give you important information about wagering requirements, how you should find them, and how you should choose the proper bonuses and promotions. So, if you are new to the online casino world and want to get welcome bonuses or are already an experienced player who does not know how to avoid huge wagering requirements, we would recommend reading this article until the end.
What Are Wagering Requirements?
As we already mentioned, every bonus and promotion has its wagering requirement. It gives you a task on how many times you should bet the bonus amount, and sometimes the bonus and deposit amount, to be able to withdraw money you earned from the bonus. For example, if you have a 200 euro bonus with a 30x wagering requirement, you should make a 200*30=600 euro bet in total to be able to get the money you earned from the promotion.
Common Variations
Now we are going to show you some common variations of the wagering requirements.
- Bonus-only wagering: Only the bonus amount needs to be wagered. For example, the amount of the bonus is 50 euros, and the wagering requirement is 20x the bonus amount. You have to make 50*20=1000 euro bets.
- Deposit + bonus wagering: You need to wager the bonus amount as well as the amount you have deposited. For example wagering requirement is bonus + deposit 40 times, and your bonus amount is 20 euros, and the bonus amount is 30 euros. (30+50)*40=2000. You have to wager 2000 euros in total
Key Terms Associated with Wagering Requirements
- Maximum bet limits: most of the casinos limit the maximum amount of the bet you can make. Most of the time, it is 5 euros.
- Game eligibility: Not all games contribute equally to meeting wagering requirements
- Time limits: most of the bonuses have a limited time to activate, for example, some can have a maximum time of one week, and some can have a limit of one month.
- Game contribution percentages: Contribution percentages can vary depending on the type of game. Slots might have a 100% contribution percentage, while table games can have only 30 to 40 percent.
Why Do Casinos Use Wagering Requirements?
Wagering requirements serve several purposes from the casino’s perspective:
- Prevent bonus abuse: Without wagering requirements, players could simply withdraw bonus funds immediately without playing
- Risk management: Requirements ensure players engage with games where the house edge can balance the bonus cost
- Player retention: By extending the playing experience, casinos have more opportunities to convert new players into regulars
Now we understand why they are using wagering requirements, however, they have to be careful. If these requirements are too strict, players will try to find platforms where wagering requirements are not that high, and the casino will lose customers.
Types of Bonus Offers & Their Requirements
Welcome Bonuses
This is the type of promotion every player is looking for when they are new on the platform. Most of the time, these bonuses have the highest rewards, offering cashbacks, free spins, and many more. However, as the number of rewards is high, so are the wagering requirements. Sometimes it goes up to 30, 40 times and may include a combination of deposit and bonus reward.
Free Spins
Most of the time, free spins also have wagering requirements. It can be 20x of the amount you get from free spins. But if you are lucky, there can be no wagering requirement for the free spins. (we spotlight the best of these in Free Spins & Cashback – Where to Get the Best Crypto Casino Bonuses?).
Cashback Bonuses
In this case wagering requirement depends on the percentage of the cashback. If you get a low percentage, like 10%, you can even avoid this requirement, but if the percentage of the cashback goes up to 20-25% and higher, you can expect high demand from the platform.
No-Wagering vs. Low-Wagering vs. High-Wagering Offers
- No-wagering bonuses: Winnings can be withdrawn immediately
- Low-wagering bonuses: Requirements between 1-20x
- High-wagering bonuses: Requirements of 40x or higher
How to Calculate the Real Value of a Bonus
To determine a bonus’s true value, follow these steps:
- Identify the total wagering requirement
- Example: 50 euro bonus with 30x requirement = 1500 euros total wagering
- Calculate the theoretical cost using the house edge
- If playing slots with a 4% house edge:
- 1500 × 0.04 = 60 euros theoretical cost to clear the bonus
- Compare this cost to the bonus value
- 60 euro cost vs. 50 euro bonus = net theoretical loss of 10 euros
Let’s Compare Two Actual Offers:
Offer A: 100% up to 200 euros with 50x wagering (bonus only)
- Wagering needed: 10,000 euros
- Theoretical cost (4% house edge): 400 euros
- Value rating: 400 euro cost for 200 euro bonus, poor value
Offer B: 50% up to 100 euros with 15x wagering (bonus only)
- Wagering needed: 1500 euros
- Theoretical cost (4% house edge): 60 euros
- Value rating: 60 euro cost for 100 euro bonus, good value.
As you can see from the examples, offer B is better because you profit from the bonus. Offer A is a bad value because you lose twice the amount of the bonus itself.
Watch Out For These Traps
- Free spins with high wagering on winnings, it can be very hard to wager 50x of the winning you get, so always read the requirements
- Short time limits that make completing requirements nearly impossible, if you have 3 days to complete huge wagering requirements, just find a new platform.
- Games with low contribution percentages. Table games have a low contribution percentage, for example, blackjack often contributes only 5-10%
Tips for Choosing the Best Bonus Offers
Look for Low or No Wagering Requirements
The lower the requirement, the better your chances of turning bonus funds into withdrawable cash. The UK has some options of non-requirement casinos, so they will be the best choice for you.
Prioritize Bonuses on Games You Already Play
We would recommend choosing a promotion which have offers, for example, free spins in the slot you have already played. The outcome can be more profitable compared to the table games.
Read the Full Terms and Conditions
Another important part is to read the whole terms and conditions. Always check maximum wins, eligible games, payment methods, and withdrawal limits.
Consider Withdrawal Caps and Game Contributions
Some of the promotions have limits on the amounts you can withdraw. Always check for the games that have higher contributions towards the requirements.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Now we are going to give you a list of the common mistakes players make while pursuing bonuses and promotions.
Ignoring the Fine Print
When players discover the bonus that fits them, they get excited and don’t read the terms and conditions. This is the biggest mistake you can make because you can end up with very high wagering requirements, making it impossible to withdraw money.
Accepting High Bonuses without Understanding the Catch
Most of the players are pursuing bonuses with high cash prizes. This is a mistake because this type of bonus can have high wagering requirements, and therefore, it can sometimes be impossible to make that high amount of bets, leaving you without the bonus.
Playing Ineligible Games
Using bonus funds on the wrong games can void your entire bonus. Always check which games are permitted while completing wagering requirements.
Final Thoughts
To sum it all the things up, finding the right bonus and promotions, or the platform with the right ones, is very important. You should avoid common mistakes and always check terms and conditions to avoid offers with very high requirements, making them really hard or sometimes impossible to claim.
We have some clues on how to choose the right bonuses and promotions, so you can use them in the future. Go find the platform with no or very low wagering requirements, register, claim your bonuses, and start your journey to winning.
