How Do Online Casino Wagering Requirements Work?

What is a wagering requirement on casino bonuses? It’s a simple question and one that you should know all about if only to know why or how to avoid it.

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A wagering requirement is a multiplier that represents the number of times you have to play through a bonus before you are able to withdraw any winnings.

They are very common to come across when playing on any of the top mobile casino sites. So you need to know what they are, and what’s an acceptable amount.

In short, you will not be able to withdraw the bonus itself, sometimes the deposit relating to the bonus, or the winnings from a bonus until you have completed the wagering requirement.

So it’s important. When a wagering requirement is in place, you may even be restricted in terms how much money they can withdraw. However, once the play through requirements have been met, you will be able to withdraw your funds.

Why do casinos have wagering requirements?

As I’m sure you know, many mobile sites offer casino bonuses and welcome offers, which are usually quite generous. These are there to get you through the door, register, and (hopefully) deposit.

A typical bonus will look like:

• Maybe some free spins no deposit needed
• Definitely a deposit bonus that gives you at least 100% on top of your bonus
• Maybe a reload bonus on your second deposit

These offers are there to get you through the door, but what casinos fear is that you’ll leave as soon as you get your free money. So that’s why casino bonuses are NOT free money.

Casinos have wagering requirements in order to encourage the player to stay at the mobile casinos. Essentially, without wagering requirements, casinos would not want to offer you any promotions, because they wouldn’t make any profit.

Ultimately, when was the last time you’ve ever gotten an offer where you are literally given free money? Never? Yeah. Exactly.

What do they look like?

Wagering requirements vary between different casinos and online gambling sites, but they are usually between x25 and x45.

For example; say you make a $30 deposit, and you are claiming a deposit bonus with 100% up to $100. There’s a 40x wagering requirement on the bonus (the extra 30 you get) so it will be counted like this: 30 (bonus money) x 40 (wagering amount) = 1200 (total wagers needed).

Therefore, in order to to make a withdrawal of the bonus or any wins, you will have to wager a total of £€$1200 using the bonus money.

If you are ever in doubt as to how much you need to play in order to withdraw, you can always use our handy bonus wagering casino calculator.

Should you be wary of casino wagering requirements?

Many online casinos will have expiration dates on bonuses or a limited time period where you must meet the playthrough requirements.

If you fail to meet these time constraints, the bonus money is generally forfeited. You may be required to give up a portion of your bonus, or all of it, depending on the rules of the online casino.

Therefore, understanding exactly where you stand will avoid any disappointment later if you want to withdraw a win from bonus cash. That’s where the T&Cs come in.

It is always wise to be aware of any casino wagering requirements, especially if you are a beginner, but you’ll be surprised by how much you can wager on a small bonus.

Read the main bonus terms and conditions

We completely understand that no-one really likes to read the long terms and conditions, but it can save you a lot of hassle and disappointment in the future.

Things to look for:

• Rarely play a bonus with wagering over 35x
• Don’t take a bonus where the wagering is on the bonus and the deposit together (it ties your deposit money down)
• Check if they have a max bet policy (ie. you can bet more than $2/$4/$6 a spin).
• Check if there’s a maximum amount you can win (ie. you can only cashout a max of $100)
• Check if you can only clear the wagering on slot machines, or you can also play blackjack online or roulette

Every time you make a spin on a slot machine you would contribute to your wager requirements, with some sites even letting you see a display of your progress on your account area.

Pick casinos that let you play with your real cash first

This is an odd thing to look for, but it’s become more and more mainstream, so not as hard to find as you may think.

The idea is simple: when you first play you should spin using your real money deposit. And if you win big, you get to then walk away with your winnings and click on the cashout button.

If you don’t win and burn through the real cash – that’s when the bonus should kick in, and the wagering requirements come into play.

Our top four casinos that give you this fair bonus policy are:

1. Vera and John casino bonus
2. Casumo casino bonus (also playable on live casino game to clear the wagering)
3. Leo Vegas casino bonus
4. Slots Million bonus

Or, if you want consistently good bonuses, not just a welcome one, Guts casino gives you no wagering requirements on any of their free spin bonuses ever.

Now that’s not a bad offer, considering that they love to give away free spins.

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