Wagering Requirement
The number of times you must bet your bonus (or bonus + deposit) before any winnings become withdrawable.
What it means
A wagering requirement (also called a “playthrough” or “rollover”) is a multiplier that tells you how much you need to bet in total before the bonus money becomes real money you can withdraw.
It’s usually written as <number>x — for example, 40x — and it applies either to:
- Bonus only: wagering = bonus amount × multiplier
- Bonus + deposit: wagering = (deposit + bonus) × multiplier
The second variant is roughly twice as hard to clear and is the single biggest hidden cost in most welcome bonuses. Always check which one applies.
Worked example
A typical welcome offer:
100% match up to €500 · 40x wagering on bonus + deposit
You deposit €200, get a €200 bonus, total balance €400.
Wagering = (€200 deposit + €200 bonus) × 40 = €16,000 in total bets before you can withdraw your own original €200 plus any bonus winnings.
Across €16,000 of slot action at a typical 96% RTP (4% house edge), you’d expect to lose ~€640 on average. Which is more than the bonus is worth.
In other words: the bonus is worth less than it looks, because the wagering is structured to extract the expected value back to the house.
Bonus-only wagering is much better
Same example but with 40x on bonus only:
Wagering = €200 × 40 = €8,000 (half as much).
Expected loss is half. The bonus is actually worth something.
Always read carefully. A “40x” wagering is meaningless without knowing what it’s on.
Game weighting
Wagering doesn’t apply equally across all games. Typical weighting:
| Game type | Contribution to wagering |
|---|---|
| Slots | 100% |
| Roulette | 10–20% |
| Blackjack | 5–10% |
| Live casino | 0–10% |
| Video poker | 10–20% |
| Sports betting | Usually 0% (excluded) |
If you bet €100 on blackjack with 10% weighting, only €10 counts toward wagering. To clear a €16,000 wagering requirement on blackjack alone, you’d need to bet €160,000 in actual hands.
This is why bonuses are designed for slot players. If you don’t play slots, most casino bonuses are not worth claiming.
How to clear wagering efficiently
If you’re going to take a bonus, the strategy is:
- Play 100%-weighted slots with high RTP (96%+) — usually NetEnt, Play’n GO, Hacksaw classics.
- Stay under max bet — usually €5 per spin during wagering. One spin over and the bonus is forfeit.
- Don’t switch to low-weighted games to “warm up” — it’s wasted action.
- Clear in one or two sessions — bonuses expire (typically 7–30 days) and split sessions invite mistakes.
Red flags
- Wagering over 50x on bonus + deposit — mathematically near impossible to clear with positive EV
- Wagering with no game contribution table published — assume the worst-weighted games are excluded
- “Sticky” bonuses with high wagering — the bonus itself is removed when you withdraw, but you still had to wager on it
- Wagering increases if you withdraw partial winnings — yes, some casinos do this
What we extract
On every offer card on this site, the Wagering field shows the multiplier when the casino has published it. We do not currently distinguish “bonus only” vs “bonus + deposit” — that’s on the roadmap. Until then, assume the worse of the two when comparing.
See also
- Max Cashout — the cap on what you can actually withdraw, separate from wagering
- Eligible Games — which games count toward wagering
- Sticky Bonus — bonus money that disappears when you withdraw