Wager Requirements Online Casinos

 

Unreasonable wagering requirements can destroy the pleasure of receiving an online casino bonus. Players are becoming more aware of bonus terms and conditions, especially wagering requirements, and are looking for online casinos bonuses with no, or at least low wagering requirements. Wagering requirements, which also go by the name of playthroughs, entail the number of times you would have to wager your bonus before your bonus cash turns into withdrawable real money. When you claim an online casino bonus, be it free spins or a match deposit bonus, they come with wagering requirements attached. Wagering requirements can be confusing, particularly for new online casino players. I say online casino players because land-based casinos don’t give out bonuses for players who roam into a casino the first time or any number of times. Online casinos invented the welcome bonus to get to know the games and casinos as an incentive for new players.

Wagering & Playthrough Requirements

By: CasinoAdvisor.com, Wednesday June 4th 2008

Due to the generosity of online casinos who offer players essentially free money in exchange for their signing up and playing and or patronage to an online casino it is necessary for casinos online to apply what's know as wagering or playthough requirements. These requirements are structured and in place to offset the risk that a casino takes by offering bonuses to it's players.

Wagering / Playthough requirements often times are not the most obvious as it's not one of the more attractive parts of the offering provided by casinos but none the less required. It's because of this that they are often times tucked away and not so obvious to find. The most important thing to keep in mind if you're evaluating a bonus at a casino you'd like to play at are the terms and conditions for that bonus which will include details on the wagering / playthough requirement for the particular bonus. Usually the link to the section that within a casino site that will provide the conditions of the bonus will be in either the promotions / bonus page of the casino site or alternatively somewhere below where there is mention of the bonus.

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So what exactly is a wagering requirement?

A wagering requirement is a number that represents the number of times you have to playthough either the bonus or the bonus + the deposit at an online casino before you are eligible to cash out. The number that represents the amount of playthough required for a bonus is typically assigned by the risk management team representing the casino. Generally the more generous the bonus, or if it's too good to be true it's likely that they will have imposed a larger wagering requirement for the bonus. Playthrough requirements can range between 15x for the less strict bonuses and up to 40x for the more strict bonuses.

Example:

Let's say the wagering requirement is 20x and the bonus being offered is a 100% match bonus up to $100 free at an online casino and let's say that for the sake of this example you take advantage of the full $100 bonus and so you've deposited $200. Also let's say that the playthrough is 20x your deposit + your bonus.

  • Calculation: $200 x 20 = $4000

So in the above example you will have to playthough $4000 worth of bets before you'd meet the wagering requirements for the bonus and be eligible to cash out.

Are there different wagering / playthough requirements for different games?

This is where things get a bit more complicated. Often times casinos will place different percentages on specific games that account for the contribution to meet the wagering requirements. Typically slots wagers will count for 100% of their bet value towards the play through requirement but other games like blackjack & roulette may not count at all or count for very little towards meeting the requirement. The percentages of the contributions for various games at casinos for their bonuses will often times vary and it not overly consistent in the industry. It is however believed that casinos powered by Microgaming software that utilize the 'Clear Play Bonus System' do have standards that are consistent across all casinos powered by their software.

Example:

Let's say the player receives a bonus of $100 with a 20x wagering / playthough requirement at the casino.

He/She then proceeds to bet the following amounts on the following games $30 on Slots, $20 on Video Poker, $20 on Blackjack and $20 on Roulette.

The total amount of the contribution for the wagering requirement would be as follows (note: that this is just an example and that before playing be sure to review the casinos terms and conditions for the bonus so as to know exactly how much each game contributes to your meeting the wagering requirement):

  • Contributions: 100% of $30 (Slots) + 80% of $20 (Video Poker) + 10% of $20 (Blackjack) + 25% of $20 (Roulette)

So $30 + $16 + $2 + $5 = $53 has been wagered towards meeting the $2000 wagering requirement.

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Comment by: chris1004 On: May 04, 2010
Too much work is often time needed to figure this stuff out it should all realistically be very straight forward.
Comment by: bbqboyhere On: March 01, 2010
Good article guys and way to explain wagering requirements to players I like seeing this kind of thing and knowing that people have an easy way to research this information. I know that for me personally that I've found a lot of value in the information that's presented here on the site.
Comment by: Nathan Black On: February 19, 2010
As a general rule of thumb it's worth avoiding online casinos that have wagering requirements that are in excess of say 50x the deposit and bonus amount combined of course it also depending on the percentage match of the bonus for a 100% bonus this would be the case but for other bonuses such as those where they say offer 200%+ then it's not so bad.
Comment by: Bennet Jones On: February 17, 2010
I've always found that wagering requirements are kind of silly and a waste of time to try to interpret as you're playing at online casinos. It's my belief that casinos that do it best are those out there that separate cash and bonus balances so that you essentially always know what you're doing.
Comment by: Channy On: January 20, 2010
I've always thought wagering requirements to be dumb and not necessary but I do truly believe that they server a purpose and more then that have an immense amount of value for protecting the casinos. It's not always good for us players but in the end they're manageable.
Comment by: Sara D. On: January 19, 2010
Wagering requirements although kind of stupid so make more sense to me know that they're fully understood. When I first started playing at online casinos I really didn't understand what it was all about and why they were needed. I do understand now though and although I think that they're still kinda stupid and all in favor of the casino that they are put into place to protect the casino from bonus abusers.
Comment by: nychopper On: December 11, 2009
Sometimes that wagering requirements that are set out by online casinos are ridiculous and really hard to ever even meet. Be sure you fully read the terms and conditions of the bonuses that you take before you do even if it requires a bit of time to read though all their legal gibberish.
Comment by: Jordan On: November 27, 2009
Wagering requirements make sense and are OK with me as I know they're designed to protect the casino from fraud but make it easy for players for the love of god. I think that some online casinos need to ease up on their wagering requirements as sometimes they're virtually impossible to reach and this totally isn't something that I agree with!
Comment by: Ponto Rio On: November 03, 2009
I really hate having to follow wagering requirements so I always prefer it when online casinos simply do the math for you and separate the two balances. This method of doing thing's just makes it far more clear to players like ourselves.
Comment by: Joshua On: October 14, 2009
I fully understand why online casinos have wagering requirements but the way that most of them deal with it is pretty primitive if you ask me. I beleive that if they were to implement a more simple means of dealing with bonuses and withdrawals / cashouts after bonuses have been claimed by players would be beneficial and help keep players around for longer rather then having them flippy floppy between different online casinos!
Comment by: James Ballthasar On: September 23, 2009
Make sure that wherever you play that you fully understand the casinos terms. If you're playing at a casino that offers something similar to Microgaming's clear play bonus system where they transfer funds from your bonus balance to your cash balance as you play it's not nearly as important but still at the same time you should have a good clear picture of how wagering requirements work. Also if you are playing at a casino that supports the kind of bonus system that I mentioned you should know that there is different contributions for different games for the transference of the balance.
Comment by: Jane Parker On: September 14, 2009
If there's one thing I've learned about playing at online casinos it's that it's always key to know the wagering requirements of the casino that you're playing at well. Lucky thing is that now a days most of the online casinos make it rather clear by separating out your bonus balance and cash balance into two separate values. It's a much better system and way of dealing with it and it sort of eliminates a lot of the ambiguity in wagering requirements in general.
Comment by: casinowizard On: July 09, 2009
Wagering requirements are a pain in the but especially when online casinos don't really separate their bonus balance and cash balance. The way that Wizard, Microgaming, and Vegas Technology do this is much better IMHO.
Comment by: Elizabeth On: June 29, 2009
If there's one piece of advice that every player who indulges in playing at online casinos it's that knowing and understanding the wagering requirements of any bonuses that you take advantage of before playing will save you a ton of hassles and headaches. Just as an FYI be sure that you go though them and if you have questions post a question on a message board or alternatively contact the online casinos customer support team for assistance.

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Wagering requirements are a confusing thing to many new online gamblers, especially since they can also be called ‘playthrough requirements’ or ‘rollover requirements’, further complicating the matter. Put simply, wagering meaning can be defined as the number of times you have to get a bonus before you can withdraw it. For example, if you took a £100 bonus at 20x wagering, you would have to make £2,000 worth of bets before you can withdraw the £100.

That might seem impossible, but it’s not. Check out our guide on how to beat them for some insight.

What are rollover requirements and what’s the easiest way to understand what they mean for you as the player? This short, simple article will explain them.

We’ll look at the most important things about them, including:

  • What is wagering requirements/what does wagering mean in gambling?
  • What is wager x20?
  • How bonus wagering works and how casinos always win by using them.
  • How can you beat online casino wagering?
  • What’s a no wagering casino?

Wagering Meaning Defined

Don’t confuse wagering requirements with wager. They’re different terms. For those who don’t have the time to read the entire piece, wagering terms are associated with bonuses and make it difficult for you to withdraw the bonus cash you are given. We don’t like them, and we know you won’t either. We prefer casino bonuses with no wagering requirements. They’re not as ‘exciting’ as the free money offers, but it’s 100% honest. You get to keep 100% of what you win.

Now, back to what wagering requirements actually are…

Imagine the following casino welcome bonus offer:

“Get a 100% deposit match up to £2,000 on your first deposit. Minimum deposit £20. x20 wagering requirements apply”.

What this means is that if you deposit anything up to £2,000, the casino will double your money. However, the wagering clause means you’ll have to bet that money x20 over before you can withdraw it, or any winnings you get on top of it. Let’s say you deposited £100 and the house gives you another £100 on top – you would have to bet £2,000 before you can withdraw the bonus money. Hopefully, this helps you to understand wagering meaning in gambling.

Let’s say you take the offer and play slots, and you hit a nice £5k jackpot. If you’ve burned through the initial deposit and are now using the free casino bonus, you’ll have to bet it x20 over before you can withdraw that jackpot.

This is how the casinos make their money. To be fair, you can’t expect them to be dishing out thousands of pounds willy-nilly. After all, they’re a business and they’re out to make money. Wagering x20 isn’t as hard as it initially seems, but it is highly unlikely you’re going to be able to withdraw that money, and that’s exactly what the casino wants. Even at low wagering casinos, you will have to bet bonus cash between 5x and 10x.

The best way to look at welcome bonuses and deposits is free money to play with. In realistic terms, you aren’t going to make the wagering terms and win without extreme luck on your side. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t enjoy playing your favourite slots, tables games or card games using that money.

Don’t bank on betting the house’s money x20 and winning. The games are based on probability and you’d have to have a horseshoe up your arse to be able to bet that many times over and win. However, the house’s money can be used to just have fun and play your favourite games at whatever casino you desire.

It’s still always best to find casino welcome bonus deals with the lowest possible wagering limits, giving you the best chance of being able to actually win and withdraw that money plus any associated jackpots. Anything between x20-x35 is normal but stay away from the casinos that take things over and above this as x40 or x50 would be nearly mathematically impossible to meet. Rather than try to meet them, just play at the lowest wagering requirements casino in the UK – PlayOJO, which has no wagering at all. It’s also important to play the best slots for wagering. There’s no point in understanding the wagering meaning without knowing how to take advantage and beat them!

What does wagered 30 times mean?

Wagered 30x means that you have to bet the bonus 30 times before you can withdraw it. For example, if you get a £100 bonus, you have to wager £3,000 before you can withdraw the bonus. This isn’t as impossible as it first seems, but it will require some luck.

Time Limits

Most bonuses also usually also come with time limits. For example, they might say you have to meet them within 30 days, 90 days, or whatever the casino in question determines. Always read the small print to find out about time limits as well.

Let’s say the playthrough requirements are x20 and have to be met within 30 days. You deposit £100 and get £100 to play with from the casino. That means you’ll have to bet £2000 within 30 days or the deposit money will be cancelled and any winnings will be declared void.

Casinos do this for cash flow reasons. They can’t give you their money and let you sit on it forever as this would make it hard for them to meet their substantial operating expenses. Some give more generous time limits than 30 days, but they all have time limits in some form.

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Play Through Rates and Game Weighting

The final thing to consider is game weighting. Once you understand wagering meaning, you have to go deeper and understand this too.

Game weighting means, in a nutshell, the percentage of bets that will count towards meeting wagering in a given game.

For example, slots almost always count 100% towards wagering requirements. That means that for every penny you bet, you’re working towards meeting the wagering requirements. However, card games like blackjack rarely count 100%, and might be assigned a game weight of something like 70%, meaning that for every 10 you play with, 7 will count towards wagering requirements.

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Always check the terms and conditions of a given deposit bonus of welcome offer to check what games count. Since most online casino players play slots more than any other game, this shouldn’t be of too much concern. If you’re out to play another game, however, you need to consider if you’ll need to bet more to meet the wagering requirements. Again, the best casino sites with no wagering eliminates this issue altogether. Game weighting brings a whole new element to the meaning.

Best Online Casinos For Us Players

Wagering Meaning Summary

As you can see, wagering makes it close to impossible to beat the house. Only a few lucky fish slip through the net of playthroughs and actually put the casino cash in their pocket. You will stand more chance if you play high RTP slots.

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Knowing this, just take the money with the aim to play games for free. You might as well approach it that you aren’t likely to win using the welcome bonuses, because that’s basically the truth when you look at it objectively. Still, these offers are there for the taking and you can try out all of the various games and play whatever you want at the casino without using your own cash.

If you do manage to score a huge jackpot using the welcome bonus money, such as x100 the value of the bonus then you can bet away to meet the requirements, knowing that when you do, you’ll be able to make the withdrawal and still be up a large amount of money. For example, let’s say you spin slots with a £100 bonus and win £10,000 – you’ll only have to bet £2000 before you can withdraw the jackpot, provided the wagering requirements are x20 as in our previous example.

Remember, it’s all free money at the end of the day and you just never know – you could be spinning away on the likes of Mega Moolah and could hit the progressive jackpot. At that point, meeting the wagering terms before you can withdraw will be a walk in the park.

Did you enjoy this article on wagering meaning? Did it explain them properly or do you still have unanswered questions? Drop us a comment and let us know.

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