Wagering requirements Guide

What is a wager?

In its simplest form, a wager is the money you place when playing an online casino game. It could be to spin the reels of a slot game or join a round of poker. The exact definition also applies to the amount of money you place on a sports bet.

This term (wager) has evolved to take on another meaning, especially when bonus money is involved. It no longer refers to the money only but also covers the wagering requirements. Hence, you’ll look more towards fulfilling the wagering requirement than just placing a bet.

What are wagering requirements?

Casino bonuses have become mainstream, with operators striving to outdo each other. The same thing applies to sportsbooks that offer bonus money to players. These offers keep players engaged and encourage them to return to the site for more online gambling.

Online Casino bonuses include free spins bonuses, deposit matches, cashback, reloads, etc. One thing common to all, whether a free spins bonus or cashback, is a wagering requirement. This locks in the bonus amount and the winnings until you fulfill them.

Hence, wagering requirements refer to the amount of money you must wager (play-through) before you can withdraw your winnings. That means your deposit or free spin winnings will remain locked until you have wagered the required amount.

Most bonuses at many casinos come with wagering requirements. Nevertheless, you can still find some that are wager-free.

Wagering requirements may cover the bonus amount and your deposit. The casino will state that in the terms and conditions.

You won’t often find the total wager in the wagering requirement. Instead, wagering requirements will be represented by how many times you wager the bonus money. A free spins offer uses the winnings derived to fulfill the wagering requirement.

In addition, most casinos will state the game contributions to satisfy the wagering requirement.

You may find playthrough requirements on some sites. Those mean the same thing as wagering requirements. Another way to describe them is to call them rollover requirements.

Let's see a practical example.

This section will explain how to calculate wagering requirements and win real money from a bonus offer. The key is to get the total amount and know how much you need before unlocking the casino bonus.

Let’s assume that casino XYZ offers a 100% deposit match up to NZ$100 plus 100 free spins. Then, it places a 35x wagering requirement on the casino bonus and your initial deposit. That means you must stake your initial deposit and the bonus amount 35 times to fulfill the wagering requirement.

Note that the 35 in “35x” or whatever number is the wagering multiplier. That’s what we’ll use to calculate the total wager.

Every wagering requirements calculator uses a simple formula. Let’s say you deposit NZ$100. Here’s what will happen:

• The casino will offer you a bonus amount of NZ$100.
• The total amount you’ll have to wager is NZ$200.
• If the wagering requirement includes your deposit, then you must wager the sum of the deposit amount and bonus money (NZ$200 * 35). That totals NZ$7,000
• If the wagering requirement does not include your deposit, then you must wager only the bonus amount (NZ$100 * 35). That totals NZ$3,500

The above example shows how you beat wagering requirements. What happens in a bonus offer without wagering requirements attached? You don’t need to wager the bonus money any number of times to unlock your winnings.

Some online casinos allow players to withdraw bonus money immediately. Others will request that the bonus money to be wagered at least once before withdrawals.

What Does Wagering Mean for Free Spins?

You might wonder how to wager free spins. Since they don’t have bonus money, the wagering requirement calculation uses a slightly different approach.

The approach is to multiply your free spins winnings by the wagering multiplier. Let’s assume you win NZ$100 from the free spins, and the online casino bonus has a 35x wagering requirement.

The total wager is (NZ$100 * 35). That totals NZ$3,500.

Our illustrations only state how to get the total wager from the wagering requirements. Other factors, like the qualifying games, will affect the wager.

What games to play to meet wagering requirements?

Knowing which casino games contribute to the wagering requirements is essential. You could play a game, and it wouldn’t count towards the playthrough.

The eligible casino games mark the sweeter side of online casino deals. They provide entertaining value as you beat wagering requirements one after another. The more fun they are, the quicker you’ll meet the wager for the bonus money and deposit amount.

Most online casinos will outline the games that contribute to the wagering requirements. These are indicated with percentages. The table below shows how they’ll be represented:

This will guide you on what games to play when fulfilling the bonus wagering requirements. Slot machines often contribute 100% to the total wager. That means if you bet NZ$5 in a slot, the online casino will count NZ$5 towards the wagering requirement.

From the table above, table games contribute 10%. That means if you bet NZ$10 in a table game, the online casino will count NZ$1 towards the wagering requirement.

Live casino games rarely contribute to bonus wagering requirements. An exception would be where the casino's offer is for live casino games.

Online casinos will have different contributions. However, slot machines often contribute the most. That includes low and high RTP slots. You’ll get the chance to enjoy the best slots as you slash through the wagering requirements.

Always read the terms and conditions for the casino bonuses to see the game restrictions and contributions. Then, you can enjoy the casino games as you work towards the wagering requirements.

How to find the best bonus with the lowest wagering requirements?

Wagering requirements can be a nightmare if they are too high. Take the example explained earlier (35x) and imagine having a 70x wagering requirement on the bonus money. That means you must wager NZ$7,000 to beat it.

When scouting for casino bonuses, you must consider the wagering requirements. Some online casinos have wager-free offers in the welcome bonus and other promotions. However, finding them is not a walk in the park.

Fortunately, you have us to do the heavy lifting and find deals with low wagering requirements. The lower the multiplier, the faster you can withdraw winnings from the casino games. Remember that casinos will lock in your winnings until you fulfill the wagering requirement.

While we do our best to find top casinos with low wagering deals, you can also do the following:

• Research multiple deals on multiple sites. Contact customer support if necessary.
• Compare the deals to know which ones have lower multipliers

These will help you identify deals with low wagering requirements quickly. However, you should also consider other features, terms, and conditions. The overall gaming experience for casino players goes beyond these multipliers.

Quick reminder: You can always decline the bonus and play without any bonus. This will set you completely free from any wagering requirements.

What other terms and conditions might affect your casino wagering requirement?

The multiplier is one section of the entire wagering requirement to unlock the bonus money for withdrawals. Casinos offering deals will attach other terms and conditions to meet.

Below, we look at other terms you are expected to meet when wagering bonuses.

The Minimum Deposit

Online casinos often offer deposit-based bonuses. Even free spins will require deposits to activate before you can use them. For many sites, there will be a minimum deposit amount for New Zealand, Canadian, UK players, etc.

A new online casino welcome bonus will require a minimum deposit for activation. Meeting this deposit amount allows you to work towards beating the wagering requirement. Even so, you can exceed the minimum deposit.

The more you deposit, the more money you’ll need to complete the wagering requirements. For high multipliers, it is best to keep the deposits low.

Time Limit to claim the bonus

Most online casinos will place time limits on how long new players can activate new bonuses. This time is also tied to your initial deposit if it involves a welcome bonus. Hence, you should review the casino’s terms and conditions before registering.

Some gaming sites will have seven days, others 14 days, and others 30 days. This time is casino-specific. Fortunately, we’ll always include it in our reviews when recommending bonuses to you.

Claiming bonuses can have different approaches, which include:

• Deposit the required amount
• Enter a bonus code
• Contact customer support
• Playing eligible games

These actions depend on the casino’s terms and conditions. Fulfill them before the bonus expires, and you’ll have the door open for bonus wagering.

Time Limit to meet the wagering requirement

Wagering requirements take time to work through, especially if the multipliers are high. Hence, casinos will provide ample time for players to play the eligible games and meet them. This period can range from one week to 30 or 90 days.

We recommend you calculate the total wager before reviewing the availability period. The free bets and money, whether in deposit bonuses or otherwise, will only be available during this period. Hence, you must complete the wagering requirements before the deadline.

All accumulated winnings will be lost if you don’t complete the wagering requirement within the time allocated. You should get down to the game lobby once you unlock an offer.

Max Bet

Casinos often restrict how much players can bet when wagering bonuses. You must remember that limit when playing casino games towards the wagering requirements. The limit will include a minimum and maximum amount.

Betting any amount outside this range will not count towards the wagering requirement. Even free bets have these limits for betting the winnings to complete wagering requirements.

You can play different games with free bets or money, but the minimum and maximum bets stay the same. Hence, choose your games prudently to ensure they allow the required range.

Max Win

Once a limit is placed on how much you bet on casino games, a limitation will also apply to the winnings. This is common in promotions like deposit bonuses, reloads, free spins, cashbacks, etc.

The maximum win will affect how much money you can receive to wager in beating wagering requirements. It will also affect how fast you can slash through the multiplier. The more money you have, the more bets you can place to reach the required wager.

You must consider both since maximum wins are tied to maximum bets.

Withdrawals after meeting the wagering requirements

You can withdraw your deposits when you complete the wagering requirements. However, the bonus amount and winnings will be unavailable for withdrawals.

Some casinos penalize players who attempt to withdraw their bonus winnings before fulfilling the wagering requirements. The winnings and the bonus will be void.

You can track your progress toward completing the wagering requirements on some gaming sites.

This will keep you from hastily requesting a withdrawal and voiding the deposit bonus.

Free Bonus Spins Expiration Date

Free spins will have an expiration date if included in a welcome bonus or deposit bonus. For sportsbooks, you’ll receive a free bet available in specific games. The same applies to casinos where free spins are awarded on particular slots.

Most slots have free spins only available during the game sessions. Some sites allow players to save their sessions but don’t count on that. Free spins from casinos are not the same as those won during gameplay.

Deposit bonus money often lasts longer than free spins. While that may last for weeks, free spins can last for one day. Hence, you should confirm the expiration date of free spins and not assume it is the same as the deposit bonus money.

The Different % Wagering Requirements for Reload Offers

A welcome bonus with an affordable minimum deposit might be attractive. However, most casinos reserve more spicy promotions for returning players. These include cashback, reload deals, free bet offers, etc.

Wagering requirements exist for these deals. These might differ from what you find in the welcome bonus. Hence, you must review the offer and the terms and conditions attached.

Various online casino sites would ask you to meet the following wagering requirements when opting into casino deals:

• All Casino Bonus offers - subject to a 20x wagering requirement
• All Bingo Bonus offers - Subject to a 10x wagering requirement.
• All Live Casino Bonus - Subject to a 40x wagering requirement.

You'll find these wagering requirements in the general bonus terms and conditions. Nevertheless, review the terms attached to the bonus.

Tips to scale through wagering requirements

Playing through a welcome bonus multiplier can be tiresome. Some players will have no winnings to continue with the playthrough.

Our recommendations do not guarantee that you will play through the extra cash. Some bonuses are better left unactivated.

With that in mind, these are our tips to scale through rollover multipliers:

Choose Your Games

For free spins, you can ditch high-volatility slots and focus on those with low variance. That is possible if the casino does not restrict the free spins to specific slots. A high-volatility slot might have the potential for bigger wins but a low winning frequency.

Focus on games that contribute 100% to the playthrough. That might mean playing less entertaining titles.

If the bonus applies to table or live casino games, pick titles you are good at. That will increase your chances.

Start Playing as Soon as You Active the Offer

The earlier you start playing games toward the casino bonus, the more time you have to complete it. Once activated, we see no reason why you should delay placing the first bet.

Activate bonuses when you are ready to start playing. Even at that, don’t wait too long before activating the offer.

Manage Your Bankroll to Maximize Your Bets

Pick games that allow smaller bets. That gives more playing time and winning opportunities. Also, you can implement more efficient bankroll management techniques.

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