Bonus Wagering Requirements
Bonuses are one of the most attractive features of an online casino. However, you can’t always take casino bonuses at face value.
If you have ever played at a gambling site, you know that you have to meet certain wagering requirements before you can withdraw any winnings. Wagering, or playthrough, requirements refer to the conditions put in place by online casinos that players must meet before they can claim a reward.
How Casino Bonuses Work
Online casino bonuses are available in a variety of forms, such as bonus cash, deposit matches, and free spins. A casino may offer a bonus as part of a welcome package or as a standalone reward for loyal customers. Casino bonuses provide players with extended game time by giving players more chances to win even after losing their original deposit.
There are several different types of bonuses, including:
- Deposit bonus: This type of bonus allows players to claim a bonus credit based on the amount they deposit. For example, a bonus may offer a 100% bonus up to $200.
- No deposit bonus: Players that want to win money without taking a risk may seek out no deposit bonuses. As the name suggests, no deposit is required with this type of bonus.
- Free spins: With a free spin offer, players are rewarded with a specific number of free spins on certain popular slot machines.
- Cashback bonus: A cashback bonus occurs when a casino returns a portion of a player’s lost money to encourage them to continue playing.
- Loyalty bonus: Players that are part of an online casino loyalty program may receive various loyalty bonuses and other rewards, such as higher game limits.
Standard Bonus Conditions
Most bonuses offered by online casinos are subject to wagering requirements. A wagering requirement is usually valued around 30/35x (but could be slightly more or less), which indicates the number of times that a bonus must be played through before it becomes eligible for withdrawal. For example, if an online casino is offering a $50 cash bonus that is subject to a 10x wagering requirement, the player will need to spend $500 (50 x 10) on eligible games before they can withdraw any bonus winnings.
Some online casinos have implemented tiered wagering requirements. This type of playthrough requirement allows players to play in installments, which makes it more affordable. There are usually time limits involved and small wagering requirements that result in small bonuses.
Players will usually have to meet other bonus conditions before they can withdraw their bonus winnings. First, most bonuses only allow one bonus per person, IP address, household, email address, bank account or credit card. Attempting to claim a bonus more than once may void your winnings and potentially suspend your account. You will also need to provide certain personal information to verify your identity. Some casinos require players to scan and submit personal documents, such as a driver’s license or passport, for verification purposes.
Bonuses are sometimes restricted to certain countries or players. By reviewing the terms and conditions of a given bonus, you can determine if you are eligible for the bonus based on your geographic location. Also, take note of any other bonus requirements that must be met, such as filling in a promotional or bonus code during the deposit. There may also be maximum withdrawal limits on some types of bonuses, such as no-deposit bonuses. For example, if a no-deposit bonus has a $200 maximum withdrawal limit and you win $300, you can only withdraw $200, and the remainder will be removed from your account.
Deposit Bonus Wagering Requirement
Some wagering requirements are based on the deposit amount. To determine the amount that you need to wager before you can cash out, you will need to add the deposit and bonus amount and then times it by the wagering requirement.
For example, say you make a deposit of $200 and receive a bonus of $100 with a wagering requirement of 30x. This would make your total wagering requirement $9,000. This is often referred to as a D B (deposit bonus) wagering requirement.
As wagering requirements can get quite high, it is not always a good idea to claim the full bonus amount. Every bonus has a minimum required deposit amount. If you are worried about being able to fulfill the bonus terms, consider claiming less than the full amount.
Wagering Free Spins
Free spins often have their own set of terms and conditions. Winnings from free spins are usually converted to bonus funds, which have to be wagered before you can make a withdrawal. If you request a withdrawal before meeting the wagering requirements, any bonus winnings may be forfeited.
Commonly, you will find wagering requirements of between 25x and 45x for free spin bonuses, with the most common wagering requirements being 35x or 40x.
It is important to be aware of other terms and conditions of free spins bonuses. There is usually a short timeframe in which you have to use your free spins before they expire. In addition, you are usually not allowed to wager more than $5 per bet, and different games contribute different amounts.
Wagering Contributions
Wagering contribution can differ from casino to casino. In some casinos, once you have received a bonus, you start playing with your bonus first, meaning you start wagering straight away. For example, if you receive a bonus offer of up to $200 with a 100% match and you deposit the max $200, you would start wagering from your first bet.
Some casinos choose to split proportionally to your real money account balance. For example, if you have $50 in bonus money and $50 in real money and you make a wager of $10, $5 will be bonus money and $5 will be real money. This type of setup affects how fast you can wager the bonus. In this case, you would need to wager twice as much to be able to withdraw your bonus.
Some casinos give demand players to play with real balance first and bonus balance after in case the real balance becomes zero.
In addition, casinos often give a cap to the amount that you can wager your bonus, it can be $5. There is also a maximum amount of winnings that you can withdraw from playing your bonus.
You are permitted to withdraw funds from your real money account at any time, as this account is unrestricted. However, if you have bonus money that has not yet met the wagering requirements, requesting a withdrawal will result in any bonus money being forfeited.
Pending bonuses are bonus funds that are awarded in a restricted state and cannot be accessed or wagered. These funds are released into a player’s real money account incrementally as he or she accumulates bonus points. Immediate bonuses are bonus funds that are awarded in a restricted state and can be immediately wagered unless otherwise stated in the terms and conditions.
Another very important thing to understand is that not all casino games contribute to bonus wagering requirements in the same way. Usually, the only games that contribute a full 100% are slots, although this is not always the case. Other games will typically contribute between 0 and 90 percent. Here is an example of what this may look like:
- Slots: 100%
- Blackjack: 20%
- Roulette: 20%
- Craps: 10%
- Video Poker: 0%
Sometimes casino bonuses are game-specific. For example, you may only receive a bonus when playing a specific slot machine, like Starburst.
Here is an example of how this works. Say a player wagers $100 on an eligible slot game. This means that the entire $100 (100%) would contribute to the wagering requirement.
Here’s another example. Let’s say a player wagers $100 on a game of blackjack. Only $20 (20%) would contribute to the wagering requirements.
Using the contribution example above, video poker would not contribute anything to the wagering requirement as its contribution amount is 0%.
Wager-Free Casino Bonuses
While most casinos have wagering requirements in place, there are times you may come across a casino offering wager-free bonuses. This type of bonus is growing in popularity as it allows players to bypass strict wagering requirements and claim their winnings right away.
Oftentimes, you will not need to make a deposit to take advantage of a wager-free bonus. This may occur if there is a no-deposit offer attached or the casino is offering wager-free free spins. As you may have guessed, wager-free casino bonuses are usually small but can be worth the while nonetheless.
What makes wager-free casino bonuses different than standard bonuses, besides the fact that you do not need to meet wagering requirements, is that any winnings from the bonus offer or free spins can be withdrawn from your account right away.
Choosing the Best Games
If you’re looking to beat the wagering requirements, it’s important to do your research and choose the casino and games carefully. First, start by signing up for a casino that is licensed by a reputable gaming authority. This helps ensure that the casino is legitimate and meets a high level of standards in terms of security and trustworthiness.
While most online casinos offer bonuses, terms and conditions can significantly differ. The average playthrough requirement is 35 times, but wagering requirements at a particular casino may be lower or higher. Ideally, you want to find a reputable casino that has a fairly low playthrough requirement which allows you to keep more of your winnings.
Be sure to always read the fine print attached to a casino bonus. In addition to understanding how much you have to wager, also review other conditions. Many online casinos place a cap on how much you can win and require you to use the bonus within a certain amount of time or the bonus and any associated.
It is important to understand that while no-wager bonuses do exist, they are not common. This means it can be difficult to avoid wagering requirements for long. Wagering requirements are not all bad, though. They can actually increase your bankroll twofold, threefold, and possibly more at times. This increases your odds of meeting the wagering requirements without depleting your bankroll.
Meeting Wagering Requirements
Online casino bonuses are an excellent way to maximize your gameplay and potentially increase your winnings without depositing additional funds. However, you have to be careful to avoid breaking the terms and conditions of a bonus. Avoid bonus hunting, which is the intentional abuse of casino bonuses with the aim of making a profit.
Be sure to always read through the fine print, as there are often limitations to how much you can win, how long a bonus will last before it expires, and how much you can bet at one time. If you are successful at meeting the wagering requirements, you can often receive a decent size bonus that you can typically start playing with immediately.
If you wish to avoid wagering requirements altogether, you can often choose to opt out of these offers when you sign up at an online casino. If a bonus with a wagering requirement that you do not want is automatically added to your account, simply contact customer support and have it removed. You can then start playing with your deposit funds immediately without having to worry about meeting rigid wagering requirements.
