How to Beat Wagering Requirements?

What Are Wagering Requirements?

In order to learn how to beat casino wagering requirements, we must first understand what this means. Wagering requirements may also be called playthrough or rollover requirements and are essentially conditions that casino sites impose on their bonuses to prevent players from abusing the offers.

A bonus is a monetary gift in the form of additional credit that casinos offer to their players as an incentive to sign up or remain engaged. They can take the form of welcome bonuses, re-deposit bonuses, free spins or weekly or seasonal promotional gifts.

Naturally, if casinos were really giving out free cash to their players, they would certainly make a loss. So, how is it that so many European casino online sites offer these kinds of bonuses? This is where wagering requirements come in.

How Do Wagering Requirements Work?

Wagering requirements oblige clients to use this bonus balance at the casino’s games a set number of times before they may redeem it as real money. They are usually expressed as multiplication by a numerical factor, such as x40, and represent the amount of money that a player must wager before being allowed to make a cash withdrawal. If these wagering requirements are not met, the bonus will never be converted into real balance and will instead be forfeited.

Wagering Requirements Explained Simple

Wagering requirements are conditions that online casinos use to ensure that players engage with the games after receiving a bonus, like free spins or matching deposits. Think of them like a “play-through” hurdle.

For instance, if you receive a £10 bonus with a 10x wagering requirement, you must bet a total of £100 (£10 x 10) before you can withdraw any winnings gained from that bonus. It’s a way for the casino to safeguard itself against losses while giving players the chance to play more.

Different games may contribute differently to these requirements; for example, slots might contribute 100% of each bet, while table games like blackjack might only contribute 10%. This means that a £1 bet on slots will count as a full pound towards meeting the wagering requirement, but a £1 bet on blackjack will only count as $0.10. It’s crucial to read the terms and conditions to understand how these requirements work before accepting any bonuses.

How to Mathematically Calculate the Wagering Requirement

In order to choose a casino bonus that will work best for your bankroll, it is important to be aware of the amount you need to wager before you can actually cash in for this bonus. A wagering requirements calculator may be used to facilitate calculations, but it would be worthwhile to understand the mathematics behind how these values are obtained.

The wagering requirement is expressed as a multiplication factor, and the amount that needs to be wagered before the bonus can be redeemed is found by multiplying the value of the bonus by this factor as described below.

What Does 40x Wagering Mean?

If you see a bonus with a 40x wagering requirement, it means that you need to wager the bonus 40 times before it becomes real money.

To illustrate using an example, consider a casino offering a bonus of 200% up to £100 and an initial deposit of £10. Then, the bonus amount would be £20. If the associated wagering requirement is x40, this means that the total amount that needs to be wagered is £20 x 40 = £800.

In some cases, however, the wagering requirement might also include the original deposit, which would make a significant difference in the amount that needs to be wagered before withdrawing funds, as this would now be calculated as:

Considering the same example of before, the amount that needs to be wagered would now be , a considerable £400 higher.

Are Wagering Requirements Difficult to Meet?

The difficulty of meeting a wagering requirement will vary depending on the casino site, the bonus in question and the rollover requirements themselves, as well as the player’s available bankroll. Some bonuses may be easier to earn than others.

In general, lower wagering requirements are easier to complete since this reduces the number of bets that need to be placed before winnings may be withdrawn. However, it is a completely different story when the deposit money is included in the requirement. For example, a low x20 requirement is a lot higher than it looks and might even amount to more than an x30 wagering requirement, which is considered the bonus only.

Deposit+Bonus vs. Bonus-Only Wagering Requirements

To illustrate the importance of differentiating between these two types of requirements, consider a deposit of £50 and a 100% bonus, which would give a bonus of £50.

Casino A, offering a low x20 wagering requirement on the deposit + bonus would require an amount to be wagered equal to £100 × 20 = £2000. Alternatively, casino B offering a higher x30 wagering requirement on only the bonus requires £50 × 30 = £1500 to be wagered before being able to cash in, which is a stark £500 less than that required at casino A.

Free Spins

Free spins usually come with the highest associated wagering requirements, which could easily be very large amounts for a high scoring spin. They effectively make the free spins equivalent to ‘demo credits’ to try out the games but rarely leave leftover bonus to withdraw after working through the wagering requirements.

Are Wagering Requirements Worth It?

The hassle of wagering requirements may be avoided by renouncing the bonus, but this is not really recommended. The majority of online casinos impose wagering requirements on their bonuses to prevent players from taking advantage of them. Although constrained by playthrough obligations, bonuses may boost your bankroll significantly, providing more opportunities to win.

Nonetheless, players could alternatively choose to opt for an online casino without wagering requirements which offer wager-free spins, wager-free deposit bonuses or cashback, and any amounts won are paid in real cash and can be withdrawn right away, without need to worry about working through wagering requirements. They tend to be less lucrative than traditional bonuses and may come with other restrictions, such as requiring you to make a deposit to redeem them, though they still promise players a decent number of free spins on highly rated and popular slots.

Which Games to Complete Wagering Requirements On

Each game contributes differently to the fulfilment of the wagering requirement, and some games may be excluded altogether. For example, a slot game A may contribute a 100%, meaning any bet placed on it will count fully towards completion of the requirement, whereas a slot game B may contribute only 75%, which means that for each amount wagered at the game, only 75% of this value will actually count towards the wagering requirement. In general, choosing games with larger contributions will help you meet the wagering requirement faster.

Weighting of Different Casino Games

The weighting of each game is calculated based on its RTP (Return to Player), which is a theoretical percentage indicating the expected winnings with respect to the total amount spent on playing. This roughly indicates which games give players a higher edge, which is why games with a high RTP, such as blackjack and baccarat, have the lowest contributions to fulfilling wagering requirements, with some casinos excluding them altogether.

A list of each game’s contribution should be published on the casino’s site. If you are unable to find it or are unsure about a specific game, it is advisable to contact customer support. Casinos also usually keep track of your requirements for you, showing you the remaining amount that still needs to be wagered. If not provided, it may be difficult to keep track of your progress, and it would be best to contact customer support to help you break down the outstanding amount.

Comparing Wagering Requirements

Alongside the value of the wagering requirement, there are a few other factors that should be taken into consideration. Of course, all casinos build their own bonuses and conditions, so the fine print on each site may differ, which is why it is essential to read the terms and conditions thoroughly and make sure you understand them before making a deposit. If a term is unclear, you may always ask customer support for explanations. To help you with this process, we’ve made a list of things you should look out for when comparing bonus offers.

Wagering Requirement Checklist

• Minimum deposit – is there a minimum amount you need to deposit to benefit from the bonus?
• Bonus money first – can the bonus money immediately be used to place bets or are you required to use the deposited balance first? Maximum bet – there is usually an upper bound to the bets allowed to prevent players from placing one large bet and clear the wagering requirement at one go
• Expiry date – almost all bonuses expire after a set period of time and if the requirement is not met before this date, the bonus is lost
• Game weighting – what are the contributions of each game, and which are completely excluded?
• Wagering requirement – the actual multiplication factor which determines the amount that needs to be wagered

It is essential that you are aware of all the terms and conditions and follow them carefully, as you may accidentally void your efforts by neglecting to follow a requirement which will prevent you from being allowed to cash in.

Strategies to Beat Wagering Requirements

Although the casino will always retain the house edge, you may boost your chances of cashing out by applying the following strategies. It is not guaranteed you will beat the wagering requirements using them but they are generally effective ways of maximising your chances of ending up with some funds to withdraw.

1. Minimize or avoid wagering requirements

   The most straightforward strategy is to look for bonuses that have no wagering requirements. This means that any wins you achieve can be instantly withdrawn as real money, bypassing the usual hurdles.

2. Avoid deposit+bonus obligations

   Opt for bonuses where the wagering requirements are applied only to the bonus amount. When it's calculated on both the deposit and bonus, the total amount you need to bet becomes much larger.

3. Do your research

   Choosing a casino is crucial. Opt for establishments licensed by well-recognized gaming authorities. This ensures adherence to strict standards, ensuring a safer and more trustworthy gaming environment.

4. Read the fine print

   Bonus offers come with terms and conditions. Always familiarize yourself with these to understand the full scope of the bonus, the games it applies to, and any potential limitations. The eligible games to play using a bonus is one key element to check, as not all slots and games count 100% towards the wagering requirement.

5. Follow the rules

   Every casino has restrictions and rules around bonuses. Breaching these, even unintentionally, can result in forfeited winnings. Stick to the script to safeguard your potential cash-outs.

6. Play low house edge games

   Games like blackjack or roulette typically offer better odds for the player. For instance, even-money bets in roulette (like red/black) are low-risk wagers but often contribute towards wagering requirements. While such games might contribute less to requirements due to their high Return to Player (RTP) percentages, their low risk can help you preserve your balance.

7. Balance Speed with Safety

   If you're keen to clear wagering requirements swiftly, slot games are often the go-to. However, remember to strike a balance between a game's RTP and its contribution to the wagering requirements to ensure maximum profitability.

8. Play low volatility slots

   Low volatility slots offer frequent, albeit smaller, wins. This consistent payout pattern is beneficial when trying to work through wagering requirements. In contrast, high volatility slots, though they have the allure of massive pay-outs, can deplete your bankroll quickly if you don’t hit a win soon enough.

Are Wagering Requirements Worth It?

Realistically, fulfilling wagering requirements without losing all your winnings is a tricky uphill task. In most cases, these bonus amounts serve as ‘demo credit’, allowing players to try out games or explore a few of the best bonus casino sites to see what features they offer without using their own money. However, with a bit of luck, it is possible to beat casino wagering requirements and end up with a substantial real monetary bonus to withdraw, especially if you trigger a lucrative bonus feature on one of the eligible games.

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Kate WebbEditor in Chief

With over ten years of experience working with gambling and writing about casinos, Kate brings a lot of knowledge to CasinoTop3.com. Kate oversees all the content written on CasinoTop3.com to ensure it contains factual information with value to you as a player.