Wagering requirements are the number that decides whether a casino bonus is worth anything, and they’re usually written in the smallest font on the page. My mum once asked me why her “free $100” had turned into “$4,000 of betting before you can cash out”. Fair question. This is the answer I gave her, with the maths left in.
Short version: a wagering requirement (also called playthrough or rollover) is how many times you have to bet the bonus, or sometimes the bonus plus your deposit, before any winnings become withdrawable.
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How do wagering requirements work?
Say you deposit $50 and get a $50 match bonus at 35x. If the terms say “35x bonus”, you need to place $1,750 in total bets ($50 x 35). If they say “35x deposit plus bonus”, it’s $3,500 ($100 x 35). Same headline number, double the grind. That one word “plus” is the first thing I look for.
Bets are counted by stake, not by loss. Spin a $1 pokie 1,750 times and you’ve cleared it, whatever happened to your balance along the way.
Game weighting: why pokies usually count 100%
Most offshore casinos count pokies at 100% and table games at 10 to 20%, sometimes zero. Blackjack at 10% means that $1,750 target effectively becomes $17,500 of blackjack. Live games are often excluded outright. Some high-RTP pokies are also on a “restricted games” list, which catches people out more than anything else I’ve seen in bonus complaints.
The real maths: what will clearing it probably cost?
Here’s the bit casinos don’t print. Your expected loss while wagering is roughly total wagering multiplied by the house edge. A pokie with 96% RTP has a 4% edge, so $1,750 of spins costs you about $70 on average. You were given $50 of bonus. On paper that bonus has negative value before you’ve even started.
Drop it to 20x and the expected cost is $40, so there’s a little bit left over. That’s why I get keen on low-wagering and no-wagering bonuses, even when the headline amount is smaller. Plug your own numbers in below.
Wagering requirement calculator
Plug in the bonus terms and see how much you need to turn over, how many spins that is and what clearing it costs on average.
This is a theoretical average. A real session swings hard both ways. Always check the max bet rule and which games count towards wagering.
Averages lie in the short run, of course. On a high-volatility pokie you might bust in ten minutes or hit a feature that covers the lot. How swingy a game is matters heaps here, and I’ve written separately about pokies volatility if you want the long version.
Other terms that ride along with wagering
- Max bet while wagering, often $5 or $7.50 a spin. Break it once and the bonus can be voided, which is exactly what happened to a reader I wrote about in the max bet rule trap.
- Time limits, commonly 7 to 30 days. Miss it and the bonus and winnings disappear.
- Max cashout, common on free spins and no-deposit offers, such as $100 regardless of what you win.
- Sticky or non-sticky: whether your real money is played first. Our sticky vs non-sticky explainer covers why that matters.
Read the bonus terms before you deposit, not after. Once the bonus is active, most sites won’t let you remove it without forfeiting winnings.
So, are casino bonuses ever worth it?
Sometimes. A modest match with 25x or less on bonus only, pokies at 100%, no silly max cashout, is fine if you were going to play anyway. A big shiny 50x offer mostly buys you a longer session and a lower chance of withdrawing. You can compare current offers on our welcome bonus page or the wider bonus hub. And set a spend limit first. Chasing a wagering target is a classic way to play longer than you meant to.
What does 35x wagering mean?
It means you must bet 35 times the stated amount (bonus only, or deposit plus bonus depending on the terms) before bonus winnings can be withdrawn.
Do losing bets count towards wagering?
Yes. Wagering counts the value of each bet you place, win or lose, as long as the game is allowed and weighted in the terms.
What is a good wagering requirement?
Anything at or below about 25x on the bonus only is reasonable at offshore casinos. No-wagering offers are better again, even if they’re smaller.
Can I withdraw my deposit before finishing wagering?
It depends on the terms. With non-sticky bonuses you often can if you haven’t touched bonus funds, but with sticky bonuses the deposit is usually locked in too.
