Wagering requirements explained simply, with real examples

What a wagering requirement is, in plain words

A casino bonus is not free money. It’s money with a lock on it. The key to the lock is betting. You must bet a set amount before the casino lets you withdraw the bonus, or anything you win with it. That set amount is the wagering requirement.

It’s written as a number with an x. “30x” means thirty times. If you get a 100 dollar bonus with 30x wagering, you must place 3,000 dollars of bets before you can cash out.

People call it other things too. Playthrough, rollover and turnover all mean the same idea.

Here’s the part that confuses most people. You have to bet that amount, not win it. Every spin counts, whether it wins or loses. Bet 1 dollar, and 1 dollar is added to your total. It’s like a loyalty card that needs 3,000 stamps, and every bet is one stamp.

A worked example, step by step

Let’s take a typical offer. You deposit 100 euros and get a 100% match bonus, so another 100 euros. The terms say 25x wagering on deposit plus bonus.

1. Your balance is 200 euros, your 100 plus their 100.
2. The wagering is 25 times that 200, so 5,000 euros of bets.
3. At 1 euro a spin, that’s 5,000 spins.
4. Only when you hit 5,000 euros of bets, and still have money left, can you withdraw.

That’s a lot of spinning. At a normal pace of a spin every few seconds, it’s hours of play. And many bonuses expire after a few days.

Bonus only, or deposit plus bonus

This small detail changes everything. Some casinos count the wagering on the bonus alone. Others count it on the deposit plus the bonus, often written “D+B”. With a 100 euro deposit and a 100 euro bonus, the same number of x can mean very different amounts.

Notice that 20x on deposit plus bonus asks for more betting than 35x on the bonus alone. Never compare offers by the x number only. Always check what it’s multiplied by.

What the bonus really costs you

This is the honest part most bonus pages skip. Every casino game has a house edge, a small built-in advantage. A slot with a 96% RTP pays back 96 of every 100 bet over the long run and keeps 4. So every 100 euros you bet costs you about 4 euros on average.

Now put that next to the wagering. To clear a bonus you must bet thousands, and the house edge takes its slice of every bet. Here’s what that costs on average, on slots with a 96% RTP.

Read the chart like this. If the bar stops before the dashed line, the bonus is worth more than the betting costs on average. If the bar goes past it, the betting is expected to cost you more than the bonus gives you.

Only the 10x offer comes out clearly ahead. At 25x on deposit plus bonus, the house edge is expected to eat about 200 euros, which is your whole balance. That’s why most people who take big bonuses end up with nothing to withdraw. It’s not bad luck. It’s the maths.

Different games have different house edges, which is why they count differently towards wagering. Here are typical figures from Wizard of Odds, a well-known source on casino maths.

A rough rule you can use anywhere is this.

• Work out the total you must bet.
• Multiply it by the house edge. For a 96% RTP slot, that’s 4%.
• Compare the result with the bonus. If the cost is bigger, the bonus is a bad deal on average.

The small print that catches people

The x number is only the start. These rules decide whether you ever see your money.

A common setup for game contribution looks something like the example below. It’s only an illustration. Every casino sets its own numbers, so check the real list.

Casinos do this for a simple reason. Blackjack has a much smaller house edge than slots, so you’d clear the bonus far more cheaply. Counting it at 10% makes 5,000 euros of wagering need 50,000 euros of blackjack.

Real terms from the casinos we reviewed

Here’s what the crypto casinos we’ve reviewed actually offer, taken from their own terms when we checked them. Bonus terms change often, so read the current version before you deposit.

You can read every full review, including Yeet, Casoo, Tsars, Glorbet, Rollbit, Roobet, Duel and MetaWin.

Two things stand out. The biggest bonus on the list, up to 45,000 USDT, comes from Glorbet, a casino we rate Avoid. And several of the better-known crypto casinos skip the welcome bonus altogether and pay rakeback instead. A huge percentage is often a warning sign, not a gift.

Rakeback, cashback and no-wagering offers

Not every reward comes with a lock.

• No-wagering bonus. Money or spins you can withdraw straight away. Smaller, but real.
• Rakeback. A slice of the house edge paid back on every bet, win or lose. Rollbit, Roobet and Duel use this instead of a welcome bonus.
• Cashback. A share of your losses paid back, usually weekly. Check whether the cashback itself has wagering.
• Free spins. Often have their own wagering on the winnings, so read those terms too.

A 10% rakeback with no strings can be worth more than a 300% bonus you’ll never clear. Value what you can withdraw, not what looks big on a banner.

What the law says in some countries

Strict regulators have started to rein in wagering. Crypto casinos with offshore licences don’t follow these rules, but they show you what regulators think is fair.

The UK change is the clearest signal. The Gambling Commission’s rule now says bonus funds may not need to be played through more than 10 times. In its consultation it noted that some licensees had used requirements of up to 60x. Before that, the UK’s competition watchdog, the CMA, took action in 2017 and 2018 against bonus terms that stopped people withdrawing, and big operators promised that players could withdraw their own deposit while a bonus was active.

UK guidance also says wagering rules must not lock your own deposit balance. Many offshore crypto casinos do lock it, so check before you accept.

How to decide in five steps

1. Read the full bonus terms, not the banner. Find the x number and what it’s multiplied by.
2. Work out the total you must bet, then multiply by the house edge. Compare with the bonus.
3. Check the max bet, time limit, max cashout and banned games.
4. Ask yourself if you’d play that much anyway. If not, the bonus is pushing you to gamble more than you planned.
5. If in doubt, say no. You can usually decline a bonus before you deposit, and your money stays free to withdraw.

Tips that save money

• Decline the bonus if you only want to play a little. Your deposit stays yours.
• Never place a bet above the max bet while a bonus is active. Not even one.
• Stick to games that count 100%, and check the excluded list first.
• Don’t request a withdrawal mid-wagering without reading what happens. Some casinos cancel the bonus.
• Screenshot the bonus terms on the day you accept them. Terms change, and a screenshot helps if there’s a dispute.
• Avoid bonuses with vague “irregular play” rules or where management’s decision is final.
• If chasing a wagering target stops being fun, stop. Our page on responsible gambling has tools that help.

A bonus can add some extra playtime, but on average the house edge wins it back. Take one only if you’d enjoy playing that much anyway, and never as a way to make money. If a casino won’t pay what you’ve cleared, our guide on what to do when a casino won’t pay explains your options.