Wagering requirements tell you how many times you need to play your bonus money through before you can withdraw it. Understanding how they work will help you choose the best crypto casino bonuses.
We’ll explain why wagering requirements exist and why they vary from one crypto casino to the next. You’ll learn which bonuses are worth claiming and which offers to steer clear of. Let’s get into it.
What Are Wagering Requirements?
Wagering requirements specify the number of times you need to bet your bonus funds before they convert to withdrawable cash. For example, let’s say you receive a $1,000 bonus with a 25x wagering requirement. That means you’d need to wager $25,000 before withdrawing the funds.
They’re also known as rollover requirements, playthrough requirements, and turnover requirements. Casinos use those terms interchangeably, but they all mean the same thing: how much you need to wager before withdrawing your bonus.
Wagering requirements are designed to stop players from abusing casino bonuses. If they didn’t exist, you could simply claim a $1,000 welcome bonus, withdraw the money right away, and never return to the site.
Instead, you need to spend time playing games on the site. If you clear the wagering requirements, you can withdraw the remaining balance. The casino hopes you’ll enjoy the experience and return as a regular customer, although there’s no obligation to do so.
How Do Wagering Requirements Work?
You can’t withdraw your bonus funds until you’ve completed the wagering requirements. Here’s an example:
Let’s say you have a $500 bonus, with a 30x playthrough requirement. That means you need to wager $15,000 before withdrawing it.
You choose an online slot and start playing. Most crypto casinos have a progress bar, so you can see how close you are to clearing the wagering requirements. When you’ve wagered $7,500, the bar will be at 50%.
If you try to withdraw the funds before clearing the wagering requirements, your request will be denied.
Let’s say you’re left with $324.80 after placing $15,000 worth of bets. At that point, the casino will transfer the $324.80 from your bonus balance to your withdrawable balance.
You can then withdraw $324.80 via your preferred cryptocurrency, or you can use the funds to continue playing.
Bonus-Only vs. Deposit + Bonus Wagering
You normally need to deposit your own money to earn bonus funds. Here are a couple of examples:
- A 100% deposit match bonus of up to 1 BTC.
- A 150% deposit match bonus of up to 15,000 USDT.
The casino will match a percentage of your deposit with bonus money. You then need to clear wagering requirements before withdrawing. Some casinos apply wagering requirements to the bonus, while others apply them to the bonus and your qualifying deposit.
This is an important bonus term to look out for. It has a major impact on your chances of earning a profit from a bonus.
| Terms |
Bonus A |
Bonus B |
| Bonus |
100% up to $5,000 |
100% up to $5,000 |
| Wagering requirement |
30x |
30x |
| Applied to |
Bonus money only |
Bonus money plus qualifying deposit |
| Balance after a $500 deposit |
$1,000 |
$1,000 |
| Amount to wager before withdrawing |
$15,000 |
$30,000 |
As you can see, you need to wager twice as much before withdrawing if you claim Bonus B instead of Bonus A. That’s because Bonus B applies the wagering requirement to your qualifying deposit plus the bonus money.
How to Calculate Wagering Requirements
It’s easy to calculate how much you need to bet before making a withdrawal. You simply multiply your balance by the wagering requirement.
For example, let’s say you’re offered a 200% welcome bonus of up to $10,000. The offer comes with a 30x wagering requirement. This wagering requirement applies to your deposit and the bonus money.
You make a $1,000 deposit and receive a $2,000 bonus. That takes your balance to $3,000. You then simply multiply $3,000 by 30 to work out how much you need to wager before cashing out. That means you’d need to wager $90,000 before the funds convert to withdrawable cash.
Game Contribution Rates
You also need to consider game contribution rates when working out how much you need to wager before cashing out. Slots normally contribute 100% toward clearing the wagering requirements, but most table games don’t.
That’s because table games have a lower house edge than slots. For example, a typical online slot has a 4% house edge. By contrast, blackjack often has a house edge of less than 0.5% if you play with basic strategy. For that reason, blackjack might only contribute 5%, 10%, or 20% toward clearing the wagering requirements.
Table games like blackjack often contribute just 10%. That means only $0.10 of every $1 you wager will go toward clearing the requirements. It effectively turns a 30x wagering requirement into a 300x wagering requirement.
This table highlights the impact of contribution rates on wagering requirements. We’ve listed the typical contribution rates by game type:
| Game Type |
Slots |
Roulette |
Blackjack |
| Contribution rate |
100% |
20% |
10% |
| 30x wagering requirement becomes |
30x |
150x |
300x |
| Wagering required on a $1,000 bonus |
$30,000 |
$150,000 |
$300,000 |
Other Bonus Terms That Affect Value
Wagering requirements aren’t the only bonus term that affects value. Here are some other key points to consider before claiming casino bonuses:
- Excluded games. You’ll often find that certain casino games are excluded from bonus wagering requirements. They typically include slots with high return to player (RTP) rates, such as Book of 99, Mega Joker, and 1429 Uncharted Seas. Some casinos won’t let you play jackpot slots, craps, or original games with bonus money either.
- Time limits. You must clear wagering requirements within a certain number of days after receiving a bonus. It’s often 7, 14, or 30 days. If you don’t satisfy the requirements before the expiry date, you’ll forfeit the bonus.
- Max cashout limits. The casino might impose an upper limit on how much you can withdraw after claiming a bonus. For example, it might be 5x or 10x the bonus.
- Max bet. Some casinos also restrict the amount you can stake on a single bet while clearing the wagering requirements. For example, it might be $10 per bet. This stops you from cutting corners by placing a few large wagers, but it can slow you down.
Occasionally, you’ll find that a casino bonus is “sticky.” That means the bonus will be removed when you make a withdrawal.
For example, let’s say you get a 100% bonus of up to $500. You deposit $500 and receive a $500 bonus, taking your balance to $1,000. After playing for a while, your balance is $892.51. If you make a withdrawal, you’ll only be able to cash out $392.51, as the $500 bonus will be removed. As a rule of thumb, it’s generally best to avoid sticky bonuses, as they rarely offer value.
How to Calculate Real Bonus Value
To calculate the real value of a bonus, work out how much you’d expect to lose before clearing the wagering requirements.
Here’s an example:
- A casino offers a 150% bonus of up to $3,000. The bonus comes with a 30x wagering requirement, which is only applied to the bonus.
- Some slots are excluded, but you can play a slot with a 2.7% house edge. This slot contributes 100% toward satisfying the wagering requirements.
- You deposit $1,000 and earn a $1,500 bonus. This takes your overall balance to $2,500. You then need to wager $45,000 before cashing out ($1,500 x 30).
- The game has a 2.7% house edge, so you’ll expect to lose $2.70 for every $100 you wager if your luck is average.
- After wagering $45,000 on this slot, you’ll expect a loss of $1,215. That means you’ll be left with $1,285. That’s more than the $1,000 you deposited, so this bonus has a positive expected value.
However, this bonus would have a negative expected value if:
- The wagering requirement was 45x. You’d then need to wager $67,500 before cashing out. Your expected loss would be $1,822.50, leaving you with $677.50. That’s less than the $1,000 you deposited.
- Wagering requirements apply to the bonus and your deposit. If the 30x wagering requirement applied to your deposit and your bonus, you’d need to wager 30 x $2,500. That means you’d have to wager $75,000 before withdrawing. Your expected loss would be $2,025, and you’d be left with $475. Once again, that’s less than your initial $1,000 deposit.
- You can only play slots with a 4% house edge. Let’s say the 30x wagering requirement only applies to your $1,500 bonus, but slots with a house edge of less than 4% are excluded. In that case, you’d need to wager $45,000 on a game with a 4% edge. Your expected loss would be $1,800. That brings your balance down to $700, which is $300 less than your initial deposit.
In each of those three circumstances, you’d need above average luck to cash out a profit after claiming the bonus. That illustrates just how important the bonus terms are when calculating an offer’s expected value.
What Counts as Fair Wagering Requirements?
Wagering requirements are fair if they give you a reasonable chance of cashing out a profit after claiming a bonus. The best crypto casino welcome bonuses have a wagering requirement of 30x or less.
Some go up to 45x or higher, but that dents your chances of earning a profit. Bonuses with 45x wagering requirements can still be worth claiming, but only if you can play games with a low house edge.
Ideally, the rollover requirements should only apply to the bonus, and not to your qualifying deposit. For welcome bonuses, the casino should match at least 100% of your initial deposit with bonus money, but some sites match 200% or more.
Games like blackjack should contribute at least 10%, and they should ideally contribute 20% toward the requirements. Original games like Plinko and Mines often have a 1% house edge too, so they can help make a bonus fair if they contribute 10% or more.
Conclusion
Wagering requirements determine the true value of a casino bonus. Before claiming any offer, check the multiplier and whether it applies to the bonus alone or to your deposit too. Also consider game contribution rates, excluded games, and time limits. Prioritize bonuses with relatively low wagering requirements and player-friendly terms, as that will improve your chances of earning a profit.
Frequently Asked Questions
A 35x wagering requirement means you need to play your funds through 35 times before they’re eligible for withdrawal. For example, if you have a $100 bonus, you’ll need to wager $3,500. The funds will then go into your withdrawable balance.
Multiply the bonus amount by the wagering requirement to figure out how much you need to wager before withdrawing. For example, if you have a $1,000 bonus with a 30x wagering requirement, you’ll need to place $30,000 worth of bets before cashing out. If you play games that don’t contribute fully toward clearing the requirements, you’ll need to factor that in when making your calculations.
No, you won’t be able to withdraw a bonus until you’ve completed the wagering requirements. If you visit the withdrawal page, the site will normally display your withdrawable balance, along with your bonus balance. The funds will only move from your bonus balance to your withdrawable balance after you satisfy the wagering requirements.
No, you’ll normally find that some games don’t count toward clearing the bonus wagering requirements. They often include slots with high RTP rates. Some sites won’t let you play jackpot slots when working on wagering requirements, and table games like craps and blackjack may also be excluded from bonus requirements.
A playthrough requirement is a bonus condition that tells you how many times you need to turn the funds over. You’ll only be permitted to withdraw the funds after you’ve satisfied the playthrough requirement. It’s used interchangeably with wagering requirement and turnover requirement at crypto casinos.
You will forfeit your bonus if you don’t complete the wagering requirements in time. That means the funds will be removed from your account. Keep an eye on the expiry date to avoid this fate.
Ilija is a CCN writer with 7 years of experience covering all things crypto. Ever since a fateful run-in with Litecoin in 2013, he's been an avid investor and writer in the space. When he's not maniacally hacking away at his keyboard, Ilija spends his time either hiking in nature or holed up in his apartment gaming.
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