How Do Wagering Requirements Work? A Plain-English Guide
You've spotted a casino welcome bonus. It says "100% up to £200, 35x wagering requirement." The 100% deposit match sounds good. The 35x? Less clear.
Wagering requirements are the part of casino bonuses that most players don't fully understand until they've already been burned by one. An offer that looks generous on the surface can turn out to be barely worth claiming once you do the maths.
This guide explains how wagering requirements actually work, how to calculate what you'll need to stake before you can withdraw, and how to tell whether a bonus is worth your time.
What is a wagering requirement?
A wagering requirement (also called a playthrough or rollover requirement) is the number of times you must bet through a bonus amount, or sometimes your deposit plus your bonus, before any winnings become withdrawable.
It exists because casinos need to stop players from depositing, grabbing a bonus, and cashing out immediately. The requirement forces you to actually play through the bonus money before you can withdraw it.
Put simply: if a bonus has a 30x wagering requirement, you need to place bets totalling 30 times a specified amount before your winnings are free to withdraw.
The catch is what "specified amount" actually means, and that's where things get complicated.
What is the wagering applied to?
This is the most important thing to understand, and bonus marketing consistently buries it. Casinos apply wagering requirements in three different ways:
1. Wagering on the bonus amount only
Example: You deposit £100 and receive a £100 bonus. The wagering requirement is 30x the bonus amount.
Calculation: £100 (bonus) × 30 = £3,000 to wager
2. Wagering on the deposit + bonus amount
Example: Same scenario, but the wagering requirement is 30x the deposit plus bonus.
Calculation: (£100 + £100) × 30 = £6,000 to wager
That's twice as much as option 1, for exactly the same headline "30x" figure.
3. Wagering on winnings only
Example: You receive 50 free spins and win £20. The wagering is 30x the winnings.
Calculation: £20 × 30 = £600 to wager
Always check which definition the casino uses. It's in the terms and conditions, usually listed as "30x the bonus" or "30x the deposit and bonus." If the terms aren't clear, that's a red flag on its own. Our guide to reading casino bonus terms covers how to find this information quickly.
How to calculate your wagering requirement
Here's a worked example.
The offer: 100% first deposit bonus up to £200, 35x wagering requirement on the deposit + bonus.
You deposit: £150
Your bonus: £150 (100% match)
Wagering calculation: (£150 deposit + £150 bonus) × 35 = £10,500
That's the total amount you need to bet, across all eligible games, before your winnings become withdrawable.
If you're playing slots at £1 per spin, that's 10,500 spins. If you hit a good win early in your session, it stays locked in your bonus balance until you've wagered the full £10,500.
Now consider what happens if the slot you're playing has a 96% RTP. Statistically, you'd expect to lose around 4% of every pound wagered. Over £10,500 of wagering, that's an expected loss of about £420, all just to clear the wagering requirement on a £150 bonus.
That's the honest maths behind most casino bonuses. The bonus money is real, and some players do clear wagering requirements and walk away up. But the house edge means that on average, the casino keeps a cut of every bonus it gives out.
Game weighting: not all bets count the same
When a casino says "35x wagering," they don't necessarily mean that £1 of blackjack counts as £1 toward your requirement. Most casinos apply game weightings, where different games contribute different percentages of your stake toward the total.
| Game Type | Typical Contribution |
|---|---|
| Slots | 100% |
| Live Casino (Blackjack, Roulette) | 10–25% |
| Table Games (RNG Blackjack, Roulette) | 10% or 0% |
| Video Poker | 10% or 0% |
| Scratch Cards | 50% |
| Progressive Jackpot Slots | 0–10% |
What this means in practice: if you play live blackjack and place a £10 bet, only £1–£2.50 of that counts toward your wagering requirement. You'd need to bet £400 at the table just to add £100 toward your total requirement.
For most players, clearing wagering requirements is a slots-only exercise. If you prefer table games, look for a no-wagering bonus instead, where what you win is immediately withdrawable.
What happens if you don't meet the wagering requirement?
If your bonus balance reaches zero before you've met the wagering requirement, it's just gone. You played through the bonus without clearing it, and there's nothing left to withdraw.
If you have a remaining bonus balance when you try to withdraw, most casinos will either:
- Prevent you from withdrawing until you've cleared the wagering requirement
- Forfeit the remaining bonus balance and release your cash balance for withdrawal
Which of these applies depends on the casino's terms. Some casinos let you forfeit the bonus at any point to access your cash winnings. Others don't. Read the terms before you claim.
There's also usually a time limit. Most bonuses expire within 7–30 days. If you haven't met the wagering requirement before the expiry date, the bonus and any winnings from it are forfeited.
Are wagering requirements worth it?
Sometimes. It depends on the specifics. Here's a rough framework:
A bonus is likely worth taking if:
- The wagering requirement is 20x or lower on the bonus amount only
- You enjoy slots (which contribute 100%)
- The time limit is generous (21 days or more)
- There are no maximum bet restrictions that would cramp your normal playing style
- There's no maximum win cap on what you can withdraw from the bonus
A bonus is probably not worth it if:
- The wagering is 40x or higher, or applied to deposit + bonus
- You mainly play table games (low contribution rates)
- There's a tight time limit (7 days or less)
- There's a maximum win cap (common on free spins offers, sometimes as low as £20)
- The terms are unclear or hard to find
If you'd rather skip the maths entirely, look for no-wagering bonuses, where winnings from free spins or bonus play go straight to your withdrawable cash balance. We cover those in our no wagering casino bonuses guide. Canadian players can also check our no wagering casino bonuses in Canada list.
Red flags in bonus terms
Maximum bet restriction: Many bonuses prohibit bets above £5 or £10 per spin while a bonus is active. If you normally play at higher stakes, this forces you to change how you play, and the casino can void your winnings if you break the rule.
Maximum withdrawal cap: Some free spins offers cap what you can withdraw from bonus winnings, commonly at £50-£100 regardless of what you actually win. A £500 win from a free spin can become a £50 withdrawal.
Game restrictions: Certain popular slots or high-RTP games are often excluded from wagering. If your go-to game isn't eligible, the terms matter more.
Country restrictions: Some bonuses aren't available in all jurisdictions. If you're based in Canada, the UK, or another regulated market, always check the geo-restrictions before depositing.
Frequently asked questions
Worth claiming or not?
Wagering requirements are a normal part of how casino bonuses work, but the range between player-friendly and borderline-exploitative is wide. A 20x bonus-only requirement is a completely different thing from 40x on deposit+bonus, even if the headline number looks similar.
Before claiming any bonus: find out what the wagering applies to, how much you'll need to stake, which games count, and whether there's a cap on what you can take out.
If you'd rather skip the calculation entirely, our guide to no wagering casino bonuses covers the cleanest offers currently available. And if you're evaluating a specific casino's bonus, our 777Vault review breaks down their exact bonus terms in full.