Casino Wagering Requirements Explained: What You Need to Know
When getting ready to start playing at a new online casino, it is key that you understand casino wagering requirements before you make your first bet. Some bets in the wrong game type, for instance, might void your whole sign-on bonus, so make sure you know what to look for.
Meeting the casino wagering requirements can sometimes mean easy bonus money. © Alexander Mils, Unsplash
What Are Wagering Requirements?
Most new online casino accounts offer very nice sign-on bonuses, but because casinos can’t trust everyone to do the right thing and not attempt to take advantage of what is essentially free money, they have to put wagering requirements in place.
While every casino sign-up bonus will be different, they will all share some similarities, and one of them will be the playthrough requirement. This is the way that the casino makes sure that you place enough bets so that you aren’t just taking their money and running.
So, the playthrough requirement is to make sure you play your deposit multiple times before the casino gives you the bonus. For instance, if it says a 10x playthrough requirement and you deposit $100, you will need $1,000 in total bets before they release your bonus.
Unfortunately, as more people have tried to abuse the bonuses, the terms and conditions have gotten a bit more complicated than our simple example. So, it is becoming increasingly important that we go over the terms and conditions with a fine-tooth comb.
Sometimes, if you were to make one wrong bet on a live dealer game when that was excluded while meeting your wagering requirements, your entire bonus might be forfeited.
While many casinos have had to tinker with their bonus wagering requirement because players have attempted to abuse it, there are still plenty of bad-apple casinos that will do whatever they can to make it next to impossible to earn the bonus and needlessly complicate the confusing wagering requirements.
This is why the best real money online casinos have simple-to-follow rules with low wagering requirements. This way, there are no issues with some subsection of a paragraph hidden two pages deep in the terms and conditions that will leave you without recourse to claim your hard-earned bonus.
Breaking Down The Bonus Wagering Requirement
Playthrough, as discussed, is how many times you must play through your deposit. So, a 30x playthrough on a $100 deposit means you need to wager $3,000, right? Well, not necessarily. There may be different wagering requirements depending on the type of game you are playing.
Slots generally receive 100% of the wagering requirement contribution rate, but you must be aware that some casinos have a rather exhaustive list of slot games where you won’t get any playthrough. BetMGM has become somewhat notorious for this, for example, so you will need to consult the rather long list in the T&Cs before you ever begin to play a slot game.
As often as not, table games will not be allowed as part of your playthrough. Though that might be doing you a favor as some casino sites won’t let roulette or dice play count but perhaps give you a 10% contribution rate on blackjack. Others might count roulette and craps but bar any blackjack play.
And don’t even get us started on live dealer games. It’s best just to assume any play on these games won’t count, as decoding the wagering requirements for some casino sites regarding which live dealer games count and when they don’t is going to leave you exhausted and numb.
This probably applies equally to video poker since the house advantage is often quite low. Most online sites won’t count play here as a playthrough towards your bonus requirement either.
Another often confusing term is depost plus bonus. In this case, perhaps you are going to receive 100% of your $100 deposit once you meet the playthrough. Well, if the deposit plus bonus is 30x, you will need to wager $3000 + $3000 on a qualifying game before you can cash out without penalty.
Time Limits
Once you have a clear picture of how much you need to bet and what game to play, the next thing to figure out is how much time you have to account for all this betting. Almost all top casino bonuses still come with a time limit, often quite short.
Generally, something in the seven to thirty-day range is going to be considered normal, but not all sites will give even that long, so double-check. Otherwise, your bonus and any winnings derived from it will go poof.
Max Bets
If you were thinking you might just fly through your $3,000 in required wagers by betting $100 a spin, you’ll once again need to comb through the fine print and see the max bet to earn the bonus.
Some places have it as low as $5 or even lower, so it’s another thing you will want to screenshot and make sure you keep a copy so that if you have to argue with a customer service rep about betting limits, you have a copy in black and white.
Getting Bang For your Buck
As mentioned, not all online casinos offer bonuses as easily as others. To get the best chance at actually cashing out some of that bonus money before you go broke, remember to look for low wagering requirements and even lower playthrough amounts, maybe something in the 10x to 20x range.
In a perfect world, you will want to play the highest return-to-player games that the casino allows to be played and still get credit. If you can play blackjack, get a blackjack strategy card and play perfect blackjack.
If you can only play slots, look for games with 97% and up RTP. Look for the next best RTP if those have been crossed off the playthrough list.
Keep an eye on how quickly you need that deposit back. If you are looking for a quick turnaround, just play without the bonus. Not only are the extra hoops going to slow you down, but when it comes time for the casino to approve the withdrawal, the amount of time needed to see if you met all the T&Cs may be more of a headache than some small deposit bonus was worth to start with.
Conclusion
If you are a solid player and just looking for a chance to get a little bonus money to allow you more time on your device, then a good playthrough bonus makes sense. But casino wagering requirements can be all over the place, so read the terms and conditions like a well-heeled lawyer.
The bonus wagering requirement makes all the difference between a bonus being a casino’s way of thanking a new player and a set of handcuffs restricting what, how much, and how long you can play.
If you can find low wagering requirements, reasonable games with good RTPs that count toward the playthrough requirement without bet restrictions, and you won’t need that deposit money back for a while, then by all means, take a chance on a new player bonus.
