1. Online Casinos
  2. Bonuses
  3. Wagering Requirements Explained: How to Meet and Beat Them

If you have ever tried to claim a casino bonus and experienced some degree of uncertainty on how to withdraw your winnings or calculate it due to wagering requirements, then this information could be helpful to you.

To understand what wagering requirements are, it is important to know what a wager is. This will also help you comprehend how wagering impacts your casino bonuses, how to calculate and beat wagering requirements, and how to take advantage of freebies, including the best ways to wager casino bonuses.

What is a Wager?

A wager in the online casino world is commonly also referred to as a bet that you can place on a casino game, online slot, poker game, or bingo game, but it can also be all the money you bet in a single session or time period.

Whenever you claim a bonus from the best NZ online casinos, like for free spins, the reward is paid out in “bonus money” instead of real money. Any winnings you receive as bonus money is held in a separate wallet and come with a wagering requirement.

Wagering Requirements Explained

For anyone to withdraw bonus money or winnings, it is important to complete the wagering requirements attached to it, including any terms and conditions. When you receive bonus money, it cannot be withdrawn immediately, which can be very frustrating for any online casino players. This is something many new or inactive casino players don’t understand because they are uninformed about wagering requirements and the consequences of not adhering to them.

A wagering requirement is the total amount of money a player has to wager, which can be the bonus amount or winnings, before being allowed to make a cash withdrawal. Since the purpose of completing a wagering requirement is to convert bonus money into real cash, it is very significant, especially because you can’t withdraw any real money without meeting the requirements and could potentially be forced to forfeit your winnings altogether.

Entire wallets vs bonus wallets

Two offers could both have 20x wagering requirements. On one, there are no contribution rates or game restrictions. The wagering requirement applies only to the bonus amount, so the actual wagering requirement is still 20x.

With an alternative bonus, many games only contribute 10%, the deposit match is only 25%, and the wagering requirements are 20x the deposit plus bonus for a true wagering requirement of up to 1,000x.

Is it Possible to Avoid Wagering Requirements?

It’s not possible to avoid wagering requirements in the long run. If you want to find a way around it, you can reject your bonus, but it is not recommended.

Many players are looking for ways to avoid wagering requirements as it can be constraining. However, there are benefits to adhering to the requirements, such as getting more chances to win a jackpot on a slot game or trying out some of the latest online casino games. Although wagering requirements are not ideal, once you meet them, you can make withdrawals and explore low wagering bonuses, which can also be easier to meet.

Another option is to claim bonuses that don’t come with wagering requirements, like casino cashback bonuses.

How to Calculate Wagering Requirements

How to Calculate Wagering Requirements

Learning how to calculate wagering requirements is very important and can help you understand exactly how it works. It can also assist you when selecting casino bonuses without breaking the bank.

When you plan on joining a new online casino, there are a few factors to consider before signing up. These factors will play a role in how you calculate wagering requirements, including how much you need to play before you can withdraw winnings, which is why it is important for your calculation method to be correct.

How you calculate your wagering requirements depends on whether your welcome bonuses are free spins bonuses or deposit match offers. You should also consider if the deposit amount is included in the wagering requirements or not.

Although wagering requirements may seem high at first, they are not difficult to meet.

Deposit bonuses

For deposit bonuses, if you have claimed a 300% online casino bonus with a wagering requirement excluded from your deposit, you should only calculate the requirements. This can be determined based on your bonus amount.

  1. E.g. If a casino rewards you with €60 bonus money, you have a deposit of €20 and your wagering requirement is 5x, your wagering requirement calculation will be:
  • €60 (Bonus) x 5 (Wagering) = €300

If the deposit amount is included, your wagering requirement will be:

  • €20 (Deposit) + €60 (Bonus) x 5 (Wagering) = €400

Free spins

Free spins

For free spins bonuses, you have to work out the wagering requirements, which can be determined by reviewing your winnings.

  1. E.g. If you claim 20 free spins, have a 10x wagering requirement and win €5 while playing, your wagering requirement calculation will be:
  • €5 (Free Spins Wins) x 10 (Wagering) = €50

With this example, you can see that the initial €5 has a 10x wagering requirement. This means you must complete the wagering requirements of at least €50 before making a withdrawal.

Meet and Overcome Your Wagering Requirements

To meet and beat wagering requirements, it’s important to understand exactly how they operate, which will also teach you how to play smart.

By not completing your wagering requirements, your bonus money can never be converted into real cash for withdrawal, which is why you should take every necessary measure to meet and overcome it.

Terms and conditions

If you can claim bonus money or any other type of promotional offer, it is recommended to read and consider the terms and conditions properly.

The terms and conditions of wagering requirements will keep you informed about everything you need to know regarding the bonus or promotional offer and will include a description of what the exact wagering requirements are and what needs to be done to overcome them.

Generally, you will always have to make at least a minimum deposit to claim your bonus. To claim it, you have to use a specific deposit method and will limited time to use it. No matter where you play or what bonus offer you have, rules and regulations will likely be different and have unique requirements, which is why you should read the terms and conditions of wagering requirements every time you want to withdraw any bonus money.

Choose the appropriate casino

roulette casino game

There are casinos with wagering requirements as high as 50X or more, and then there are others with less than 30X. Some online casinos also place a limit on the money you can win from bonuses, which is why it is necessary for casino players to do the proper research beforehand.

Besides finding the right online casino, it is also necessary to choose a casino with favourable bonus terms and to ensure it has a solid reputation among other casino players.

When searching for an online casino, be sure to choose one that is licensed and regulated, easy to use, and has a reliable customer support system in place. It is very important to make sure you can contact the online casino’s customer support team at any time, especially when you encounter issues with your bonus or have questions about the casino’s wagering requirements.

Find suitable games

Happy woman won slot machine games

Once you have chosen your online casino, you must find suitable and enjoyable games that will contribute various percentages and make up your wagering requirements.

To find out what games you qualify for, as well as the percentages they contribute to your wager, you have to play these casino games and ensure they are worthwhile to meet the wagering requirements. Online slots are a good option because they usually contribute 100% of bets to wagering requirements. Card games or table games are also good options as they contribute around 50% of bets. However, this percentage may be much less, so it should be different than your primary choice.

In essence, the best way to meet your wagering requirements is by playing slots online.

Play using the right methods

high rtp games - big win

Besides choosing the right games to meet your wagering requirements, you must also focus on the variance of games played and the Return to Player Percentage (RTP).

Online casino games with lower RTPs have much higher variances. However, they don’t pay out regularly, which might be an issue for some players, but when they do pay out, it’s almost always larger amounts.

To meet wagering requirements, it’s helpful to play online casino games using the right methods from the very start, as it will allow you to increase your bankroll and remain safeguarded against potential losses going forward.

If you’ve been playing for a while, you can switch to playing lower-variance games, which will have a higher RTP and pay out smaller amounts more often. This is a good method because it is more sustainable.

Opt-out completely

If you don’t want to deal with wagering requirements, there is an option for you to opt out of a bonus altogether. This option is available to you at any time but requires you to contact customer support first.

Find No Wagering Casinos

Instead of opting out completely, you can find online casinos that don’t have wagering requirements. These types of casinos are becoming increasingly popular, especially because players generally don’t want to deal with so many rules and regulations.

However, if you do opt for no-wagering casinos, you should note that you shouldn’t expect high amounts of free money. Instead, you are likely to only receive smaller amounts of bonus money and sometimes, free spins.

The no-wagering online casino option can still be profitable, but won’t have a requirement for you to wager winnings before you collect them. Although there are pros and cons compared to casinos with wagering requirements, many players are likely to opt for no-wagering casinos as they do not want to wait to make a cash withdrawal.

FAQs

What is a wager amount?

The wager amount refers to the money you will use to make a bet. For casino bonuses, it refers to the money you are required to bet in total before you are allowed to withdraw your winnings.

What is a 10X wagering requirement?

If you come across the term “10X wagering” requirement, it refers to the amount of your bonus 10X that you must wager to receive your bonus and winnings.

E.g. If you have a bonus valued at €10, you will be required to wager €100.

What is a 20X wagering requirement?

If you come across the term “20X wagering” requirement, it refers to the amount of your bonus 20X that you must wager to receive your bonus and winnings.

E.g. If you have a bonus valued at €20, you will be required to wager €200.

What is a 50X wagering requirement?

If you come across the term “50X wagering” requirement, it refers to the amount of your bonus 50X that you must wager to receive your bonus and winnings.

E.g. If you have a bonus valued at €50, you will be required to wager €500.

Is it possible to withdraw winnings from free bets?

Yes, you can withdraw winnings as soon as you qualify for a bonus and place a bet. You will then be able to withdraw your winnings from your casino account at any time. However, since the casino pays it for you, you won’t receive a stake amount.

What is no wagering?

No wagering refers to a type of casino bonus in which you do not have to meet any wagering requirements. You can collect winnings from this bonus as soon as you get them.