Wagering requirements are a confusing thing to many new online gamblers, especially since they can also be called ‘playthrough requirements’ or ‘rollover requirements’, further complicating the matter. Put simply, wagering meaning can be defined as the number of times you have to get a bonus before you can withdraw it. For example, if you took a £100 bonus at x20 wagering requirements, you would have to make £2,000 worth of bets before you can withdraw the £100.
Blood Suckers is one of the most popular slots from NetEnt when it comes to choosing games for meeting a huge wagering requirement. But the problem is that at some online casinos this slot may be forbidden for play with bonus funds, while at some the wagering. Casinos offer the no wagering option on welcome bonuses to new players as incentive to sign up. Some casinos offer this option on bonuses for their existing players. This is offered as appreciation for the player’s loyalty. The option could be offered on reload bonuses, deposit bonuses or free spins. Why No Wagering or Low Wagering Casinos?
That might seem impossible, but it’s not. Check out our guide on how to beat them for some insight.
What are wagering requirements and what’s the easiest way to understand what they mean for you as the player? This short, simple article will explain them.
We’ll look at the most important things about wagering requirements, including:
Don’t confuse wagering requirements with wager. They’re different terms. For those who don’t have the time to read the entire piece, wagering requirements make it difficult for you to withdraw the bonus cash you are given. We don’t like them, and we know you won’t either. We prefer casino bonuses with no wagering requirements. They’re not as ‘exciting’ as the free money offers, but it’s 100% honest. You get to keep 100% of what you win.
Now, back to what wagering requirements actually are…
Imagine the following casino welcome bonus offer:
“Get a 100% deposit match up to £2,000 on your first deposit. Minimum deposit £20. x20 wagering requirements apply”.
What this means is that if you deposit anything up to £2,000, the casino will double your money. However, the wagering requirements clause means you’ll have to bet that money x20 over before you can withdraw it, or any winnings you get on top of it. Let’s say you deposited £100 and the house gives you another £100 on top – you would have to bet £2,000 before you can withdraw the bonus money. Hopefully, this helps you to understand wagering meaning in gambling.
Let’s say you take the offer and play slots, and you hit a nice £5k jackpot. If you’ve burned through the initial deposit and are now using the free casino bonus, you’ll have to bet it x20 over before you can withdraw that jackpot.
This is how the casinos make their money. To be fair, you can’t expect them to be dishing out thousands of pounds willy-nilly. After all, they’re a business and they’re out to make money. Wagering x20 isn’t as hard as it initially seems, but it is highly unlikely you’re going to be able to withdraw that money, and that’s exactly what the casino wants. Even at low wagering casinos, you will have to bet bonus cash between 5x and 10x.
The best way to look at welcome bonuses and deposits is free money to play with. In realistic terms, you aren’t going to make the wagering requirements and win without extreme luck on your side. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t enjoy playing your favourite slots, tables games or card games using that money.
Don’t bank on betting the house’s money x20 and winning. The games are based on probability and you’d have to have a horseshoe up your arse to be able to bet that many times over and win. However, the house’s money can be used to just have fun and play your favourite games at whatever casino you desire.
It’s still always best to find casino welcome bonus deals with the lowest possible wagering requirements, giving you the best chance of being able to actually win and withdraw that money plus any associated jackpots. Anything between x20-x35 is normal but stay away from the casinos that take things over and above this as x40 or x50 would be nearly mathematically impossible to meet. Rather than try to meet them, just play at the lowest wagering requirements casino in the UK – PlayOJO, which has no wagering requirements at all. It’s also important to play the best slots for wagering. There’s no point in understanding the wagering meaning without knowing how to take advantage and beat them!
What does wagered 30 times mean?
Wagered 30x means that you have to bet the bonus 30 times before you can withdraw it. For example, if you get a £100 bonus, you have to wager £3,000 before you can withdraw the bonus. This isn’t as impossible as it first seems, but it will require some luck.
Most bonuses also usually also come with time limits. For example, they might say you have to meet them within 30 days, 90 days, or whatever the casino in question determines. Always read the small print to find out about time limits as well.
Let’s say the wagering requirements at a wager casino are x20 and have to be met within 30 days. You deposit £100 and get £100 to play with from the casino. That means you’ll have to bet £2000 within 30 days or the deposit money will be cancelled and any winnings will be declared void.
Casinos do this for cash flow reasons. They can’t give you their money and let you sit on it forever as this would make it hard for them to meet their substantial operating expenses. Some give more generous time limits than 30 days, but they all have time limits in some form.
The final thing to consider is game weighting. Once you understand wagering meaning, you have to go deeper and understand this too.
Game weighting means, in a nutshell, the percentage of bets that will count towards meeting wagering in a given game.
For example, slots almost always count 100% towards wagering requirements. That means that for every penny you bet, you’re working towards meeting the wagering requirements. However, card games like blackjack rarely count 100%, and might be assigned a game weight of something like 70%, meaning that for every 10 you play with, 7 will count towards wagering requirements.
Always check the terms and conditions of a given deposit bonus of welcome offer to check what games count. Since most online casino players play slots more than any other game, this shouldn’t be of too much concern. If you’re out to play another game, however, you need to consider if you’ll need to bet more to meet the wagering requirements. Again, the best casino sites with no wagering requirements eliminate this issue altogether. Game weighting brings a whole new element to wagering meaning.
As you can see, wagering requirements virtually guarantee the house will be getting their deposit money back again. Only a few lucky fish slip through the net of playthroughs and actually put the casino cash in their pocket. You will stand more chance if you play high RTP slots.
Knowing this, just take the money with the aim to play games for free. You might as well approach it that you aren’t likely to win using the welcome bonuses, because that’s basically the truth when you look at it objectively. Still, these offers are there for the taking and you can try out all of the various games and play whatever you want at the casino without using your own cash.
If you do manage to score a huge jackpot using the welcome bonus money, such as x100 the value of the bonus then you can bet away to meet the wagering requirements, knowing that when you do, you’ll be able to make the withdrawal and still be up a large amount of money. For example, let’s say you spin slots with a £100 bonus and win £10,000 – you’ll only have to bet £2000 before you can withdraw the jackpot, provided the wagering requirements are x20 as in our previous example.
Remember, it’s all free money at the end of the day and you just never know – you could be spinning away on the likes of Mega Moolah and could hit the progressive jackpot. At that point, meeting the wagering requirements before you can withdraw will be a walk in the park.
Did you enjoy this article on wagering meaning? Did it explain them properly or do you still have unanswered questions? Drop us a comment and let us know. We suggest you claim some free spins no wager and say adios to wagering requirements for good.
There is a new trend in online gambling called no wagering online casinos which have zero or very low wagering requirements. If you are someone looking for a casino with zero wagering requirements or low wagering requirements, you have come to the right place! Thanks to our team of expert reviewers and analysts – all seasoned industry veterans – we are able to provide you not only with information about these casinos but also list out the best of the lot for players from Australia and New Zealand.
Name | Bonus Details | Software | Play Now |
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WildCardCity Casino | 25 Free spins on Crazy Monkeys No code required – automatic | Quickspin | |
House of Jack | 100 no wagerfree spins after deposit | Quickspin | |
Mansion Casino | Deposit Pounds 10 and Get 20 free spins (no wagering) | Playtech | |
PlayOJO | 90 free spins no wagering after deposit | NetEnt | |
Guts | 50 free spins on Vikings Slot – No Wagering | NetEnt | |
Stakes Casino | 50 free spins no wagerign – after deposit | NetEnt | |
MFortune Casino | 50 free Spins no wagering 18+, T&C’s Apply, Begambleaware.org | NetEnt | |
Reeltastic Casino | Euro 10 no deposit required plus 20 no wagering free spins | NetEnt | |
Casino Jefe | 11 free spins, no wagering, no deposit | NetEnt | |
Rise Casino | Deposit £10 Get Up to £20 & 10 Spins T&Cs Apply. Wagering Requirements Apply. | NetEnt | |
Arcade Spins Casino | Deposit £10 & Get 50 Free Spins on Fluffy Favorites Use code:PLAY50. T&Cs Apply. Wagering Requirements Apply. | NetEnt | |
Secret Slots | 25 free spins no wagering | NetEnt | |
Lucky Dino | 7 no deposit freespins + 100 No wager spins after deposit | NetEnt |
No wagering casinos are online and mobile casinos that come with no wagering requirements – or minimal wagering requirements – on the bonuses they offer. The advantage for the players is obvious – you don’t have to spend too much money in fulfilling the usually tenuous wagering requirements. For the casino, it is a great way to exponentially increase their player base and make a profit even without putting up high wagering requirements.
Casinos offer the no wagering option on welcome bonuses to new players as incentive to sign up. Some casinos offer this option on bonuses for their existing players. This is offered as appreciation for the player’s loyalty. The option could be offered on reload bonuses, deposit bonuses or free spins.
The bonuses at online casinos are usually generous enough to get a player to sign up and be a member. But for the casino, there is always the fear of incurring loss by handing out these generous bonuses and having players use them to score big or even moderate wins. There is also the fear of players exploiting these bonuses, something that was a reality a few years back. The wagering requirements kick in to counter that threat. A wagering requirement of 30x to 40x the bonus amount – some casinos apply it to the deposit as well – has so far been seen as a reasonable condition by players.
However, players do complain about the wagering requirements. Player complaints can be bad for business, especially given that online watchdogs and regulatory bodies keep strict vigil to ensure players are treated fairly. One of the worst things that can happen for an online casino is for one of these bodies to intervene to resolve player disputes and end up blacklisting it.
One way of ensuring none of these things happen is for a casino to tone down on the wagering requirements, or even remove it completely. The casino, of course, has other mechanisms in place to safeguard its interests and bottomline. Not all bonuses would be wagering requirement-free, for instance. The casino could give this offer on one or a couple of bonuses and use that to advertise itself as a player-friendly casino. It is good strategy, and works for everyone.
Not all bonuses are offered as no wagering bonuses. Quite a few casinos nowadays offer the welcome bonus as a no wagering bonus. That is the surest way of getting a player interested, given that it is the first bonus that he will get to use when he signs up for real money play.
The three types of no wagering bonuses that online casinos are beginning to offer their players nowadays are:
A number of online casinos are now offering no wagering deposit match bonuses. These can be welcome bonuses that come with zero wagering requirements or very low wagering requirements. The advantage is for both the player and the casino. The player gets to start off his casino adventure by using a bonus that he doesn’t have to spend much on to redeem winnings from. The casino can look forward to more and more players signing up with it.
Some casinos offer the no wagering option on deposit free spins. These are free spins that casinos offer when you make a deposit into your casino account. They can be offered in combination with match bonuses as part of the welcome package, or separately as bonuses for existing players to use. The difference is that these have zero wagering requirements or wagering requirements that are very low.
The no deposit bonus is a popular bonus, but not all casinos offer it. Now there are casinos that offer no deposit bonuses with a no wagering tag. Not too many casinos offer this bonus option, however. One casino that does offer this is BGO casino. This casino offers its UK players a no deposit bonus of 10 free spins, and this offer doesn’t come with a wagering requirement. You find this bonus being offered to Canadian players as well.
Not too many casinos offer this option to players from Australia and New Zealand. For them the options available, and not too many of them, are the casinos with no wagering match deposit bonuses and free spins.
Some have another kind of no wagering offer for their players. They do not offer no deposit bonuses, match bonuses or free spins. Instead they offer cashback bonuses. Players get a certain percentage of funds as a cashback bonus for making deposits and playing. The cashback bonus may be either on the amount deposited through the day or any such defined and specific time period or on losses incurred over a specific period of time. A good example of such a casino is No Bonus Casino.
Not all online casinos are keen to offer the zero wagering requirement option. The middle path that some casinos adopt is to offer bonuses with low or minimal wagering requirements.
These casinos are gaining popularity because for players it is easy to sign up with a casino that offers a welcome bonus with a 20x or 25x wagering requirement – even 30x – compared to one that has a 40x or 50x wagering requirement.
All no wagering and low wagering casino bonuses have their terms and conditions attached. The standard terms and conditions all apply. The difference is in the wagering requirements: the numbers are lower or zero compared to the bonuses at other casinos.
One way the casino safeguards its interests while offering the no wagering bonuses is by requiring players using this bonus to make a deposit when it comes to redeeming winnings from these bonuses. You will have the maximum withdrawal limit clause in place usually if it is a no deposit bonus.
The answer is apparent in the term itself. The term ‘no wagering’ means the bonus doesn’t come with a wagering requirement.
At most casinos, you will need to fulfil the wagering requirements to be able to withdraw winnings from a bonus; this stipulation is not there in a no wagering casino. This is a big step ahead because bonuses usually come with wagering requirements to ensure players do not misuse the bonus and also have you paying for what you want to redeem.
A wagering requirement is a mechanism that casinos adopt to ensure that players are not able to misuse the bonus provided and also to ensure a profit despite having to pay out winnings. The wagering requirements need you to wager your bonus amount a specified number of times to be able to redeem your winnings. At some casinos the wagering requirement or rollover is not just on the bonus amount; it covers the bonus amount as well.
A 40x wagering requirement on the bonus amount means you will need to wager an equivalent of 40 times the bonus amount you got to be able to cash out winnings from this bonus.
Assume that a casino offered a 100% match bonus up to €/£/$200 with a 40x wagering requirement on the bonus. If you won a €/£/$200 bonus you would need to wager €/£/$8000 (€/£/$200 x 40) to be able to redeem winnings from it. And if the wagering requirement was for the bonus and deposit amount and you deposited €/£/$200, you would need to wager €/£/$16,000 [(200+200) x 40] to be able to redeem your winnings from this bonus.
Casinos attach wagering requirements to their bonuses to ensure players do not misuse them and also to prevent losses because of the bonuses they offer.
However, for a player this can seem unfair since he would need to spend more to redeem less: nobody would like to wager €/£/$8000 to redeem a €/£/150 win, for instance and they have the option to lodge a complaint about a casino if they feel they are being given a raw deal.
Also, regulatory bodies and watchdogs from the industry keep a strict eye on casino practices and provide players the chance to complain about anything they don’t like about the casino. To ensure compliance with requirements laid down by these bodies and provide fair gaming opportunities, nowadays there are a few casinos that offer no wagering bonuses.