Wagering Requirements Demystified

If you ever claim a bonus at an online casino there are rules and special requirements that come along with the offers. These requirements must be met to claim the bonus money. Unfortunately, it's not always simple to understand what the requirements are or how you can meet them. One of the most confusing requirements you'll encounter is wagering requirements or playthrough requirements.

What are Wagering Requirements

When a casino presents you with wagering requirements on one of its bonuses, that is the amount of money you must wager before you can claim the bonus cash. Wagering requirements are usually based on the total amount of bonus money you collect and they determine how much money you must gamble with overall before your bonus money is usable.

How to Understand What Wagering Requirements Mean

Normally, wagering requirements are presented as a multiple. For example, you may see a bonus offer with 30x wagering or playthrough requirements. That means you must wager at least 30 times the bonus money you collected. To meet 30x wagering requirements on $50 in bonus money you would have to wager $1,500 total. Once you bet that much on a compatible game you can collect anything that's left from the $50 in bonus money.

Higher Wagering Requirements are a Poor Deal

When evaluating different casino bonus offers you should look at the wagering requirements attached to them. The higher the wagering requirements are, the more difficult it is to claim any bonus money before you lose all of your bonus cash. That's why it's important to read the terms and conditions of a bonus before you decide to try and use it. A casino bonus that seems less generous than another may be the better option to choose if it has a significantly lower wagering requirement.

Read About Game Exclusions for Bonuses

Whenever you try to claim a casino bonus you must be aware of any game exclusions when trying to meet your wagering requirements. Most casinos only allow you to work to unlock your bonus wagering requirements by playing games with more risk. In other words, a safe game like Blackjack or video poker won't count fully toward meeting your wagering requirements, and maybe only 10% or 20% of your wagered money will apply toward those requirements. A high-risk game type such as slots would apply 100% toward your wagering requirements, which means that you'll want to try to play slots more than table games. Consider any game restrictions attached to bonuses you're thinking about, and use that data to help you make the right decision about which bonus to use as well.

Keep Playing Until you Unlock Your Bonus Money

It can be discouraging to continually lose while you're playing a certain game trying to meet your wagering requirements and unlock your bonus funds. You should try to avoid becoming discouraged and do your best to continue playing qualifying games until you meet the wagering requirements outlined by the bonus offer you chose to use. When you persist with a bonus you're trying to unlock you'll have a better chance of getting that bonus money in the end.

Most online casinos offer bonuses for you to claim. Some of the bonuses are generous and others aren't worth taking because they're nearly impossible. The wagering requirements on the bonus often determine whether an offer is worth taking or not. Learn what those requirements are, and use that information to help you choose the offers you should be using.