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Last updated April 1, 2021

Wagering Requirements: How to Beat Wagering Requirements

Casino bonuses always look so tempting, but often they’re hidden behind complicated wagering requirements. If you’re looking for ways to unlock your casino bonus and want to find out how to complete your wagering requirements in a straightforward way, we’ve got you covered.

Wagering Requirements

At SlotsBang, we consider ourselves to be experts on all things related to the world of online casinos. As casino lovers ourselves, we’ve put up many years of obtaining casino bonuses and completing wagering requirements.

It’s always frustrating to not be able to withdraw your cash because of wagering requirements, so we’ve created this guide to make things simpler for you. Here you’ll find all the information about what wagering requirements are and how to complete them. Hopefully, this guide will help improve your online casino experience and get your bonus cash available to withdraw quicker.

What are the wagering requirements?

At most online casinos, when you first sign up, you’ll be able to collect some kind of welcome offer. This could be a matched deposit bonus, free spins bonus or even a no deposit bonus. In many cases, the bonus will have wagering requirements attached to it.

If you’re unfamiliar with the world of online casinos and bonuses, you might initially be confused about what wagering requirements are. Simply put, you won’t be able to just withdraw your bonus after collecting it. It will first need to be wagered a certain number of times.

A wager is a stake or a bet on a game, so for instance, if you’re playing a slot, you might bet $1 on each spin. If you have a $100 bonus, you’ll need to spin the reels 100x in order to complete a single wager of the full bonus. Once you’ve met the conditions of the wagering requirement, you’ll be free to withdraw your bonus and any winnings obtained from it.

You should also note that some casinos have different weightings for certain games. In other words, table games might contribute just 50% towards the requirements, while slots contribute 100%. This means if you have a wagering requirement of 5x on a bonus of $100, you’ll need to wager $1000 on table games but $500 on slots to unlock the bonus.

It’s important to always read the full terms of any bonus before you sign up as wagering requirements can sometimes make it difficult for you to obtain any value from the bonus. Often bigger bonuses will be locked behind bigger wagering requirements, so make sure you’ll be able to complete the requirements before the bonus expires.

Why do casino bonuses have wagering requirements?

It sometimes seems that life would be a lot easier without the hassle of wagering requirements. So why exactly do online casinos use them? The answer is that without any wagering requirements in place, there would be nothing to stop a player signing up, collecting the bonus then withdrawing it, and never even playing at the casino.

Obviously, casinos give out bonuses to try to encourage new players to sign up and play so it wouldn’t make sense to just hand out free money. Online casinos would very quickly go out of business, and there would be nowhere left for us to play!

Wagering requirements can seem like a lot of hassle, but they are necessary from the casino’s point of view. While some wagering requirements can definitely make playing a chore, there are enough online casinos out there that get the right balance between a generous offer and low wagering requirements.

Where to find details about the casino’s wagering requirements

Online casinos are required by law to provide clear and easily accessible terms for any bonus or promotion that they offer. You can usually find the full details of the bonus and any wagering requirements in the terms and conditions. These are usually found on the main page or the promotions page.

Make sure you find out exactly how many times you’ll need to wager your bonus before it is available to withdraw. Some casinos will also need you to wager the winnings obtained from the bonus too. Look to see whether there is any time limit on the bonus. Many online casinos will need you to complete the wagering requirement within a certain amount of time. If you fail to unlock the bonus before the time limit, your bonus and any winnings from it will expire.

You should also double-check to see whether withdrawals can be made during the wagering requirement. Some online casinos set a rule where any withdrawal that you make before the wagering requirements are complete will invalidate your bonus. The last thing you want to do is miss out on your bonus cash, so always be sure to read the full terms carefully.

How to Calculate Your Wagering Requirements

How to calculate your wagering requirements

Before you start claiming any online casino bonuses, it’s good to look through the wagering requirements and work out how much you’ll need to wager. This will give you a good indication as to whether the bonus is actually worth it or not.

Lower wagering requirements are better for obvious reasons, but whether a bonus has value for you personally will depend on your playing style and preferences. If you’re a casual player, going for a lower bonus with lower wagering requirements will usually be better. If you’re more of a serious gambler, you might be OK with going for a larger bonus that has a large wagering requirement. At the end of the day, it’s all about judging whether the bonus is attainable for you.

Calculating the wagering requirements isn’t rocket science, but it does involve a little bit of a match. For example, let’s imagine that a casino is offering a $250 bonus with a 10x wagering requirement.

To fully unlock the bonus, you’ll need to wager $250 x 10 = $2500.

Some casinos may also factor your deposit into the wagering requirement. In that case, say you also deposited $250 to claim the bonus.

You’d then need to wager $250 x 10 + $250 x 10 = $5000.

Make sure you check whether the game you’re playing has a 100% contribution towards the wagering requirements. Some online casinos will make it so that table games have a lower contribution towards the wagering requirements. Say that in the above example your casino has a 50% contribution for table games.

If you used your bonus to play Blackjack, you’d then need to wager $250 x 20 + $250 x 20 = $10,000.

Do casino bonuses without wagering requirements exist?

Of course, not every casino bonus comes with wagering requirements. While they are rare, wager-free casino bonuses do exist. A wager-free bonus is exactly what you might expect from the name, an online casino bonus that has no strings attached. With no annoying wagering requirements, you’ll be able to quickly get your hands on all that free cash!

The only downside to these hassle-free bonuses is that they tend to be smaller than some other casino bonuses. Often, they come in the form of free spins, where you can make a deposit and claim your spins and any rewards that come from them instantly. Some casinos also offer no deposit bonuses that don’t come with wagering requirements.

Any winnings you make from these bonuses can instantly be withdrawn, allowing you to collect your winnings with minimal fuss. Online casinos know that these kinds of offers are irresistible to many players, so they’re often used as a way for a new or recently founded casino to attract signups.

What’s the best way to beat casino bonus wagering requirements?

Now you know everything about wagering requirements, including how to calculate them. The next question you’ll be asking is “what’s the quickest way to unlock them?” Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few steps you can take to make sure that your wagering requirements are unlocked as quickly and simply as possible:

1. Choose the right casino

Before you start playing at any casino and thinking about that bonus, it’s important to make sure the site you’re using is reputable. Any casino you use should always be licensed by the relevant gambling authority. These governmental organizations make sure that players using the site are protected and that games are tested and proven as fair.

If you’re unsure about whether a site is legitimate or not, check to see whether we’ve reviewed it. At SlotsBang, we only ever review the best and most trustworthy casinos. If it’s featured on our site you know it’s safe to use and you can read up about it in our full casino review.

2. Read all the details

All bonuses come with some terms and conditions, and some have much more complicated terms than others. To know whether you’re getting a good deal or not, you should make sure to read through the terms carefully.

Check to see whether the bonus has an expiry date, a maximum winning cap, and whether some games contribute more to the wagering requirements than others. Some casinos will also invalidate your bonus and any winnings from it if you try to make a withdrawal before the wagering requirements are complete.

All these reasons are why it’s so important to read through the terms and conditions carefully before you sign up. That way you can know whether the bonus if worth it or not and also avoid losing out on any funds.

3. Start playing

Once you’re confident you’ve got a good deal, you can sign up and start playing. There isn’t really any special way to complete the wagering faster. You just need to play any of the games until you’ve completed the total requirement.

Choose a game that you enjoy, and the time will go by a lot faster! Hopefully, within no time at all, you’ll be looking at a nice healthy casino balance with your bonus and winnings included. Before you make any withdrawal, you may need to provide proof of your ID and address. Many casinos require you to verify your identity for money laundering checks, and if you get this done first, your withdrawal will go much faster.

Is there any way to avoid wagering requirements?

Unless the casino you’re using offers a wager-free bonus, you’ll have to complete the wagering requirements in order to fully unlock the bonus cash. Some casinos will also allow you to forfeit the bonus if you feel like the wagering requirements are too difficult for you to complete. In most cases though, the bonus will just expire after a certain time anyway. Once this happens, you’ll then be able to withdraw any fund you have in your account from your deposit.

Sometimes wagering requirements can seem like a bit of a pain and too much hassle, but if you have the chance to double or even triple your funds, they’re always worth it in our opinion. A wagering requirement of 30x may seem daunting at first, but it can usually be done easily over a week as long as you stay consistent in your bets.

What does the future hold for wagering requirements?

Online casinos are always looking for new and interesting ways to entice players to sign up. It’s hardly surprising seeing how many great online casinos there are out there and they’re all in competition with each other for players.

Because of how much the casino industry is always adapting and changing, we could see more casinos focus on smaller bonuses with fewer or no wagering requirements. Casino players are getting wiser to the fact that many sites would offer big bonuses but hide them behind wagering requirements that made them impossible to obtain.

Here at SlotsBang, we believe that online casinos are starting to focus more on providing attainable bonuses that make unlocking an online casino bonus fun rather than a chore. We could see fewer online sites offering bonuses with wagering requirements in the future. While we don’t think that wagering requirements will go away completely, it’s true that they’re definitely getting better and easier to understand

Where to Find the Best Bonuses with the Lowest Wagering Requirements?

Where to find the best bonuses with the lowest wagering requirements?

Now you know pretty much everything there is to know about casino bonus wagering requirements, you’ll need to know where to find the best bonuses with the easiest requirements. Here at SlotsBang, we’re always on the lookout for the best bonuses. We don’t just look at the size of the bonus but also how easy it is to obtain and whether it has complicated restrictions.

On our top casino bonuses page, you’ll find all the best casino bonuses and full details. We read through all the terms and list any wagering requirements and other details you should know. Our list is updated regularly, so it has all the best and latest online casino bonuses. Kickstart your online casino experience today at SlotsBang!

Author
Arthur is a staff writer at SlotsBang. He contributes to all things casino, from our ‘how to play’ guides to tips on finding the best sites for your favourite casino games.