If you’re new to online casinos and thinking about signing up to one, even if it’s just to claim the new player welcome bonus, then you must understand wagering requirements. 

Wagering requirements (which some online casino operators and players in different parts of the world call rollover requirements or playthrough requirements) must be completed before you can withdraw any winnings you make from your bonus. 

Without further delay, let’s dive straight in for a simple explanation of how wagering requirements work and why you must complete them. 

Why do online casino operators attach wagering requirements to bonuses?

If every online casino in the world gave each new player free money when they opened a new account, it wouldn’t be long before that operator went out of business because most players would spend the money elsewhere instead of spending it on the games at the casino. 

If players complete the wagering requirements and still have money left afterwards, those lucky players get to keep what they’ve won, no strings attached. In short, wagering requirements are there to protect online casino operators from players trying to withdraw the bonus money as soon as they receive it. 

You don’t have to accept a bonus, but if you do, wagering requirements are normally attached. 

Some people get fed up with trying to complete their wagering requirements, which means they can forfeit the bonus money they were originally awarded and won’t have to worry about trying to meet their wagering requirements. 

How do wagering requirements work at online casinos?

At many of today’s most trusted online casinos that are accessible across multiple devices (e.g., laptops, tablets, smartphones, and desktop computers), players are treated to fair and realistic wagering requirements. 

For example, 32Red mobile casinos have an established wagering requirement that is regarded as being relatively low. Let’s take a look at an example of how bonus wagering requirements work:

Let’s just say that you’ve just claimed a 100% match bonus worth $/€/£50.00, and it comes with a 35x wagering requirement. The 100% part of the bonus means you can double up on your deposit up to $/€/£50. 

Therefore, depositing a minimum of $/€/£10 would get you a minimum $/€/£10.00 bonus (on top of your deposit) and depositing $/€/£50.00 would get you the maximum bonus available ($/€/£50.00 extra on top of your deposit). 

If you received $/€/£10, you would first need to wager your $/€/£10 bonus money 35x times, which means they would be completed after you have wagered $/€/£350.00 (35 wagering requirement X £10 welcome bonus money = $/€/£350.00). 

However, you also normally have to wager the initial deposit amount, meaning your wagering requirements would be complete after wagering $/€/£360.00, not $/€/£350.00, and so on. 

Some online casino bonuses may only come with a 15x to 40x wagering requirement attached, and others may come with much higher 70x to 200x wagering requirements attached. The lower this number is, the better it is for you as a player. 

What to remember when completing wagering requirements?

Players must usually complete them within a certain amount of time. This could be one month, one week, or as little as 24 hours. If you fail to complete them within the time given, the winnings you have made from your bonus will simply disappear, and the bonus will have expired. 

Also, the best thing to do when completing them is to play online scratchcards and slot machines. These games can help you complete your wagering requirements in as little time as possible (these games usually contribute 100% per $/€/£1.00 wagering towards completing them). 

Live dealer games, table and card games, and most other games may only contribute as little as 10% to 20%, or worse, ZERO %, towards completing them.

This kind of important information about what games contribute more than others and how long you have to complete your wagering requirements can all be found in the terms and conditions, which you should always take the time to read before accepting any kind of online casino bonus.