Wagering Requirements Explained: What That Bonus Actually Costs

A 100% bonus up to 200 euro sounds like free money. It is not, and the reason is two words in the small print: wagering requirements. I have cleared more bonuses than I can remember and abandoned even more, and the difference between the two usually came down to maths I am going to show you here. Five minutes with this guide will save you from most bad bonuses for life.

What wagering requirements are

A wagering requirement, also called playthrough or rollover, is the amount you must bet before bonus money or bonus winnings can be withdrawn.

It is written as a multiplier. A 35x wagering requirement on a 100 euro bonus means you must place 3,500 euro in total bets before the bonus converts to withdrawable cash.

The first thing to check is what the multiplier applies to:

Bonus only. 35x on a 100 euro bonus = 3,500 in wagering. The fair version.
Deposit plus bonus. 35x on a 100 deposit + 100 bonus = 7,000 in wagering. Same advertised number, double the real requirement. This phrasing trick catches more players than any other term.

Every offer on our bonuses page states the wagering basis explicitly, because hiding it is the industry's favourite move.

The worked example casinos hope you skip

Here is the calculation that changes how you see every bonus offer.

You take a 100 euro bonus at 35x wagering, so 3,500 euro must be wagered. You play a slot with 96% RTP, meaning the house keeps 4% of everything wagered on average.

Expected cost of the wagering: 3,500 x 4% = 140 euro.

Read that again. The average cost of clearing the bonus is 140 euro, which is more than the 100 euro bonus you are clearing. On expectation, the standard 35x bonus is worth less than nothing. The casino is not giving you money. It is selling you variance and calling it a gift.

This does not mean every bonus loses, variance cuts both ways and some sessions clear with profit. It means the average bonus at 35x is a marketing cost the player ends up paying for. RTP and what it means for the house edge is covered in full in our RTP guide.

Quick reference at 96% RTP, bonus-only wagering on a 100 euro bonus:

Wagering	Total bets required	Expected clearing cost	Verdict
20x	2,000	80	Decent, positive expected value
25x	2,500	100	Break-even on average
35x	3,500	140	Below break-even, the industry standard
40x	4,000	160	Poor
50x+	5,000+	200+	Decline it

Rough rule worth memorising: at 96% RTP, the break-even point is around 25x on bonus-only wagering. Everything above that, you are paying for the bonus.

The terms that quietly kill bonuses

Wagering size is only half the story. These five terms decide whether a clearable bonus is actually clearable, and we check every one of them in our bonus reviews.

Real bonus terms showing the wagering requirement clause

Game contribution. Slots usually count 100% toward wagering. Live casino, table games, and some "high RTP" slots often count 10%, 5%, or zero. Clear a bonus on blackjack at 10% contribution and your real requirement just multiplied by ten.

Max bet rule. Most bonuses cap your stake while wagering, typically at 5 euro or 10% of the bonus. Exceed it once, even accidentally, and the casino can void the bonus and all winnings. This is the most common confiscation reason in the industry. Find this number before your first spin.

Max cashout. Some bonuses cap what you can withdraw from bonus winnings, common on no-deposit offers and increasingly on deposit bonuses. A 1,000x win capped at 100 euro cashout is exactly the heartbreak it sounds like.

Time limit. Wagering must usually be completed within a window, anywhere from 24 hours to 30 days. 3,500 in wagering within 3 days forces stake sizes that wreck bankroll management. The deadline is part of the price.

Excluded games. Bonuses commonly ban specific slots, often high RTP games and bonus buy features. Playing an excluded game while wagering can void everything, just like the max bet rule. Bonus buys and wagering rules clash constantly, which we touch on in the bonus buy guide.

Sticky vs non-sticky bonuses

This distinction matters more than the wagering number itself.

Sticky (standard) bonus. Deposit and bonus merge into one balance. Everything you do is under bonus terms from the first spin until wagering completes. Most bonuses work this way.

Non-sticky (forfeitable) bonus. Your real money is used first and stays separate. Win with your own money and you can withdraw it, forfeiting the untouched bonus. Only if your deposit runs out do you move onto the bonus and its terms.

Non-sticky is structurally better for the player, full stop. It gives you a free shot with your own money and the bonus as a fallback. When two casinos offer the same headline bonus and one is non-sticky, the choice is made. We flag the structure on every offer we list, and it weighs heavily in our casino reviews.

How to actually evaluate a bonus in 60 seconds

The checklist I run before accepting anything:

Wagering applies to bonus only, or deposit plus bonus?
Multiplier at 25x or below for bonus-only? Above 40x, walk away.
Sticky or non-sticky?
Max bet while wagering, write the number down.
Max cashout cap, any number here is a yellow flag on deposit bonuses.
Time limit realistic for your stakes?
Your favourite games at 100% contribution and not excluded?

If reading the terms takes longer than ten minutes, the terms are the product. The cleanest move in many cases is also the simplest one: decline the bonus, deposit clean, and keep every win withdrawable from the first spin. No bonus is often the best bonus.

FAQ

What does 35x wagering mean in plain numbers? Bet 35 times the bonus amount before withdrawing. A 100 euro bonus at 35x means 3,500 euro in total bets. If it applies to deposit plus bonus, double it.

Can I withdraw my own deposit while a bonus is active? On a sticky bonus, usually not without forfeiting the bonus and bonus winnings, and sometimes the request itself voids things. On a non-sticky bonus, yes, that is the whole point of the structure.

Do all games count toward wagering? No. Slots typically count 100%, live and table games often 10% or less, and some games are excluded entirely. The contribution table in the terms is mandatory reading.

Why did the casino void my bonus winnings? The usual suspects: exceeding the max bet, playing an excluded game, or missing the time limit. These rules are enforced by software, automatically and without sympathy.

Are no-deposit bonuses worth it? As a free look at a casino, sure. As money, rarely. They combine the highest wagering, the lowest max cashout, and the strictest terms in the industry. Expect entertainment, not profit.

What is a fair wagering requirement? At 96% RTP, bonus-only wagering around 25x is roughly break-even and anything lower is genuinely player-positive. The 35x to 40x industry standard exists because most players never do the maths you just did.

A note on playing responsibly

Wagering requirements are designed to make you play more than you planned. That is their entire function. A bonus that pushes you past your deposit budget to "finish the wagering" has already cost more than it was worth. Set your budget before claiming anything, count the bonus as zero until it is withdrawable cash, and let unfinished wagering go without a second thought, sunk costs do not improve by chasing them. If bonuses are driving your deposits rather than the other way around, BeGambleAware and GamCare offer free, confidential support.

Written by Kim Svensson. Last updated June 2026.