Online casinos to play their favorite casino games while online casinos provide a ton of convenience; they also come with certain restrictions that players need to be aware of. The most common restriction is wagering requirements on bonuses and promotions. Wagering requirements refer to the rules set by online casinos that determine how much you need to play through a bonus amount before you withdraw any winnings. Essentially, it prevents players from instantly withdrawing bonus funds or winnings from bonus funds without playing at the casino.
For example, say an online casino offers a 100% deposit match bonus up to $100. You deposit $100, so they match that with a $100 bonus. However, the bonus comes with a 25x wagering requirement. This means you would need to place bets totalling 25 x $100 = $2,500 before you withdraw any winnings from the bonus. Wagering requirements are stated as a multiplier, usually between 10x and 50x the bonus amount. The higher the requirement, the more you have to play through before cashing out. Different games also contribute different amounts towards the wagering requirement, which we’ll explain more below.
Wagering requirements work
When you claim a bonus at an top south african online casino, the bonus funds are placed into your account along with your deposit. However, this bonus balance is kept separate from your real money balance. You withdraw until you meet the wagering requirements and the bonus is released. As you play games, both your real money and bonus balance will increase and decrease with wins and losses. Only bets made with bonus funds will count toward the play through requirement. For example:
- You deposit $50 and receive a $50 bonus with a 25x requirement
- You must place $50 x 25 = $1,250 in bets using the bonus funds specifically
- Bets placed using your real money balance don’t count
The wagering requirements work in the background, tracking your progress towards that target. Most online casinos will let you see what percentage of the requirement you’ve completed so far in the promotions section. Once you hit 100%, the full bonus balance is released and withdrawn or used on other games. If you happen to bust your entire bonus balance before completing the wagering, you simply won’t meet the requirements and forfeit the remainder of the bonus. Any winnings above your initial bonus amounts are released as real money and be withdrawn immediately.
Contribution of different games
Slots almost always contribute 100% because they have the highest house edge. This means the casino has an advantage and is likely to win some of your bonus back. Table games like blackjack and roulette have lower contributions because the house edge is much lower and there’s more skill involved. The casino runs a higher risk of the player winning with bonus funds. Video poker and specialty games contribute minimally because the house edge is very low or even negative with perfect play. Live dealer games often don’t contribute at all because it’s the most realistic casino experience.
