If you’ve ever taken a look at the promotions page on an online casino or bingo site then you’ll have come across the term ‘wagering requirements’. Sometimes referred to as ‘play through requirements’, ‘bonus turnovers’ or ‘bonus rollovers’, these conditions can put players off accepting bonus funds from their favourite sites.
Why do sites insist on wagering requirements?
Most online gaming sites offer welcome packages to new members. These can take the form of no-deposit bonuses or cash match bonuses applied to first deposits. While these offers do attract new players, casinos would collapse in no time if they didn’t impose some rules over how bonus funds could be used. If players were allowed to accept bonuses, stake them and immediately withdraw any winnings gained as a result then the casino would lose a whole lot of cash. Also, there would be nothing to stop players signing up to lots of different sites and receiving welcome bonuses all over the place without spending any more money on any one particular site. To stop them losing money and to encourage customer loyalty, online casinos need to protect themselves by imposing wagering requirements.
How much should I expect to spend on wagering requirements?
Every site (or at least every group or network of sites) will have its own rules on wagering requirements. On top of that, there may be different requirements for each type of promotion. This can make it tricky for players to know exactly what’s expected of them and is the reason why it’s important always to read the small print. Generally, the lowest amount you’ll be expected to wager is around four times the bonus amount. At the other end of the scale, we’ve seen some sites require stakes of 80x the bonus amount awarded.
Game Contributions
One important element of wagering requirements that is often missed is the fact that not all games contribute equally towards playthrough requirements. For example, it might be that 100% of stakes placed on slots are counted towards your requirements but only 5% of bets on table games. The vast majority of online casinos will have some games that don’t contribute much towards wagering requirements so it’s worth reading through to make sure that you’re happy with the contribution the games you play will make.
Is it worth accepting bonuses?
With some sites requiring a decent spend before a withdrawal can be made, it might seem worthwhile for some players to decline any bonuses offered. This is an option that all players have and if you don’t play often or are a very low roller then it might be the right route for you. However, if you are going to be playing lots and spending cash at a particular site anyway then you might as well take advantage of bonus play or free spins offered. While there’s no such thing as free money, there is free play and that’s certainly no bad thing. At the end of the day, you can always withdraw your initial deposit and forfeit any bonuses you received.Bonuses can work wonders in enticing new players to online casinos and bingo sites but the wagering requirements can often put a damper on the offer. However, as long as you take the time to read the small print and understand what’s expected before you can cash out funds, bonus play can be a great way to get more for your money.