Online casinos offer various bonuses to attract new players and retain existing ones. These bonuses include no deposits, deposit matches, free spins, cashback, and other promotions. While these offers may appear enticing on advertising banners, the terms and conditions, including wagering requirements, are often not prominently displayed. It's important for players to understand what a wager is and its significance in meeting these requirements. This article provides an overview of wagers and lists promotions that involve them.
Understanding casino bonus wagers
A wager is a multiplier, typically represented as a coefficient such as x20 or x30. This multiplier indicates the amount a player must wager before being eligible to withdraw funds. Once the wagering requirements are met, players can withdraw their winnings.
Purpose of wagers
Wagering requirements are essential for online casinos to prevent users from exploiting bonuses without engaging in gameplay. Without such requirements, players could simply withdraw bonuses without making any bets, leading to financial losses for the casino. By imposing wagering requirements, casinos encourage players to deposit funds and engage in gameplay, thereby reducing potential losses and retaining customers.
How wagers work
The wagering multiplier is applied to the bonus amount received. For instance, if a player receives free spins, the wagering requirements apply to the winnings generated from those spins. However, not all bets contribute equally to wagering requirements. While bets on slots typically count 100%, bets on table games and card games may only count for a fraction of their value. Additionally, bets on live dealer games and high RTP (Return to Player) slots may not count at all.
Types of wagers
There are different types of wagers, each serving a specific purpose:
- Bonus wager: This is the standard wager applied to bonuses received from promotions, including deposit matches, no deposits, and winnings from free spins.
- Deposit wager: Some casinos impose wagering requirements on deposited funds. Players must wager a certain multiple of their deposit amount before being eligible to withdraw.
- Combined wager: This type of wager applies to both the bonus amount and the deposited funds. It requires players to wager a multiple of the combined amount before withdrawal is permitted.
Examples of wagers
For example, if a player receives a 100% deposit match bonus of 500 rubles with a x20 wagering requirement, they must wager 10,000 rubles (500 x 20) before they can withdraw the bonus and any associated winnings. If the wagering requirement also applies to the deposit, the player would need to wager 20,000 rubles ((500 + 500) x 20) before being eligible for withdrawal.
Types of Bonuses with Wagering Requirements
The wagering ratio set by online casinos varies and is often higher for promotions offering no deposits, larger percentages, or more free spins. Virtually all promotions come with a wagering requirement.
| Bonus | Peculiarities |
|---|---|
| No deposit | The most common one is for registration for new users. Players are awarded a fixed amount or free spins. The wager is often x40-50 or higher. Regular customers can also be provided with no-deposit bonuses for targeted actions: subscribing to social networks, reposting publications, inviting a user via a referral link, and more. |
| Welcome Pack | Interest on first deposits is more common than no deposits. Usually this is 100-200% of the deposit. Free spins are often awarded along with interest. The size of the bonus may also depend on the amount deposited into the account. The welcome package is only available once for new accounts. The optimal coefficient does not exceed x20-30. |
| Reload | Deposit bonuses are available after wagering the welcome bonus. They can be reactivated. Reload is provided for replenishment on certain days of the week. The sizes are most often small - up to 50%. This also affects the wager - usually it does not exceed x20. |
| Cashback | Refund of a percentage of lost bets or deposits made. It ranges from 2-20% and depends on the invested amount or user level. Cashback has small coefficients - x3-10. |
| For high rollers | Bonuses with large limits for players with large deposits. Wagering odds are average. |
The specific wagering coefficient is determined by the online casino, influenced not just by the type of promotion but also by other factors.
Tips for Selecting Bonuses with Wagering Requirements
Before activating any bonus, it's crucial to thoroughly read the description, which outlines all the requirements. This includes details on the wager, eligible slot machines, terms, maximum bet and payout limits.
If the description lacks information, it's advisable to check the "Terms and Conditions" section, usually found at the bottom of the main page, or reach out to customer support.
Opt for bonuses with lower wagering requirements, ideally avoiding those with a wager of x50 or higher, as fulfilling such conditions can be challenging and risky.
Consider not only the wagering coefficient but also the time frame provided for wagering. Sometimes, a higher wager may be manageable if there's sufficient time given for completion.
Can You Opt Out of Wagering Bonus Funds?
While users are not obligated to adhere to the terms and conditions, partial fulfillment of requirements is not allowed. The bonus and associated winnings can only be withdrawn after fulfilling all wagering requirements. Until then, funds cannot be withdrawn, and upon expiry or withdrawal of the personal deposit, the bonus money is forfeited.
Users can decline participation in a promotion if they don't intend to use the bonuses. This can be done before the bonus funds are used for bets, and any winnings accrued will be lost upon refusal.
Wagering Bonuses at Casinos
Reputable online casinos transparently disclose the rules for participating in promotions, detailing all wagering conditions to facilitate smooth withdrawal of funds.
Understanding these requirements can prevent issues during withdrawal requests, as there are additional restrictions beyond the mandatory bet size, including:
- Deadlines: The time frame allotted for meeting wagering requirements, ranging from 24 hours to 30 days.
- Bet Sizes: Fixed limits on maximum bets or set as a percentage of the accrued amount, with bets exceeding the limit not counted toward wagering.
- Available Games: Bonuses may only be usable on specific slots, card and table games, or lotteries, with varying percentages of bets contributing to wagering, such as 100% in slots and around 20% in certain table games.
