No Deposit Bonus Wagering Requirements Explained
Are you even remotely interested in claiming bonuses at online casinos? If the answer is yes, you absolutely have to learn how casino wagering requirements work. Ignoring them is not an option if you care about winning money with casino bonuses and free spins.
This is why we have created a complete guide to casino wagering requirements.
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What Are Wagering Requirements?
A wagering requirement is a rule associated with bonuses offered by online casinos. You will find them in the “bonus terms and conditions” section of no deposit bonuses, welcome bonuses, match deposit bonuses, free spin bonuses, and reload bonuses.
In short, if a casino bonus gives you free cash or free spins, you can expect wagering requirements to be part of the equation.
When a casino gives you bonus money, it expects you to spend on the site wagering on slots and other casino games. In the past, many players abused this arrangement by immediately withdrawing bonus cash as soon as they received it, leaving casinos at a loss.
To prevent this from happening, casinos started using wagering requirements. Under this rule, you are barred from making an immediate withdrawal of any bonus funds. Instead, you have to use it to make wagers at the casino. Once you place wagers worth X amount, you are eligible to make a withdrawal request.
If you ignore the rule and try to make a withdrawal on a bonus, the casino will void your bonus and any winnings as well for bonus abuse. Usually, casinos set the wagering requirement as a multiple – like 10x or 20x.
Here is an example of a wagering requirement from a popular Canadian online casino:
When you sign up at Casino Extreme, you receive $100 bonus funds free of cost. Before you can withdraw this money, you have to place wagers worth 40x the bonus.
Here is how you can calculate the wagering requirement for any no deposit bonus:
Wagering Target = Bonus Money X Wagering Requirement = $100 X 40 = $4000
Before making a legal withdrawal request, you have to use your $100 to make wagers worth a cumulative value of $4000. If your bonus balance runs dry while attempting this, the wagering requirement also ceases to exist.
Why Wagering Requirements Matter
Wagering requirements are without a doubt the most important factor to consider when picking a casino bonus. Here is why:
A wagering requirement is a number, like 20x, 30x, or 40x. Some casinos will set this number higher or lower, depending on their marketing objectives and budget. Higher wagering bonuses are bad for players, as they effectively reduce your chance of retaining your bonus winnings for eventual withdrawal to your bank account.
Higher wagering requirements also mean that you will spend more time trying to reach the wagering target. A large cash bonus like $200 or $500 may seem very enticing, but its actual value to the player will tank if the wagering requirement is set too high. It will take up a lot of your time and in many instances, you may run out of cash long before reaching the target.
This is why you must go through the casino fine print before picking any bonus. It is a necessary evil – a boring chore that, unfortunately, cannot be avoided if you are serious about winning money with casino bonuses.
However, we can help you quickly find the bonus terms. Instead of poring over walls of boring text at different sites, you can get straight to the point with us here at BonusMonitor.Ca. We clearly state the wagering requirement for every no deposit bonus reviewed on our pages. You can save precious time by reading our reviews/previews and getting to gaming ASAP!
How Wagering Requirements Apply To Different Bonuses
Wagering requirements can apply to almost any kind of casino bonus. For the most part, the basic mechanism of this rule remains the same across bonuses. However, minor differences do exist regarding the calculation of bonus targets.
In this section, we will explain these differences:
With no deposit bonus cash/credit chips, wagering requirements are fairly straightforward. The terms apply to the bonus sum provided by the casino.
Here is an example:
888 Casino offers a $25 no deposit bonus with a 40x wagering requirement. This means you must play an amount equivalent to 40 times your bonus.
Here’s a calculation that puts this into perspective:
$25 bonus x a 40x wagering requirement = $1000 to wager.
So, once you’ve played $1000, any remaining funds in your bonus balance are converted to real money and transferred to your cash balance. You can now withdraw your bonus winnings.
With free spins, things are slightly different as you don’t get any money from the casino. So, the wagering requirements will apply to the money you win with those free spins instead.
Here is another example to explain how this works:
Jackpot City Casino – 50 Free Spins No deposit – 50x Wagering
Now, consider a hypothetical situation where you won $30 while playing with those 50 free spins. After using up the spins, you can calculate your wagering requirement using the following formula:
Free Spins Wagering Target = Free Spin Winnings x Wagering Multiplier = $30 x 50 = $150.
As you can see, the wagering target for free spins is unpredictable. It will depend entirely on how much cash you win with the spins. With bonus cash, you can know in advance your bonus wagering targets.
Match bonuses always require a qualifying deposit from the player. So, when using such a bonus, you have two types of funds in your casino wallet – deposit funds and bonus funds.
Wagering requirements can apply in two ways in this situation:
- Only the bonus cash
- On both bonus and the qualifying deposit
Ideally, the best bonuses are the ones where the wagering requirement only applies to the bonus cash.
To understand why, let’s take a look at the following example:
Woo Casino – 100% First Deposit Bonus Up to $100 – 40x Wagering
Now, let’s calculate the wagering target for both scenarios:
- Wagering on Bonus Cash = $100 x 40 = $4000
- Wagering on Bonus+Deposit = ($100+$100) x 40 = $8000
If the wagering applies to both deposit and bonus, your target also increases in size (doubled in the example). Needless to say, this makes it harder to reach it, and you will spend way more time on wagering when compared to the first situation.
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The situation here is similar to a match deposit bonus since you have to make a qualifying deposit to claim these free spins.
Casinos can go two ways with the wagering requirement:
- Apply it only on free spin winnings
- Apply it on free spin winnings + qualifying deposit
Once again, the first configuration is better for players as it keeps your wagering target on the lower side.
Let’s take a look at the following example:
Bitstarz Casino – Wednesday Free Spins – Deposit $30 Get 20 Free Spins – 40x Wagering
According to the casino bonus terms, you only have to apply the wagering requirement to the free spin winnings. Consider a hypothetical situation where you won $10 with the free spins. Your wagering requirement would be – $10 X 40 = $400
However, if the casino required the wagering calculations to include the deposit as well, your target would increase significantly – ($10 + $30) X 40 = $1600.
How to Know If a Wagering Requirement is Reasonable
As already explained, casinos don’t have to follow any rule when setting the size of the wagering multiplier. From their perspective, higher is better as it significantly reduces the risk of cash payouts on free bonuses. Still, most trusted casinos try to strike a balance between protecting their interests and giving players a fair chance at winning.
Fairness also depends on the type of bonus. If it is a match deposit bonus or deposit free spins, the wagering requirement should be lower. This is because the casino is getting payment from the players through qualifying deposits.
In stark contrast, no deposit bonuses are 100% free bonuses awarded to strangers. The casino has no obligation to keep the wagering requirement low for a free bonus with high risks of financial losses.
In the case of no deposit bonuses, you can consider the following tier list to decide if the wagering requirement is fair or not:
- 30x or lower – Excellent
- 30x – 40x – Standard
- 40x –50x – Decent
- 50x – 60x – High
- Above 60x – too high, look elsewhere
Any bonus with wagering of 60x or higher is simply not worth your time if you want a realistic chance of withdrawing your bonus winnings. In most cases, you will run out of funds long before you hit the 60x wagering target.
Other Bonus Terms to Consider
While the casino wagering requirement is arguably the most important bonus term, it is far from the only one. There are a few others that also impact your overall gaming experience while using no deposit bonuses and free spins.
They include the following:
These are also called “max cashout limits.” Online casinos cannot restrict the amount you win from a game using bonus funds or spins. But they can limit how much you are allowed to withdraw from these winnings in your casino balance.
Let’s check out an example to see how it works:
Playzee Casino – 20 No Deposit Spins – 35x wagering – Max Cashout $50
Now, imagine that you won $100 with those 20 spins. After completing the wagering requirement, you have $65 in the casino balance. As per the max cashout limit, you will only be allowed to withdraw $50. The casino will void the remaining $15.
If a Casino gives all new players 20 Free Spins. These Free Spins have a 40x wagering requirement.
Let’s assume you claim these Free Spins and win $100. Now, you must wager $4000 to convert the Free Spins winnings to real money you can cash out.
See this calculation:
$100 winnings x a 40x wagering requirement = You have $4000 to wager.
When you’ve played $4000, any remaining funds in your bonus balance are converted to real money and moved to your cash balance. Now, you can withdraw your Free Spins winnings.
This rule can apply both to no deposit cash bonuses and free spin winnings. When using your deposit money, you are free to set any bet amount before each round in a game. However, when playing with bonus funds, you have to watch out for the bet size limits – any violations will attract cancellation of both the bonus and winnings! Many Canadian casinos have a $5 limit on bet sizes in bonus play.
At every online casino, they will always have a list of games that players are not allowed to use with bonus funds. This list often has dozens or even hundreds of titles, depending on the size of the casino game catalogue.
Why do casinos do this? Well, in most instances, the games are usually slots with high payout odds for players. Casinos don’t like players winning a lot of money with bonus play. So they restrict access to the games most likely to get you some wins.
While playing with bonus money, avoid the games on the excluded list at all costs. Before starting a game, check if it is on the list. Ignorance is no excuse – casinos will void all bonus funds for violations of this rule.
While trying to fulfill the wagering requirements, you have to pay attention to the type of game you are playing. At all casinos, video slots contribute 100% towards wagering requirements. But other games like poker, blackjack, and roulette have far lower percentages below 25%.
The simple rule to follow is this – if you want to quickly fulfill the wagering requirement, stick with video slots. Picking any game with a low weighting percentage will put you at a significant disadvantage.
The reason for this bias is simple – games like blackjack and poker have far better player odds than slots – often going as high as 99.6% RTP. Always pick slots for wagering if you want to improve your chances of retaining your winnings.
For best results, pick slots with the highest RTP ratings. They will improve your chances of winning some cash with bonus play. If using a free spin no deposit bonus, look for offers linked to high RTP slots like Starburst or Book of Dead. In general, any slot with RTP above 96% is ideal for bonus play.
The actual value of a no deposit bonus is a tricky concept. Never pick a bonus based purely on the size of its rewards. As you know already, if the wagering requirement is high, it devalues the utility of an impressive-looking bonus. Consider multiple factors and bonus terms before selecting a no deposit bonus for best results.
Game Weighting Explained
Game weighting can have a massive impact on your ability to complete the bonus wagering requirements and still have money to spare for withdrawals.
Let’s look at an example to explain how it works:
888 Casino Game Category Weighting:
| Game Category | Game Contribution |
|---|---|
| Video Slots & Slots, Scratch Card, Keno, Race, Arcade, Dice | 100% |
| Pai Gow Poker, Caribbean Poker, Triple Card Poker & Poker Table Games | 20% |
| All Versions Of Blackjack, Hi-Lo, All Versions Of Roulette, Baccarat, Live Casino Games, Power Video Poker & Video Poker | 10% |
| Craps | 5% |
If you bet $100 on video slots or scratch cars at 888 Casino with bonus funds, the entire $100 will contribute to the wagering calculations. But if you select a Pai Gow Poker game and wager $100, only $20 will be considered for wagering targets. With blackjack, it would go even lower to $10, while $100 wagered on Craps will result in a meagre $5 considered for wagering requirements.
In effect, your wagering requirement target will increase drastically if you pick any game category with weighting/contribution below 100%. Divide the wagering requirement by the game contribution percentage in decimals to find the impact.
888 Casino – 100% Welcome Bonus – 30x Wagering
If you deposit $20, you will get $20 as bonus funds. Your wagering target is $600.
888 Casino greets new players with a $20 match bonus subject to a 30x wagering requirement. This means that you must play an amount equivalent to 30 times your bonus to cash out your winnings.
Now, if you deposit $20 and claim this bonus you have to play $600 to convert the bonus funds to real money you can cash out.
See this calculation:
$20 bonus x a 30x wagering requirement = $600 to wager.
When you’ve played $600, any remaining funds in your bonus balance are converted to real money and transferred to your cash balance. Now, can now withdraw your bonus winnings!
Here is how game contributions affect that target:
- Video Slots – $600/1.0 = $600
- Poker – $600/0.20 = $3000
- Blackjack – $600/0.10 = $6000
- Craps – $600/0.05 = $12000
Casinos Without Wagering Requirements
All casinos are business enterprises that worry about the bottom line and profits/losses. They use wagering requirements to reduce the risk of losses when giving free bonuses to players. Every dollar paid out to a player from bonus funds is an operating expense/loss to the casino. This is why the vast majority of online casinos use wagering requirements.
However, there are a minority of sites out there that opt not to do this. These casinos without wagering requirements on bonuses tend to be exceedingly rare. They are called zero-wager casinos or wager-free casinos.
Such sites exist because the majority of online players dislike the extra hassle caused by wagering requirements. Some newer casinos want to attract the attention of such players. Using no-wager bonuses, they can quickly build a loyal clientele from scratch.
However, since the risk of financial loss is significant, very few casinos dare to use this tactic. And players are always eager to find such bonuses as it promises an instant payout of bonus winnings. Whenever we come across such wager-free casinos, we make it a point to list them here.
Top Zero-Wager Bonuses
ExclusiveNew$1600 Match Bonus ^ 8 dep + 80FS on Wacky Panda
ExclusiveNew$1000 Match Bonus ^ 7 dep + 70FS on Mega Mustang
ExclusiveNew$770 Match Bonus ^ 4 dep on Western Reels
100 Free SpinsHow to Find the Best Bonus
Finding the best casino bonus is mostly down to the math involved in bonus terms. Read the fine print from top to bottom to learn all the variables. Casinos don’t copy-paste bonus terms from each other. You have to know the individual bonus terms to decide if a bonus is worth picking.
Here are the basic features of a great casino bonus:
The wagering requirements only apply to the bonus (not on deposits)- The permitted bet size is at least $5
- The wagering requirement is below 45x
- The win limit is at least $100
The wagering requirements only apply to the bonus (not on deposits)FAQ
Yes, casinos are not required by law to set a limit on wagering requirements. Bonuses are provided at the full discretion of a casino. So, they are also free to set wagering requirements as they wish. The only aspect controlled by law is transparency – casinos have to clearly specify all bonus rules including wagering requirement terms to the player.
The vast majority of bonus offers come with wagering requirements. A minority of online casinos offer special bonuses without wagering requirements. These bonuses are called wager-free bonuses or zero-wager bonuses.
With a regular bonus, you are not guaranteed to get your hands on any winnings. You have to try and finish the wagering requirements first and hope to have at least a portion of the winnings survive. With a wager-free bonus/zero-wager bonus, there is no such headache. Any bonus you win can be withdrawn instantly, subject to other casino terms like win limits.
Unfortunately, online casinos typically don’t provide wager-free no deposit bonuses. Only deposit bonuses and free spins are considered eligible for zero-wagering, and that too at very few online casinos.
There are no strict rules regarding the fairness of wagering requirements. But there is a general consensus among industry experts and experienced players. For deposit bonuses, anything above 30x can be considered unfair. For free no deposit bonuses, 45x or below is considered ideal.
You can use the following steps to try and improve your odds of beating the wagering requirements. Always wager on slots. Check if a game is on the excluded games list before wagering. Try to pick high RTP slots. Try to finish wagering as soon as possible, before the expiry date of the bonus.
