Everything You Need to Know about Wagering Requirements

Apr 13, 2023 | Reading time: 7 Minutes

Wagering is just another word for betting or gambling for a win. There may be more occasions you may have come across “wagering requirements”. For this reason, many players may wonder why casinos impose these rules on casino bonuses and what the whole concept actually represents. 

Are you curious to find out more about this specific bonus condition known as playthrough with examples, as well as learn how to calculate it correctly? Then keep on reading, as everything will be explained in great detail in the following sections.


What Are Wagering Requirements?

Let's start by defining wagering requirements so that everyone is on the same page. This bonus condition  represents how many times you have to gamble the bonus’ amount in order to be able to cash out winnings.  

In order to be more clear on what wagering really is, you can take a look at the video below. TheBigFreeChipList’s YouTube channel is an accessible source of information on all things related to online gambling, and it will surely come out with more brief and informative guides like this in the future.
 

Many online casinos give away various bonuses to the players, especially when joining the website. These bonuses often come as free money to gamble with, the most popular prize being the no deposit bonus

Usually, when you create an account for a new online casino you will receive a welcome bonus, first deposit bonus or no deposit bonus, which can include free spins. If you look closely, you can see that some of them have a wagering requirement This means the casino will clearly say how many times you have to gamble that bonus in order to be able to proceed to a withdrawal.


How to Pick the Right Casino

When looking for an online website to gamble in, the wagering requirements that come with bonuses can be an important factor in your decision making. You should first all keep in mind that your earnings change with each wager. Even though you might meet the wagering requirement of the offer, this will not guarantee a profit.

This can also differ according to the online casino you are playing in. Thus, you should ensure that you read the online casino’s terms and conditions to find out more about how that particular operator applies wagering requirements, as well as other prerequisites. Some more important attributes imply a reliable and involved customer service and fast withdrawals, as well as the casino’s tier or its popularity.

In order to find the online casino that suits you best we recommend our reviews sections here on MERN.CA, where you can see real feedback left by other players. It is up to you to choose what suits you best according to how wagering requirements align with your personal needs. 

The screenshot below illustrates how casinos are displayed on our Low Wagering Casinos page, but remember to always check the corresponding individual pages to find out more in the case of other types of casinos too.

Wagering Requirements Calculator

The recommended way to calculate the playthrough of a bonus offer is to multiply the amount in the promotion with the designated requirement. Let’s take the example of an online casino with a $30 no deposit bonus and a wagering requirement of 15 times the bonus amount. This means that you have to spin and bet a total of $450 over time in order to benefit from your payout. 

Thus: $30 (bonus amount) x 15 (wagering requirement) = 450$

For some bonuses, you will notice that the wagering requirements also include your deposit amount. So, let’s consider the same example as above but with an implicit $20 deposit.

Thus:  [$20 (deposit amount) + $30 (bonus amount)] x 15 (wagering requirement) = 750$

You can also encounter a wagering requirement for free spins, which means that any winnings you make via free spins need to be wagered multiple times. As an example, if the casino has a wager requirement of x5 with free spins, and your winnings made with free spins are of $100, you will need to wager $100 five times.

Thus: $100 (free spins winnings) x 5 (wagering requirement) = $500

Fortunately, there are many low wagering casinos out there that require you to bet a small amount of money in order to claim your winnings. This is usually mentioned in the casino’s policy, but as an example, the casinos on our dedicated page have a playthrough as low as x0, with x10 being the maximum displayed in the section. This means that, for the same $30 dollar bonus, you would have to wager $300 at most.


Low & No Wagering Casinos vs Regular Bonuses

There are many low wagering online casinos out there, and these imply gambling websites that have smaller playthrough amounts required for cashout. Some casinos have no wagering requirements, which means that your bonus will act as a simple gift once redeemed. 

Regular casinos bonuses usually have bigger wagering requirements. All of them, with or without wagering, come in various types, such as no deposit bonuses, welcome bonuses, free spins, first deposit bonuses, and so on. 

There are also the exclusive bonuses which are offered to players through special registrations. For example, here on MERN.CA you will find many casinos that offer exclusive bonuses. Those can be claimed via a code or the online casino’s client service and will appear in your balance straight away, if we talk about money.

The free spins will start your round instantly once you have redeemed them. The wagering requirement will show you how many times you have to gamble the bonus amount, but here on our website we also have a low wagering casinos category

As you can see in the photo below, in order to cash out your winnings you don’t have to wager your deposit and first deposit bonus at all. This is a no wagering casino.
As the other way around, here we have a regular wager online casino, where you have to bet 45x your initial deposit once redeeming the 100% first deposit bonus.

CONCLUSION

To summarize, wagering requirements refer to a minimum amount you have to bet in total in order to be able to cash out your winnings. No matter if a turn is lost or won, the amount will be added to your playthrough. There are quite a few popular casinos that provide bonuses with low or no wagering requirements attached to them, and all you have to do is seek them out!

We really hope this guide will help you with knowing more on wagering and everything it implies. What now? Well, go ahead, choose a MERN.CA trusted casino from our many lists and enjoy your gambling. Good luck, player!

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