Wagering requirements explained, in dollars

What a wagering requirement is

When a casino gives you a bonus, it attaches a condition: you have to place a set amount of bets before the bonus, and anything you win with it, turns into money you can withdraw. That condition is the wagering requirement. You will also see it called playthrough, rollover or turnover. All four words mean the same thing.

The requirement is written as a multiplier of a base amount. The base is the part people skip, and it matters as much as the multiplier. Depending on the terms, the base can be:

• the bonus only, for example the $100 the casino adds to your deposit;
• the deposit plus the bonus, for example your $100 and the casino's $100 together;
• the winnings from free spins, for example the $12 you won with 50 spins.

How to turn a multiplier into dollars

The arithmetic is one line: base amount x multiplier = total bets you have to place.

As a worked example only: you deposit $100 and get a 100% match, so your balance is $200. The terms say 40x the bonus. The bonus is $100, so you have to place $100 x 40 = $4,000 in bets before the bonus money can be withdrawn.

It helps to see that figure as spins. At $1 a spin, $4,000 in bets is 4,000 spins. At $2 a spin it is 2,000 spins. At a slot that plays a spin every four seconds or so, 4,000 spins is more than four hours of play. Bets placed count toward the total whether they win or lose, so you do not need to lose $4,000; you need to bet it, usually many times over the same balance.

Bonus only or deposit plus bonus: why 35x can cost more than 40x

Two offers that look almost the same can be very different once the base is in the sum. As a worked example only, take a $100 deposit with a 100% match in both cases:

• Offer A: 40x the bonus. $100 x 40 = $4,000 in bets.
• Offer B: 35x the deposit plus bonus. ($100 + $100) x 35 = $7,000 in bets.

Offer B has the smaller number but asks for $3,000 more in bets, 75% more than Offer A. When you compare bonuses, compare the dollar total, never the multiplier alone. The bonus terms usually say "bonus amount", "bonus funds", "deposit and bonus" or "D+B". If the terms do not say which base applies, ask support in the live chat and keep a copy of the answer.

Every row is a worked example, not any casino's offer.

The 200x worked example: small deposits, large multipliers

Some offers in Canada work the other way round: a very small deposit, often a single dollar, buys a batch of spins, and the winnings from those spins carry a much higher multiplier than a normal deposit bonus. Multipliers of 200x appear on offers of this type. That sounds alarming, but the base is small, so work it out in dollars before you decide.

As a worked example only:

1. You deposit $1 and receive 80 spins, each worth $0.10. The spins are worth $8 in total.
2. The spins win $10. That $10 goes into a bonus balance, not your cash balance.
3. The terms say 200x the spin winnings. $10 x 200 = $2,000 in bets.
4. At $0.20 a spin, that is 10,000 spins. At $1 a spin, it is 2,000 spins, and at $1 a spin a $10 balance can run out quickly.

The same 200x on a $100 bonus would be $20,000 in bets, which almost no player completes. That is why the multiplier and the base have to be read together. With a $1 deposit, the money at risk is small, so the offer can be a cheap way to try a casino, as long as you see the $10 as a long shot rather than a likely withdrawal. Some spins offers also cap what you can withdraw from them, which is covered below.

Free spins are often wagered separately

When a welcome package has both a deposit bonus and free spins, the two parts often have different rules. The deposit bonus might be 35x the bonus while the spin winnings carry their own multiplier, sometimes higher. Read both lines in the terms.

As a worked example only: 20 free spins win $15, and the terms say 40x the spin winnings. You have to place $15 x 40 = $600 in bets before that $15 can be withdrawn. Free spins winnings are not cash until the requirement is met, unless the offer says it has no wagering. Our no wagering bonus page explains how those offers work and what they usually give up in return.

Game weighting: not every bet counts in full

Most casinos count bets on slots at 100% toward the requirement, and count table games at a lower rate or not at all. The rates are in the bonus terms, usually in a short table. Typical patterns:

• Slots: usually 100%, though some high-payout slots are excluded by name.
• Blackjack, roulette, baccarat and video poker: often 5% to 20%, sometimes 0%.
• Live dealer games: often 0% or a low rate.

Weighting changes the sum a lot. As a worked example only: a $4,000 requirement at 10% weighting for blackjack means $40,000 in blackjack bets. Betting on an excluded game can also break the bonus terms, which can cost you the bonus and anything won with it. If you mainly play table games, a bonus may not suit you, and playing without one keeps your money free to withdraw at any time.

The maximum bet while a bonus is active

While a bonus is active, nearly every casino limits the size of a single bet, for example per spin or per hand. The limit is a fixed dollar amount in the terms, and it applies until the requirement is met or the bonus is cancelled.

Two things follow from it. First, the limit sets how fast you can work through the requirement: as a worked example only, with a $5 maximum and $7,000 to wager, you need at least 1,400 bets. Second, going over the limit, even once and even by accident, can let the casino remove the bonus and the winnings. Some games let you raise the bet with one tap, and some bonus features count as a bet. If you are not sure, keep your bet well under the limit.

Expiry: the clock on the bonus

Bonuses expire. The terms give a period to activate the bonus, a period to meet the requirement, or both, and free spins often have their own shorter window. When the time runs out, the remaining bonus money and the winnings tied to it are removed.

Turn the period into a daily figure. As a worked example only: $4,000 in bets over 7 days is about $571 a day. Over 30 days it is about $133 a day. If the daily figure is more than you would normally play, the bonus is pushing you to play more than you planned, which is a good reason to skip it.

Maximum cashout: a cap on what you can withdraw

Some bonuses limit how much you can withdraw from bonus winnings, however much you win. The cap is written as a dollar amount or as a multiple of the bonus or deposit. It is most common on no deposit bonuses and free spins, but it also appears on some deposit bonuses.

As a worked example only: a $20 no deposit bonus with a maximum cashout of 5x the bonus can never pay out more than $100. If you finish the requirement with $350 in the balance, $250 of it is removed when you withdraw. Our no deposit bonus page covers this in more detail.

Other terms worth reading

• Which money is played first. At many casinos your own deposit is played before the bonus, and at others the two are mixed. If you withdraw before the requirement is met, the bonus and the winnings tied to it are usually cancelled.
• Payment methods. Some deposit methods are excluded from bonuses. Check before you deposit, not after.
• Minimum deposit for the bonus. A deposit below the bonus minimum gets no bonus at all.
• One bonus at a time. A new bonus can replace or cancel one already running.
• Verification. You will still need to pass the casino's identity checks before your first withdrawal. Our beginner's guide explains what Canadian players are usually asked for.

What a bonus is worth on average

Wagering costs money on average, because every game keeps a share of what is bet over the long run. A slot with a payout percentage, or RTP, of 96% keeps about 4% of all bets over time. As a worked example only: $4,000 in bets on that slot costs about $160 on average. Against a $100 bonus, that is an expected shortfall of about $60, before any maximum cashout cap.

That is an average, not a forecast: one session can end far above or below it. But it shows why a smaller requirement is worth more than a bigger headline amount. $100 at 10x needs $1,000 in bets and costs about $40 on average at the same slot, so the expected result is about $60 in your favour.

Checklist before you take a bonus

1. What is the multiplier? For example 10x, 35x, 40x or 200x.
2. What is the base? The bonus only, the deposit plus bonus, or spin winnings.
3. What is the total in dollars? Base x multiplier.
4. Which games count, and at what rate? Check the game you want to play.
5. What is the maximum bet? Divide the total by it to see the fewest bets possible.
6. How long do you have? Divide the total by the days to get a daily figure.
7. Is there a maximum cashout? If so, what is the most you can ever withdraw?
8. Can you play without it? Most casinos let you decline a bonus. Without one, a withdrawal needs no wagering at all.

If a casino does not state its requirement clearly in the bonus terms, treat that as a reason to wait. Ask support, and decide once you have the figures in writing.

Where to compare offers

Our all bonuses page lists the current offers at the casinos on our Canadian list, and each casino's /go/ page shows its current offer. The welcome bonus, cashback bonus and sports betting bonus pages explain how each type works. For a casino's licence, payments and terms in one place, start from our casino reviews.

More guides in the academy

• Beginner's guide to online casinos in Canada
• Casino glossary
• Casino licences Canadians see
• Odds formats explained
• The puck line explained
• Parlays explained
• Gambling winnings and tax in Canada
• Self-exclusion in Canada

A bonus is a way to stretch your play, not a way to make money. Set a deposit limit before you start, and if gambling stops being fun, our responsible gambling page lists free, confidential help for every province we cover.