How to Read a Bonus Wagering Requirement Before You Opt In

How to Read a Bonus Wagering Requirement Before You Opt In

A wagering requirement is the single term in a welcome offer’s fine print that matters most, and it’s also the one most often skimmed past. Here’s how to actually read one before you opt in, so an offer that looks good on the surface doesn’t turn out to be harder to clear than expected.

What a Wagering Requirement Is

A wagering requirement is a multiple — commonly written as something like “20x” or “35x” — that tells you how much betting activity you need to complete before bonus funds (and any winnings from them) can be withdrawn. If a bonus carries a 20x requirement, you’d need to place total bets equal to 20 times the bonus amount before a withdrawal becomes possible. The higher the multiple, the more betting activity is required, and the harder the bonus generally is to clear.

Bonus Only, or Bonus Plus Deposit?

This is the detail that trips people up most. Some offers apply the wagering multiple to the bonus amount alone; others apply it to the bonus plus your original deposit combined, which results in a noticeably higher total wagering requirement for the same headline multiple. Always check which one applies — two offers advertising the same multiple can require very different amounts of total betting.

Which Games Count

Not every game contributes equally toward clearing a wagering requirement. Slots typically count at or near 100% of what you bet on them. Table games and live dealer tables often count at a reduced rate — sometimes 10% or 20% of the bet, sometimes not at all — because they generally carry a lower house edge, which the sportsbook or casino accounts for by discounting how much they contribute. Betting exclusively on a table game that counts at a reduced rate can mean the requirement takes far longer to clear than the headline number suggests.

The Time Limit

Wagering requirements come with an expiry — typically a set number of days from when the bonus is credited. If the requirement isn’t cleared within that window, the remaining bonus funds, and often any winnings generated from them, are usually forfeited. Note the exact expiry date when you opt in, and check your account periodically against it if you’re not playing every day.

Maximum Bet Size

Many bonus terms include a maximum bet size that applies while the bonus is active — placing a single bet above that limit can void the bonus and any winnings from it, even if the bet itself wins. This is an easy term to miss, especially for a player used to betting larger amounts, so it’s worth checking specifically rather than assuming your usual bet size is fine.

A Quick Checklist Before You Opt In

• Is the wagering multiple applied to the bonus alone, or the bonus plus deposit?
• Which games count toward the requirement, and at what rate?
• What’s the time limit to clear it?
• Is there a maximum bet size while the bonus is active?
• Is there a maximum amount you can withdraw from bonus winnings?

All of this is laid out in the offer’s full terms at the point you opt in — reading it once, in full, is the difference between an offer that’s genuinely worth claiming for how you play and one that looks better on the surface than it is. See our Welcome Offer page for how these offers generally work, and our guide on depositing in CAD for what to sort out before that first deposit.