Wagering Requirements Explained | How to Beat the Wagering Requirements with Maths

Robert Longthorpe - Senior Writer
Robert Longthorpe
22 July 2021 in Features

For new players, wagering requirements may be a difficult concept to grasp. If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place. We’ll go over everything you need to know about wagering requirements, from how to calculate them, to how you can overcome them using the magic of mathematics.

What Are Wagering Requirements?

Wagering requirements are a common rule for online casino bonuses.

It can be defined in the following way:

Wagering Requirements A rule that requires you to wager the value of your bonus a number of times before you can withdraw your winnings.

You can identify a bonus' wagering requirements by either checking the terms and conditions of your casino's bonus policy, or - if you claim a bonus from our list - you can glance at our overview of the bonus.

In our list, you will find the bonus' wagering requirements highlighted like so:

The wagering requirements are always signified by a number alongside a multiplication symbol (for example, 40x).

Wagering requirements are perhaps the greatest obstacle to winning real money with a bonus. Not only can they take a long time to fulfil, but if you are not quick enough, your bonus might expire and take all your progress away with it. Luckily for you, in this article we'll go over exactly how to maximise your chances of winning real money with an online casino bonus.

Why do wagering requirements exist?

Wagering requirements exist for two reasons:

  1. To prevent bonus abuse: When a casino offers a bonus, they are putting their profits at risk. If a bonus did not come with wagering requirements, it would be too easy for people to abuse the system and sign up to casinos with no other intention than to win easy money.
  2. To comply with anti-money laundering laws: Criminals would be able to use online casino bonuses to ‘clean’ their illegally obtained cash by claiming a bonus and withdrawing immediately.

Is There a Way to Avoid Wagering Requirements?

In short: no, not really. Wagering requirements are a fundamental part of most online casino bonuses. If you want to avoid wagering requirements altogether, you have three options:

  1. Renounce your bonus: If you have claimed a bonus you no longer want, you can renounce it and play with your deposited funds. Your casino's customer support team will be able to provide information on how to do this.
  2. Play without a bonus: Online casino bonuses are optional. You do not have to claim one if you do not want to. If you would rather play without a bonus, sign up and make a real money deposit.
  3. Claim a wager-free bonus (Recommended Option) While they are scarce, online casinos will occasionally release bonuses with no wagering requirements. Read on to discover more!
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We do not recommend the first two options.Even though wagering requirements can seem tiresome, the benefits of claiming a bonus far outweigh the drawbacks. Many of our exclusive bonuses will increase your bankroll by two, three, or even four times the value of your deposit!

When you have thousands of dollars worth of bonus credits, you will have more opportunities to strike lucky with a big jackpot. And who knows? Maybe the jackpot is big enough to make your wagering requirements look insignificant in comparison.

Casinos Bonuses without Wagering Requirements

Casino bonuses without wagering requirements are hugely popular.

Due to the lack of wagering requirements, players who claim these bonuses enjoy the following benefits:

  1. Their winnings are paid out in real cash.
  2. They can withdraw their winnings immediately.

By removing the wagering requirements, the casino removes the greatest obstacle to winning real money.

Types of Wager-Free Casino Bonuses

If you want to claim a wager-free casino bonus, you should be aware that you have three options:

Before you claim a wager-free bonus, please consider the type of game you'd like to play. It is also worth noting that many wager-free bonuses may require you to make a small deposit before you can withdraw your winnings.

Our List of the Top Wager-Free Bonuses in New Zealand

Bonuses without wagering requirements are difficult to come by - especially at trusted online casinos.

If there are any currently available, you’ll be able to find the best right here:

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How to Calculate the Wagering Requirements

The method for calculating your wagering requirements depends on the type of bonus you claim. We'll provide you with a step-by-step guide for each type of bonus so you can refer to it regardless of the type of bonus you claim.

No Deposit Bonuses

Working out the wagering requirements for no deposit bonuses is easy.

We'll use an example to illustrate:

Example

Energy Casino is giving away $5 in bonus credits to new players.
This bonus comes with wagering requirements of 50x, which means you have to wager the value of your bonus fifty times
before you can withdraw your winnings.

To work out the sum-total you have to wager before you can withdraw, please use the following equation:

Value of Bonus ($5) x Wagering Requirements (50) = Sum-total ($250)

Therefore, to win real money with Energy Casino's bonus, you would have to wager at least $250 using your bonus credits.

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No Deposit Free Spins

Working out the wagering requirements for no deposit free spins is slightly different. Free spins are not considered to have a value until you wager them.

We'll illustrate what we mean by this using an example:

Example

Let's say you claim our exclusive 30 free spins bonus at Spin Casino.
This bonus comes with wagering requirements set at 40x.
However, you cannot know the value of your free spins bonus until you use your free spins.
Therefore, the first thing you must do is use your free spins.

Once you have wagered your free spins, you will have the value of your bonus (for this example, let's say you win $10).

You are now able to use the following equation:

Value of Bonus ($10) x Wagering Requirements (40) = Sum total ($400)

In this hypothetical example, you would have to wager $400 using your bonus before you can withdraw your winnings.

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Match Bonuses

Because match bonuses require you to make a small deposit, online casinos tend to be more lenient with the wagering requirements. Working out the wagering requirements for match bonuses may require a combination of the former two examples.

Example

Let’s say you claim the current match bonus offered by King Johnnie Casino, worth a total of $6,000 and 200 free spins. To work out the sum total you have to wager, you have to wager your free spins, and add the winnings to the value of your bonus.

Supposing you win $50 with your 200 free spins, you can then break down the process into the following steps:

Step 1 - Calculate the Value of Your Bonus

Value of Bonus Credits ($6,000) + Free Spins Winnings ($50) = Value of Bonus ($6,050).

Step 2 - Calculate the Sum Total You Have to Wager

Value of Bonus ($6,050) x Wagering Requirements (50) = Sum total ($302,500)

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Expert Tips and Tricks on How to Beat the Wagering Requirements

Now you know what wagering requirements are and how to calculate them, we can get to the exciting stuff: how to beat them. There is no fool-proof way to win real money with online casino bonuses, but there are a few tips and tricks to help.

Follow these rules to maximise your chances of winning:

Understand the terms and conditions

Wagering requirements are only one of many bonus rules. While they may not be as important to winning real money, understanding them ensures that you will not accidentally invalidate your bonus.

The other bonus rules you need to be aware of are:

Top Tip: Aside from helping you not invalidate your bonus, understanding these rules can become a genuine advantage.

You can maximise your chances of winning real money with a bonus by:

  • Quality over Quantity Claiming a bonus that expires in the distant future.
  • Make sure to read the T&C’s Claiming a bonus eligible on a game with great odds.
  • Consider your Budget Claiming a bonus with a high max cashout limit
  • RTP% Claiming a bonus with a high maximum bet limit.

Claim a bonus on high RTP slots

Slots (or pokies) are the most popular type of casino game. Because of this, you’ll find that most casinos make them eligible to play with their bonuses. You can improve your chances of winning real money by claiming a bonus eligible on a pokie with a high RTP.

Why does this help? Well, RTP stands for Return to Player, which is a calculation that determines the odds of a pokie. For example, let’s say you play on a pokie with an RTP of 96%. If you spend $100 on this pokie, you should receive back - on average - $96. Ultimately, the higher the pokie’s RTP, the more likely you’ll win.

Most software providers make the RTP of their pokies public. If you want to discover the RTP of any particular pokie, simply enter the name of the pokie into Google, followed by the letters ‘RTP’.

Learn More: Do you want to discover the pokies with the highest RTP in New Zealand? We’ve made it easy for you: read our feature article on the Top Ten NZ Slots with the Best House-Edge.

Don't play table games (unless you really enjoy table games)

Okay, if you want to play table games using your bonus because you love table games, you should go ahead. We only advise you not to play table games with a bonus if you want to win real money. This is because of a term and condition known as ‘Game Contribution’.

If you’ve never come across this term before, we’ll provide you with a definition:

Game Contribution: A rule that determines how much your winnings contribute to the wagering requirements, depending on the type of game you play.

Due to the favourable odds of table games, casinos are likely to lower the game contribution.

Here is a table to illustrate:

Type of Game Typical Contribution to Wagering Requirements
Pokies 100%
Roulette 2-8%
Blackjack 2-8%

As you can see from the table, if you wager your bonus credits or free spins on pokies, all of your winnings contributes to the wagering requirements. Therefore, if you win $100 on pokies, $100 will be taken away from the wagering requirements. Whereas, if you win $100 on blackjack or roulette, you may only knock off as little as $2 from your wagering requirements!

Only play at trusted online casinos

This is important! If you do not play at a trusted online casino, it’s not guaranteed that your casino will pay out your winnings. In the past, there have been instances where ‘rogue’ casinos have been set up to scam players. At NZCasinoClub, we only feature online casinos that have passed our extensive evaluation designed to guarantee player safety.

Please only claim a bonus at a casino that has been evaluated by an industry professional.

Claim a bonus with low wagering requirements

As we have already said: the lower the wagering requirements, the better your chances of winning real money. Here at NZCasinoClub we negotiate for exclusive bonuses with especially generous terms and conditions. Because of this, we can offer you an unrivalled list of bonuses with outrageously low wagering requirements.

Scroll through our list and claim your favourite today:

1
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  • Wagering: 50x Bonus Wager
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8.5
$1000
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  • Wagering: 50x Bonus Wager
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5
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Rating
8.0
$750
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FAQ's

If a bonus does not have wagering requirements, you can withdraw your winnings as real money immediately. For more information, please refer to our section on Is There a Way to Avoid Wagering Requirements?

You fulfil your wagering requirements by playing on casino games using your bonus. To successfully fulfil your wagering requirements, you have to wager your bonus a specific number of times - which means you will have to consistently win on the game you play. For advice on how to fulfil your wagering requirements, please refer to our section: Expert Tips and Tricks on How to Beat the Wagering Requirements.

Not always. It ultimately depends on the type of bonus you claim.

All bonuses can be broken down into two different categories:

  • Cashable Bonuses - You are able to withdraw your winnings plus the value of your bonus.
  • Non-cashable Bonuses - You are able to withdraw your winnings, but in doing so, you forfeit your bonus.

It depends. Before you can judge whether the wagering requirements are fair, you have to take into account the other terms and conditions, such as the expiry date, the betting limits and the eligible games. As a general marker, we consider wagering requirements to be fair if they are set at between 20 and 60 times the value of your bonus.

Right here! We have created a list of exclusive bonuses with low wagering requirements for you to claim. These bonuses offer unrivalled terms and conditions and you can’t find them anywhere else!

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