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Anyone who’s ever claimed an online casino bonus will know something or other about wagering requirements. But what exactly are they and how do they affect you? Well, check out our full guide below to find out more about these terms and conditions and how they can ultimately determine the worth of your casino bonus.

What Are Wagering Requirements?

Wagering requirements pop up in pretty much every online casino bonus or online promotion you might come across. It’s considered one of the main terms and conditions to look out for since it can significantly affect the actual value of your bonus and potential bonus winnings. You’ll need to fulfil these requirements before any of your bonus money or winnings can be withdrawn.

They’re generally shown as a multiplier, like 20x or 30x and this tells you the number of times that you must wager your bonus amount before winnings can be withdrawn. So, if you scored a welcome bonus of ₹10,000 with a 35x wagering requirement, then you’ll need to wager the equivalent of ₹35,000 to clear the requirement. 

The whole point of wagering requirements is for casinos to have a layer of security, knowing that you will be using bonus money and free spins at their casino, and not just cashing them in and spending them elsewhere. The requirement forces you to wager the bonus several times, which in turn increases the chances of losing any potential wins you may have built up in the meantime. 

It may sound a bit dodgy for new players, but it is common practice and the average wagering requirement for most online casino bonuses is around 35x. The most important thing is to consider this when deciding on your deposit. Sure, some online casinos might offer you welcome deals of up to ₹100,000 but bear in mind that if they have a wagering requirement of 35x, then you have to wager ₹3,500,000 to clear them.

It can be quite a sobering realisation, curbing all the hopes and dreams you had for your bonus money. But if you carefully consider a deal’s wagering requirement (as well as the rest of the bonus terms and conditions) and feel like it can suit your budget and playstyle, then you could still manage to walk away with some bonus winnings, once the requirements have been cleared.

Common Terms and Conditions That Come with Wagering Requirements

Technically, wagering requirements are part of online casino bonus terms and conditions. But there are several other t’s & c’s which directly impact how these requirements work and the likelihood of clearing them in time. From expiry periods to game restrictions and maximum win caps, we’ll be taking a look at all the elements which you must look at when deciding if a promotional offer’s wagering requirements make it ultimately worth your while.

Wagering Requirement

As mentioned before, the wagering requirements themselves are stipulated in a deal’s terms and conditions. You’ll find them in multiplier format, such as 20x, 30x, 50x, etc… To calculate the amount of money you’ll need to wager to clear the requirements, you’ll have to multiply this figure by the bonus money you received. When it comes to free spins, you’ll first have to see how much each free spin is worth, calculate what the whole package is worth and then multiply that by the wagering requirement.

The average wagering requirement is around 35x, so anything below that is generally considered low and similarly, anything above it is considered high. But the requirement itself isn’t the only element you need to bear in mind when assessing a bonus deal.

Sure, you may find a decent-looking bonus with a 30x requirement, but how much time do you have to clear it? Are you able to play through games you’re familiar with to do so? And what is the maximum bet you can place with bonus money when trying to clear wagering requirements? Read on below to find out what you need to be on the lookout for to answer these questions.

Expiry Period

All bonus deals come with an expiry period and once this time is up, all of your bonus money and potential winnings are forfeited. That is unless you manage to clear your wagering requirements. If you manage to clear them within that time frame, you effectively get to keep everything.

Now there are a few things to consider here and they mainly relate to the relationship between the size of wagering requirements compared to the expiry period you’re given. Most online casinos will give you around 30 days to clear your requirements, which can be pretty helpful, giving you enough time to clear 30x, 40x, and even 50x wagering requirements. 

But watch out for deals that offer way lower time frames. Some online casinos will restrict you to less than a week to clear your wagering requirements and unless they’re lower than average, it can become quite the challenge. The time constraint can affect the way you play and your wagering choices and can end up doing more harm than good. Always make sure you’re comfortable with the stipulated time frame and make sure you can realistically clear the requirements within that period.

Maximum Win

Although you might manage to clear all of your wagering requirements within the stipulated period, that doesn’t mean that you can withdraw an unlimited amount of bonus winnings. This is where maximum win caps come into play.

They limit the amount of money you’re able to withdraw once the requirements have been met. In most cases, maximum win caps tend to be equivalent to the bonus you claimed. So, if you get a bonus worth ₹10,000, you’ll be able to withdraw ₹10,000. 

Some online casinos might decide to give you a percentage cap and, in these cases, you can end up getting lower maximum win caps. They can give you 50% or even 35% of the original bonus amount you would have claimed. You can also get deals with a fixed maximum cap, irrespective of the bonus amount.

Maximum Bet Cap

Apart from capping your potential winnings, online casino bonuses will also limit the maximum bets you can place using bonus money or free spins. This will directly affect the efficiency with which you can clear your wagering requirements by limiting the wins you could potentially score in the process.

Most bet caps sit at around ₹5, but this will ultimately vary from one online casino to another. It’s an attribute that you should consider together with the wagering requirement and the expiry period to get a clearer picture of how long it will take to clear the whole thing.

Eligible Games

In an ideal scenario, you get to spend all your bonus funds and free spins across all the games that an online casino has to offer. But the reality is that you’re limited to a select few titles instead. These are stipulated in a deal’s terms and conditions, so check to make sure you can play games that interest you using the bonus.

Some casinos will be promoting a particular game or games, so they limit bonuses to these specific titles. But in other cases, sites might limit games with high payouts or anything that they might deem low risk. 

Certain deals will specify games in their terms and conditions, but others might not. Instead, they’ll just stipulate the percentage of your wagers that will contribute towards clearing wagering requirements. With this kind of deal, video slot wagers tend to contribute 100% towards clearing the requirements. But table games, live casino games and other casino games can have lower percentages. They can contribute anywhere from 50% to a measlier 5%.

It’s an important element to factor in since it dictates the games that you can play to clear your wagering requirements. Make sure that the deal you pick allows you to play games that you like, allowing you to enjoy your bonus, rather than just getting through it by playing titles you don’t fancy.

Wager Free Bonuses

So, is it at all possible to find deals with no wagering requirements? Well, yes – that’s where wager-free bonuses come in. This trend was started by online casinos looking to offer a fairer experience, making sure bonuses are as transparent as can be. One of the biggest advantages is that you know exactly what you’re getting, without having to make any huge calculations.

The downside here is that these wager-free bonuses tend to be way smaller than their wagered counterparts. They’re generally around ₹1,000 to ₹20,000, so don’t expect to bag any massive deals. But at least you know that you get to keep all the bonus money and their respective winnings with fewer strings attached.

Finding the Right Bonus for You

So now you have all the tools you need to fully understand wagering requirements. This can make a huge difference when it comes to picking one casino deal over another. There’s no such thing as the best online casino deal out there since this will largely depend on you and your preferences as a player. But hopefully, by making sense of wagering requirements, you can find the ideal bonus that works for you.