Should Wagering Requirements Stop Being Imposed on Online Casino Players?

A wagering requirement is the amount of money that a player must play through or wager before being allowed to withdraw real money. 

Some casinos in the UK made the bold move of forfeiting the bonuses for real cash only or wager-less free spins.

Now, whether wagering requirements should be completely scrapped or not, has often been a subject of debate. However, not all casinos operate the same way, and no provider is obliged to axe such conditions. 

Sure, there are some which offer very low or even ‘zero’ wagering requirements on a bunch of their game offerings. But these are certainly not a norm and aren’t free from other restrictions either. In any case, whatever you choose is entirely up to you. What we do advise, however, is for you to read up on how they work, and most importantly, understand exactly what you’re signing up for.

What are Wagering Requirements?

Let’s delve into the term Wagering Requirements more deeply to give a clearer understanding of it.

A wager, which is the same as a bet, is placed on any slot, bingo, poker, or table game at a casino. When claiming a bonus from a casino, the money you are paid is in bonus credits as opposed to real money. When it comes to free spins, any winnings you receive are also paid in bonus credits. These bonus credits are stored in a separate wallet and have a wagering requirement accompanying them.

Bonus credits cannot be withdrawn. Thus, the wagering requirements, or any other terms attached to the bonus for that matter, must be completed before you can make a cash withdrawal. A lot of players, both newbies and practiced ones find it hard to understand this.

Once the wagering requirements are completed, your bonus credits will turn into real money. If the wagering requirements are not met, then the bonus credits will not be transferred into real money and may not be withdrawn.

Can Wagering Requirements be Avoided?

Truth be told, not unless you want to give up your bonus. However, this is not the best option.

Whilst wagering requirements may come as a restriction, a casino bonus can multiply your bankroll, granting you the opportunity to win on your preferred or the latest slot game. Casino bonuses enable you to meet the wagering requirements and cash out your winnings. Low wagering requirements are also an added possibility as the requirements can be easier to play through.

Another option would be to claim bonuses without wagering requirements like cashback or find an online casino that offers Wager-free Welcome Bonuses.

The following options present the best terms to clear the wagering requirements quickly.

1. Opt for Wager-Free Casino Bonus Offers

Wager-free bonus offers do not have any wagering requirements attached to them. These offers are great because any wins can be withdrawn immediately without delays.

These wins are paid in real cash and can come in the form of:

  • Wager free spins
  • Wager-free deposit bonuses
  • Cashback

A cashback bonus is a match bonus that is credited in retrospect. The bonus percentage is not applied to the deposit, but to net losses, overall deposits, and overall wages. 

2. Choose Bonuses with low Playthrough

Low wagering requirements would require a small amount to play through than high ones, enabling you to cash out your winnings before.

Take a look at the following example: 

A $200 bonus with a playthrough of 10x would require a total of £2000 to spend. 

Now imagine if that playthrough was 100x!

With a bonus of $200 and a playthrough of 100x, the total amount to spend would be $20,000.

It is also best to keep in mind that certain bets would consider the whole winnings in the requirement, and in such cases, the total amount would be much higher. It is therefore best to go for those bets that cover the bonus amount only.

3. Go for Small Offers

It is also smart in certain cases to go for a small amount in bonus than a large one or the maximum one. Let’s look at the following example:

A bonus of $50 with a wagering term of 50x would result in a total amount of $2500 to clear the wagering requirement.

However,

A $500 bonus with a playthrough requirement of 50x would require a massive amount of $25,000 in bets to be cleared. 

Smaller bonuses may not boost your bankroll by significant amounts, but they are more realistic when it comes to cashing out.

4. Check the game contributions

Casino games come with varied gaming contributions to meet the wagering requirements. 

Gaming contributions are also known as game-weighting percentages. These determine the percentages of your stake that counts towards your wagering requirement in a specific game.

While most slots are fully weighted, meaning they have a game-weighted percentage of 100%, this may not be the case for table games like baccarat, blackjack, roulette, poker, keno, and craps. These may have game weighting percentages ranging from 0 to 20%, depending on the casino in question.

So in the case of a slot game with a 100% full game weight percentage, an amount equivalent to your stake is deducted from your wagering requirements with each spin or hand. If you bet $1, your wagering requirement decreases by $1.

So if you play 200 spins at $1 each and complete your wagering requirements, the total amount is $200.

However, with a table game that has a 20% weighting percentage, this looks different.

For every $1 you bet, only $0.20 is deducted from your wagering requirement.

Thus if $200 is wagered and it is divided by a $0.2 deduction for every $1 hand you play, a total of $1,000 must be wagered to complete the $200 wagering requirement. 

Players should thus go for higher gaming weight percentages/contributions as it takes less to clear the bonus terms as can be seen from the examples above.

5. What volatility suits you best?

Volatility especially when it comes to slots is also to be taken into consideration. If you do not have much to spend, it’s best to choose low or medium-volatility slots, and whilst these may not contribute highly to your overall bankroll, they will not exhaust your funds quickly. Low to medium-volatility slots might have you winning more often albeit with low payouts.

High volatility slots are usually more suited to practiced high rollers who can survive long periods without winning spells before hitting a lucky strike. It must be said though that the payouts in the case of high-volatility games are highly significant despite the fact they make your funds run out pretty quickly.

Beat Online Wagering Requirements!

There is no real way of beating the odds when it comes to wagering requirements unless you understand the fine print and the Terms and Conditions that should be displayed on the casino site. 

Remember to only go for those casino sites that are legitimate and have been licensed by a reputable gaming authority. Such casino sites must therefore abide by the strict conditions and terms imposed by the respective gaming authority. 

Inside the Terms and Conditions, you should be able to find important details regarding your bonus. Look out for:

  • The minimum deposit
  • The wagering requirements
  • The winning cap
  • The time limit
  • Eligible games
  • The bonus wagering limit

We suggest you do not sign up for a bonus before going through the Terms and Conditions carefully to understand the wagering requirements involved.

Nakoa Davis
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