Online casinos, generally speaking, mandate that a player’s need to play through around 30x their deposit amount size in order to meet what’s known as “wagering requirements.”
Why do casinos have wagering requirements? And what does it mean for you, the slots player? Read on to get a simple and clear breakdown of what online casino wagering requirements are.
Betfred Sign Up Offer
This is usually what happens at an online casino. A player will sign up and take a bonus, sometimes a no deposit bonus or even free spins. It would be silly, and a terrible business practice, for the online casino to simply take the signup bonus, play a few rounds of slots and cash out right away.
You have bonus cash or free spins winnings that become bonus cash from a signup bonus. You can’t walk away with that money. No, you must first wager it a set number of times before it’s released into your actual bankroll.
You’ve got to bet your bonus somewhere between 30–40 times usually before that bonus officially becomes yours.
This gives the online casino a chance to win back the bonus that they gave you. It’s not that they cheat or overly stack the odds in their favour but remember, this is online slots and the odds are always tipped slightly towards the house.
So, if you must wager a £25 bonus 30 times, that means you’ll need to bet a total amount of £750. This gives the casino a larger chance to win back their bonus than it does for the player to keep their bonus (and extra winnings).
Now that you know this, what do you need to look for to find good online casino wagering requirements?
Finding casino signup bonuses with no wagering requirements
Are there any UK online casinos that have signup bonuses with no wagering requirements or a bonus that you can take out right away? One of Lucky Street’s partners has such an offer but you need to make a deposit to get it.
For every pound you deposit, you’ll get one “fair” spin (it’s a free spin with no wagering requirements). From these fair spins, you’ll be able to keep everything that you win from them and withdraw that money.
Of course, there are other T&Cs and conditions that are attached to that offer, but you have the broad concept of it. We always recommend you read the T&Cs in full!
Here’s the ‘fair’ spin no wagering requirements offer
- 3000+ games
- Simple registration process
- No phone contact number
Free Spins Wagering in the UK
That “no wagering requirement bonus” is an unusual one. It’s far more likely to come across something like free spins or bonus cash offers for online casinos.
For free spins, let’s say that the wagering requirements you have to meet on the free spins offer are 30x (a usual amount). You use all your free spins and whatever amount you win becomes your bonus. That bonus is locked until you’re able to meet the 30x wagering requirements.
40 Free Spins on Age of Gods
Once you do that, it’s finally released into your regular bankroll and it’s your choice to withdraw it or use that money to keep playing the slots.
It works the same with bonuses or cash added to your deposit. Say you deposit £50 and get £50 as bonus cash to play with; your playing amount is £100. You’ve also got wagering requirements of 30x to meet.
Some online casinos will have you meet the wagering requirements for only the bonus cash, so you’d need to bet the £50 bonus a total amount of £1500 before any winnings from the bonus are released to your bankroll. With the other £50 that you deposited, you’re free to do with as you will.
Casinos that only require you to meet the wagering requirements for the bonus cash ARE the ones you should play at.
Other online casinos will require that you wager both your £50 deposit and the £50 bonus cash. That means you’ll have to bet your pool of £100 a total of £3000 in order to meet the 30x wagering requirements.
It’ll take much longer to hit that £3000 wagering requirement which gives the casino a bit more time to chip away at your bonus. You’re more likely to lose your bonus before being allowed to add it to your bankroll.
Sign up for offers with low wagering requirements
So, you want to sign up at an online casino and take their welcome bonus, but which one to choose? There are so many offers of different flavours and focus. Some are heavy on the free spins while others emphasize their 200% matched deposit in bonus cash.
First, it’s important to figure out what you kind of slots player you are. It’s totally fine to just accept the free spins and not the bonus cash or vice versa. (Navigate to our Offers page to see what Lucky Street’s partners can give UK players.) At most places, you’ll have to opt-in to the bonuses so you’re able to just select free spins or just the bonus cash.
Secondly, check the wagering requirements! If you’ve got two offers, both with 100 free spins but one has wagering of 30x and the other 40x, take the 100 free spins with wagering requirements of 30x every time! Whatever bonus cash you get from the free spins will be much easier to meet with 30x wagering rather than 40x wagering.
What are the LeoVegas wagering requirements?
Below you can see the currently available LeoVegas welcome offer, along with its wagering requirements:
How to Keep your Winnings
It’s very simple: make sure to follow all the online casino bonus rules. If you choose to opt-in to a bonus, read the T&Cs to be sure you don’t accidentally make a mistake. It’d be such a tragedy if you tried to withdraw a bonus before you met the wagering requirements and then lost it!
Be sure you’re playing the right game. Some bonuses or free spins are game-specific. So, don’t sign up for a 20 free spins offer expecting to play whatever game you want. Check and see which games are on the playable list. Sometimes you really can use the free spins on any slot game you want, but it always pays to be sure.