Online Betting Wager Requirements Explained

When betting online, many bonuses are usually on offer from all of the top sportsbooks and casinos, but did you know that these bonuses usually come with their own wagering requirements? If you are scratching your head wondering, what does “wagering requirements” mean? – you have come to the right place!

Wager requirements are essentially terms & conditions for using bonuses offered by the best online sportsbooks. There are several different kinds, and sites sometimes label them differently, but don’t fret: You’ll find all wager requirements explained in this article. Use the table below to jump to the topic you need directly, or scroll to our FAQ for additional explanation.

• Wagering Requirements Meaning: What are they?
• The Different Types of Wagering Requirements Explained
• Other Terms & Conditions

Wagering Requirements Meaning: What are they?

Let’s start by defining wagering requirements. We define a “wager” as betting a sum on an event with an unpredictable outcome, so wagering often refers to betting on sports – as you would with an online sportsbook. However, nowadays, people tend to use the term when referring to other types of online gambling as well. That is why you might find wagering requirements used interchangeably with the phrase “playthrough requirements,” though the latter is more often used by online casinos.

Regardless, if you are looking for the meaning of wagering requirements, they are all referring to the same thing, in principle, whether we are talking about online casino wagering requirements or sportsbook requirements. These are essentially the terms & conditions a betting or casino platform offers its customers in exchange for bonuses they receive. Most of these bonuses are relevant only when a person first signs up to a new platform, though some bonuses might be available later, too.

Some common types of bonuses are:

• Deposit match
• Free spins
• Free credits or free cash
• No-risk bets

In this article, we will take a look at examples of how these bonuses are applied to players’ bets, and how wagering or playthrough requirements affect gameplay. By the end, you should have a better understanding of how these terms & conditions actually work, so that you can evaluate bonus value and be prepared. This is important because some bonuses look too good to be true – if you read the fine print, you may learn that there is indeed a catch!

The Different Types of Wagering Requirements Explained

The best way to explain wagering requirements is to demonstrate how payouts would work under different circumstances. Below you’ll find several example scenarios of how a requirement might play out on your sports book or online casino platform of choice. To start with, most wager requirements are based on factors that range from 1x up to 20x, 30x or even 40x the bonus you receive. Read on to see what that looks like in real terms.

Example 1: Deposit Match Bonus

A popular sign up bonus gives the player cashback to match their first deposit up to a certain number. Imagine you are offered a deposit match of 100% up to $500. That means if you deposit $500 initially, the platform will put another $500 in your bankroll. However, there are wagering requirements meaning that you cannot simply take out all of the money from your account as soon as you receive your bonus.

If the wager requirement is 1x, it means that you will have to bet the equivalent of both your deposit and your bonus 1x before you are eligible to withdraw your bankroll. It means you must bet the full $1000 once. This is how platforms ensure that players participate and use what they receive as bonuses on the platforms.

This type of calculation is also known as a “sticky bonus.” Not all terms & conditions include the deposit amount in the wager requirements. If they don’t, you have to bet much less before you meet the minimum. This is tricky however, as sometimes it may not be clear whether the deposit is included in the amount or not. You should always carefully read terms to know how much you must bet to withdraw your bankroll.

Example 2: Risk-free Bets

A risk-free bet bonus is when a platform will reimburse you credits for betting up to a certain amount. If the amount is $100 and you bet this amount of your own money and lose it initially, the platform will then credit you that amount into your bankroll. Again, when wagering requirements are explained, you will see that you actually have to bet these “free” credits before you can withdraw any of the bankroll.

If the wager requirement was 1x in this deal, you would have to just bet the amount that you received once, or $100. If it was 2x, you would have to bet your free $100 plus an additional $100 before you could withdraw any of your winnings – if you have won something.

Example 3: Credits and Spins

You might wonder how wagering requirements are explained when casinos or sportsbooks offer credits or spins rather than a cash bonus. The good news is, it can be understood in exactly the same way. Let’s say an online casino offers a sign up bonus of 50 free spins. You create your account and find these spins credited to your account. You can now use those spins on spin games, i.e. slots.

However, you will not be able to withdraw any earnings until you meet the playthrough requirements, which might be a spin amount (so 1x would mean taking an additional 50 paid spins before you can withdraw from your bankroll) or a flat cash amount, meaning you must play using a specified amount of your own money before you can withdraw anything you’ve earned from your free spins or free credits.

Example 4: Free Bets

Another variation on the norm is the concept of a free bet bonus, which indeed also has its own wager requirements to explain. If a sportsbook gives you free credits towards betting, you can decide how you use those credits, but if it gives you a free bet, that bet is worth a fixed amount. If it’s worth $50, you must use the $50 all at once on one single bet. You cannot divide it into 5 x $10 bets or 2 x $25 bets for example.

Example 5: When bonuses are paid gradually

Another way of offering bonuses is to pay a certain amount – like a percentage of a deposit – but gradually instead of crediting to one’s bankroll all at once. If the bonus is a match of 50% up to $1000, you could still get up to $500 in free betting cash. However, you would get it only after betting specified increments, like $50 for every $100 you bet.

Other Terms & Conditions

There are a few other fine print rules you should be aware of next time you sign up for an online betting platform. One is that most bonus offers come with a time limit. That means you must use any free credits, spins or bonus cash in your bankroll by a specific date. That usually ranges from within the first seven days up to the first 90 days after you create your account and receive the bonus.

Another rule has to do with betting odds. You may find that you are only allowed to use your bonus offers on bets within a certain range of odds, like -300 to -250 for example. A bet outside of the range may not be eligible, and would require you to use your own cash to play.

If you are playing with an online casino, you should check whether table games and slot games contribute to playthrough requirements in equal amounts. Oftentimes, slots contribute at a rate of 100% while table games might only contribute up to 50%, meaning that even if you win back $100 on a game of virtual poker, only $50 of that value would contribute to your wager requirement. This is why some experts recommend focusing on slots to meet the requirement faster, but you should of course play the games you most enjoy and feel comfortable with.