Casino Wagering Requirements — Definition & Examples
The turnover requirements in casinos are a constant companion of the players. Bonus offers beckon in every online casino. And in 99.9 percent of all cases, these are tied to certain specifications and conditions. What it has to do with the turnover conditions of online casinos, what they look like and how you can recognize fair conditions, we will show you in the following.
The most important things in a nutshell:
- Wagering requirements are an integral part of casinos and are part of every bonus offer
- The casinos set wagering requirements that must be met in order to withdraw the bonus
- In addition to the pure wagering requirements, there may also be time requirements, different game ratings or excluded games can also be part of the conditions
- The providers' wagering requirements are not always equally fair
- Fair conditions are always preferable to a high bonus amount
What are turnover requirements?
The turnover requirements in online casinos are a default for the players. These take effect in connection with bonus offers and can be described as a “roadmap” for the bonus, so to speak. Specifically, you must meet these requirements if you want to withdraw the bonus amount.
What is somewhat misleading in the course of the turnover requirements is that they include both turnover requirements and other requirements. When discussing the turnover conditions in casinos, this term spans several individual specifications. Below you can see from which requirements the turnover conditions are usually formed:
- Wagering requirements
- Time constraints
- Excluded games and payment methods
- Different valuation of the stakes
- Maximum round bet and maximum winnings
Wagering requirements
The turnover requirements are probably the most important part of the bonus conditions in online casinos. With these, the casino tells you how many times you have to wager your bonus amount before making a withdrawal. For example, if the bonus is wagered ten times, you will have to wager the bonus amount ten times before making a withdrawal. With a bonus of $50, a bonus turnover of $500 would therefore be required for the payout. Important to note here: Of course, all bets are evaluated, not only your money. Thus, if you collect and wager interim winnings, they will also contribute to the turnover requirements.
You still have to pay attention to the subtleties here. There are differences in whether you only have to wager the bonus amount or also a possible deposit. The latter would, of course, noticeably increase the requirements. For example, if you have to wager the total amount ten times, you would have to wager your bonus amount and the deposit amount ten times each. As a result, the difficulty level has doubled compared to the previous example.
Time constraints
An enormously important part of the bonus conditions in online casinos are the time requirements. You usually can't use your bonus for as long as you want. This expires, and you must unlock it within a certain time. So, within this period, it is necessary to master all the revenue requirements. If you let the time pass, the bonus amount will be removed from your player account again.
If you take a closer look at the offers on the market, you will notice some major differences in the time frames. In fact, some providers are significantly more generous here than others. While you can discover periods of 30, 60 or even 90 days in some casinos, it may be as little as five, seven or ten days in others. The shorter the period, the tougher the revenue requirements. However, a correct evaluation is only possible if you put both requirements in relation to each other.
For example, a 30-fold bonus turnover within 60 days is considered very fair. It would be different if you had to master this 30-fold turnover within five days. However, if the casino only requires a five-fold turnover of the bonus amount, for example, even a short period of seven or ten days is considered fair.
Excluded games and payment methods
With the turnover requirements and the time limit, the two most important factors of the bonus conditions are quickly found. However, there are quite a few other limitations. Certain payment methods may be excluded from activation if it is a deposit bonus. Skrill and Neteller, in particular, are two typical “candidates” for this exclusion. You can then activate the deposit bonus only if you use one of the other casino payment methods. Also widespread is the exclusion from certain games. You will not be able to clear your bonus in these titles. At best, you should focus on the approved games during the active bonus and only after the free spins on the excluded games.
Different valuation of the stakes
In connection with the excluded games, the stakes are also valued differently. De facto, your bets in the excluded games will not be counted. These are considered to contribute zero percent toward meeting the revenue requirement. Of course, this is not true for all games. Within a casino, there can be big differences in terms of the wagering value for your bonus.
Slots and slots usually contribute 100% towards fulfilling the wagering requirements. The scoring may be different if players resort to table games, jackpots or live games. In most cases, these bets can make up a maximum of 20 or 30 percent of the turnover. With an example, this can be understood a little easier. If you place a wager of ten dollars on the slot machines, these ten dollars will be completely counted towards the bonus conditions at 100 percent. If, on the other hand, you play roulette with a rating of 30 percent, a $10 dollar bet would effectively only contribute $3 towards fulfilling the bonus conditions.
To give you an approximate idea of how the stakes are scored in the different games, we have listed a typical breakdown here:
- Slot machines: 100%
- Live Casino: 10%
- Roulette: 10%
- Blackjack: 10%
- Poker: 10%
- Jackpots: 0%
Maximum round bet and maximum winnings
Depending on the offer, the casino may have further restrictions and requirements for your bonus. A real “classic” in this context is the limitation of the round bet. So in some cases, you will only be credited a certain amount per game round. If you exceed this, your bonus offer may be cancelled.
In addition, it is possible that the bonus offers will also have winning restrictions. These are used to determine how much maximum profit you can make from a bonus. These requirements are particularly common, for example, in connection with free spins or a no deposit bonus.
Why are there turnover requirements?
Why casinos equip their bonus offers with turnover requirements is obvious. Of course, the providers have nothing to give away, either. If they were to waive conditions on their offers, players would simply activate them and payout immediately. This would be a successful source of income for all players. Casinos, in turn, could discontinue their service after a short time and would be bankrupt. This is exactly what the turnover conditions “protect” against.
These prevent players from activating and cashing out a bonus directly. The bonus amount must be wagered first. Of course, the providers also hope that the players will be enthusiastic about the offer and get to know it properly with the bonus conditions first.
The fact that bonus requirements often include additional restrictions, such as a limit on the maximum round wager, also has to do with fairness between players. All players should have equal chances to clear the bonus for withdrawal. If the round stake were not limited, financially stronger players would have significantly better chances.
How to recognize fair wagering conditions
How can fair wagering conditions be distinguished from unfair bonus conditions? Of course, you will only succeed in this if you intensively deal with the respective offer. You should pay attention to different aspects. A fair offer, for example, is characterized by the fact that the sales requirement is realistically feasible within the specified time. So to evaluate this, you should always look at time requirements and revenue requirements in context.
In addition, in the best case, all casino payment methods should be available to you to activate the offer. Likewise, you should pay attention to how the stakes are scored in the games. If these are as close to 100 percent as possible across the board, this means that you are in a comfortable frame of mind. It will be even more pleasant if the provider also waives a limit on maximum winnings and round stakes.
- Wagering requirements within the time target are realistically well feasible
- No far-reaching limitations to the permitted payment options
- Highest possible stake rating in many games
- No limit on maximum winnings and betting possibilities
Wagering Conditions: Calculation Examples
We have prepared a few examples to help you understand the wagering conditions of online casinos. In these, we clarify, among other things, the differences between the pure turnover of the bonus amount and the turnover of the total amount. In addition, we will show you the differences in terms of conditions between free spins and bonus money.
20x turnover bonus amount vs. 50x turnover bonus amount
To help you understand the differences between the casinos' turnover requirements, let's look at an offer with a 20x turnover requirement and an offer with a 50x turnover requirement. In both cases, the information refers only to the bonus amount. Moreover, in both cases, the bonus amount is a sum of 100 euros.
To withdraw the bonus amount, you would have to place a turnover of $2,000 (20 x $100). With a 50-fold turnover requirement, this amount increases to $5,000 (50 x $100).
20x turnover total sum vs. 20x turnover bonus sum
It becomes even more interesting to look at the difference between the turnover of the total amount and the turnover of the bonus amount. In this case, we are looking at a 100 percent deposit bonus of up to 100 euros. If only the bonus amount turnover is required, you would have to convert these $100 20 times. So, just like in the previous example, you would have to wager $2,000 euros.
The situation is different for 20 times the total amount. Here, the deposit amount is also added to the 100 euro bonus, so again, $100. So the total amount is $200. The 20-fold turnover of these $200 would thus be associated with a turnover amount of $4,000.
Turnover requirements of bonuses and free spins
Interesting differences can often be seen in the turnover requirements of the free spins offers as well. These are not always identical to the specifications for bonus money. So, when it comes to free spins bonuses, you definitely need to pay attention to how the casino handles your winnings. For one, these are often limited to a certain amount in free spin deals. Moreover, you cannot always request an immediate payout of the winning amount.
Depending on the casino, your winnings from free spins may now be considered bonus money. These are then again tied to their turnover conditions, which must be met before the payout. As a player, you should prefer the offers that allow you to withdraw winnings immediately.
Meet more effectively: Tips for the turnover requirements in casinos
Of course, we don't have any tricks for you that can give you a guaranteed profit with your bonus. Nevertheless, we would like to show you four tips for more effective use of the bonus offers:
- Use the initial period: Especially the initial period after the bonus money is credited should be used by you as a player. The euphoria is high in the first hours, the game is fun and so you fulfill the conditions virtually in passing. A pleasant side effect is the fact that you take the pressure off your own shoulders. After all, this increases noticeably if you still have to master many turnovers shortly before the bonus period expires. The more of them you get behind you at the beginning, the more relaxed you can be about the bonus period.
- Use a mobile app: Every casino nowadays provides you with a mobile game variant in addition to the variant for the computer. With this, you can take advantage of the entire offer on the road. Of course, this will give you a few advantages for your bonus. You can fulfill the conditions in your home and on the road. If you are waiting for the next train at the station, you can use this time to unlock the bonus. Thus, the mobile version helps you to act much more effectively and master the sales requirements faster.
- Play high-stakes games: The different scoring of the stakes is a factor you should not neglect. With an active bonus, you should focus only on the slots that offer a high value to your bets. Even though your favourite game may not be here, this requirement has priority for now. Once you have successfully cleared the bonus, you still have plenty of time to play your favourite games.
- Time control: This brings us to the next point — time control. You should always keep an eye on the available period to fulfill the bonus conditions. Few circumstances are as annoying in the casino as losing your bonus due to an expired period. To avoid exactly that, you can, for example, set a reminder on your smartphone or mark the expiration of the bonus conditions in your calendar. Anything that helps you keep track of the time period is allowed.
Hand on heart: How important are the turnover conditions really?
Many players often accept excessive bonus conditions in online casinos with a shrug of the shoulders. In most cases, the belief prevails that these requirements can somehow be mastered. We warn against underestimating the turnover requirements. These can mutate into a real challenge if they are not fair specifications. It is not uncommon for this to result in enormous frustration on the part of the players, as what was actually a great offer has turned into a “flop”.
So we can only say it as clearly as possible: you should always check the conditions of an offer carefully. If they are not fair, we do not advise you to use the particular deal, not even when a seemingly record-breaking bonus sum beckons.
Conclusion: Only fair conditions are attractive
In most cases, you will not be able to get around the turnover requirements in the casinos. The providers tie their bonuses to different conditions that you have to master before you can withdraw the bonus money. The requirements consist of hurdles such as a required turnover, an associated time limit, and potentially excluded games. Before you claim a bonus, you should look into the requirements in detail. If the requirements turn out to be too complicated, you should, at best, turn to a competitor's offer.
Wagering requirements at casinos FAQ
The turnover requirements in casinos are fulfilled by own bets. Every cent contributes to the fulfillment of the conditions. However, not only deposited sums are evaluated, but also money won in between.
Bonus offers are provided by online casinos primarily to attract players or to retain existing customers in the long term. The turnover requirements are brought into being to undercut any abuse of the bonus offers and to encourage players to wager the funds.
The lower the turnover requirements, the fairer a bonus can be rated. The turnover requirements are the biggest hurdle on the way to the payout. Only if they can be solved well, the bonus is really a support for the players' bottom line.
In rare cases, players can also claim bonus offers without turnover requirements. These bonuses are usually of a low value or are provided in the form of free spins. Winnings from the free spins can then be paid out directly.
Information about the turnover requirements in online casinos can usually be found by players directly near the respective offer. In addition, however, the conditions can often be studied in special sections for the bonus conditions or in the general terms and conditions.
The best no turnover casino bonus online is one that combines easy activation with an attractive bonus amount. Players should definitely compare suitable offers before using them and look into all the details of the conditions.
If a bonus is not tied to a turnover condition, the bonus amount can be paid out directly. In this case, players do not have to make a required turnover first, but can directly dispose of their bonus freely.
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