The Mathematics behind Wagering Requirements

Online Casino Wagering Requirements: Calculating Bonus Playthrough

$Online Casino Wagering Requirements$ Online casino bonuses are one of the primary attractions for players seeking out a new gaming site. Any player with a dash of experience understands that bonus credits aren’t exactly free. You can play the games with them, but in order to cash out any winnings, there are certain requirements that must be met.

Casinos call them “wagering requirements” or “playthrough”. Once these terms are met, most online gambling sites allow players to withdraw any remaining winnings from the bonus credits.

Online Casino Wagering Requirements

Every operator has its own policy on wagering requirements, or WR. You’ll find them in the bonus terms—a piece of fine print that every player must read, without exception. Knowing the rules of the bonus and WR will help you to clear it faster; preferably before those extra funds expire. The terms will also reveal the maximum amount of winnings you can withdraw from bonus play, if any.

Wagering requirements refer to the amount of money you must wager before you can withdraw the bonus. Average WR is 35x-40x the bonus, plus deposit you made to claim it.

For example, a $50 deposit with a 100% match bonus of $50 more comes to $100. At 35x WR, you would need to wager $3,500 (100 x 35 = 3500) to clear the bonus. If you have any winnings left after that, they’re yours to keep, wager with, or cash out as you please.

That’s the easy part…

Calculating Bonus Playthrough

This is where things can get tricky. Not all games count towards WR, and some will only count towards a certain percentage of WR. This information can also be found in the bonus terms and conditions, so make sure to look for the section on eligible games and WR contribution.

You should find that slot machines count 100% towards WR. In this case—using the same $50+$50 w/ 35x WR example above—you would need to bet $3,500 on the slot machines to clear the bonus. $100 x 35 = 3500. Simple enough to understand, right? But what if you want to play other games?

Some games might only count 10%, or just 2% towards WR. How much do you have to wager if you play those? I’m going to use the eligible games table from Royal Vegas Online Casino to explain how this works. Don’t worry, it’s not that hard. And every desktop or mobile device comes with a calculator, so make use of it.

Royal Vegas WR Contribution by Game

100% All Slots, Keno & Scratch Card games
8% All table pokers, all roulettes, all video/power Pokers (excluding All Aces and Jacks or Better video pokers), all blackjacks (excluding Classic Blackjack) and Casino War
2% Classic Blackjacks, All Aces video pokers, all Jacks or Better video pokers
0% all baccarats, all craps, Red Dog, Sic Bo
0% All game play on MPV (Multiplayer Tournaments)

Here we see that slot machines, keno and scratch cards contribute 100% to WR. Good—that’s the easy one. But let’s say you want to play a blackjack game that counts 8%. Here’s how you’ll calculate that:

First, convert the percentage to a decimal.

8% = 0.08

Then calculate that by a $1 wager.

1 x .08 = $0.08

So, we know that every $1 wagered on blackjack counts as $0.08 towards WR. The necessary WR is $3,500, so if we divide 3,500 by $0.08…

3500 / .08 = 43,750

To complete 3,500 WR on blackjack games that count 8%, you will have to wager $43,750.

Maybe you enjoy video poker or classic blackjack. When played with perfect strategy, these have the highest theoretical return to player (RTP) of all casino games; hence the mere 2% contribution to WR.

Again, convert the percentage to a decimal.

2% = 0.02

Then, multiply for a $1 wager.

1 x .02 = 0.02

Every $1 wagered will contribute just $0.02 to WR. To complete 3,500 WR, divide…

3500 / .02 = 175,000

Don’t clean your glasses or adjust your screen. You read that correctly. You’ll need to place a whopping $175,000 in bets on video poker and/or classic blackjack to clear the online casino wagering requirements. Calculating bonus playthrough isn’t all that hard, and is a necessary skill when determining which games are worth playing, and which are not.