Wagering requirements explained: what a bonus really costs you
By Slot Numbers
A wagering requirement is the turnover you must put through before bonus money, or winnings from free spins, can be withdrawn. It is written as a multiple: 25x, 35x, 40x. The multiple is the headline, but three other details decide what the bonus is worth: what the multiple applies to, which games count, and how much you may bet per spin while it runs.
Read the base first
“25x” means nothing until you know 25x of what.
| Terms | €100 deposit, €100 bonus | Turnover required |
|---|---|---|
| 25x bonus | 25 × €100 | €2,500 |
| 25x deposit + bonus | 25 × €200 | €5,000 |
| 40x bonus | 40 × €100 | €4,000 |
| 35x deposit + bonus | 35 × €200 | €7,000 |
A “25x” bonus on deposit plus bonus requires more turnover than a “40x” bonus on the bonus alone. The terms we have read for the casinos listed on this site mostly use deposit plus bonus, which is the more expensive base. Our casino pages show which base each operator uses.
What the turnover costs
Turnover is not money lost. It is money bet, and most of it comes back as wins along the way. What you lose, on average, is the house edge on that turnover: the turnover multiplied by one minus the RTP of the game you play.
Take €5,000 of turnover:
| Game RTP | Expected cost of €5,000 turnover |
|---|---|
| 98.00% | €100 |
| 96.50% | €175 |
| 95.00% | €250 |
| 92.00% | €400 |
On a €100 bonus, the difference between clearing it on a 98% game and a 92% game is €300 of expected cost. That is why the choice of game matters more than the size of the bonus, and why casinos exclude the highest-RTP slots from wagering or let them count for less. Blood Suckers, published by NetEnt at 98.00%, is the classic example of a game you will often find on the exclusion list.
The wagering calculator does this sum for any bonus and RTP.
The rules that quietly change the maths
Game weighting. Slots usually count 100%. Live casino and table games often count 10% or nothing. Some slots are excluded entirely. Betting €5,000 on a game that counts 10% clears €500 of the requirement.
Max bet. Nearly every bonus caps the bet while wagering is open; €5 a spin is common in the terms we have read. Betting above the cap, even once, can void the bonus and any winnings. It also means you cannot shorten the job by betting big.
Time limit. The turnover must be completed within a window, often 48 hours to a week from when the bonus is activated. €5,000 of turnover at €2 a spin is 2,500 spins. Miss the window and the bonus and its winnings are forfeited.
Win cap. Many bonuses cap what you can withdraw from the bonus, for example at five times the bonus amount. A big win during wagering is reduced to the cap.
Excluded payment methods. Deposits with some e-wallets often do not qualify for the bonus at all. Check before depositing, not after.
Volatility while wagering
The expected cost of clearing a requirement depends on RTP alone. Whether you get through it without busting depends on volatility. A low-volatility slot with a high hit frequency keeps the balance moving in small steps, so a €100 bonus has a reasonable chance of surviving 2,500 spins. A high-volatility slot can empty the balance long before the turnover is done, and the bonus is lost without ever reaching the withdrawal stage. That is the practical reason wagering is usually done on steady games, and the reason casinos restrict exactly those games. The volatility guide explains the trade-off.
When a bonus is worth taking
A bonus is worth taking when the expected cost of the turnover is clearly less than the bonus amount, on a game you would play anyway, within a time window you can actually use, and without a win cap that removes the upside. Run the numbers with the calculator before you deposit. If the expected cost is close to the bonus value, you are being paid in variance, not in money.
And whatever the terms say, the figure that sets the cost is the RTP setting the casino runs on the game you choose. Check it in the game’s information panel; the RTP guide shows how.
Questions people ask
What does 25x wagering mean?
You must place bets totalling 25 times a base amount before you can withdraw. The base is the detail that matters: 25x the bonus alone is half the turnover of 25x deposit plus bonus.
Do all games count towards wagering?
Usually not. Slots typically count 100%, while live and table games count less or nothing, and many casinos exclude specific slots. The terms list the game weighting.
Can I just bet big to clear it faster?
Most bonuses cap the bet while wagering is open, often at €5 a spin. A bet above the cap can void the bonus and its winnings. Clearing faster also does not change the expected cost; it only compresses the variance into fewer spins.
Is a bonus with no wagering always better?
For the money you can withdraw, yes. Those bonuses are usually smaller, so compare what you can expect to keep, not the headline amount.