Wagering Requirements and Game Weighting in 5 Easy Steps

Wagering requirements say how much you must play before bonus winnings can be withdrawn, and game weighting decides how much of each stake counts toward that total. In some markets the same idea is called turnover or rollover. This guide shows how the maths works, which games usually count in full, and why choosing the wrong game can multiply the play you need.

Key Takeaways

• A requirement is a multiple of the bonus, and sometimes of the bonus plus the deposit, so the same multiple can mean very different totals.
• Game weighting, also called game contribution, is the percentage of each stake that counts toward the requirement.
• Reel games usually count 100%, while table games often count 10% to 20% and live dealer games often count 0% to 10%.
• Dividing the requirement by the weighting gives the real play needed: a 10% game needs ten times as much.
• Excluded games, maximum stakes and expiry dates in the bonus terms can cancel progress or winnings.

What Wagering Requirements Mean

A wagering requirement is the total you must stake before bonus-linked winnings become withdrawable. It is written as a multiplier. A 100-unit bonus with a 30x requirement means 3,000 units of qualifying play. Many guides add that the multiplier can be applied to the bonus alone or to the bonus plus the deposit, and the second version doubles the work.

• 100 units - Bonus: 100 units; Multiplier: 30x; Applied to: Bonus only; Total play needed: 3,000 units
• 100 units - Bonus: 100 units; Multiplier: 30x; Applied to: Deposit plus bonus; Total play needed: 6,000 units
• 50 units - Bonus: 50 units; Multiplier: 30x; Applied to: Bonus only; Total play needed: 1,500 units
• 50 units - Bonus: 50 units; Multiplier: 30x; Applied to: Deposit plus bonus; Total play needed: 3,000 units

The table uses examples of the kind found in several guides. The point is simple: read the base before you compare wagering requirements, because 30x on the bonus alone is much lighter than 30x on both amounts.

How Game Weighting Works Inside Wagering Requirements

Game weighting, which some terms pages label GameWeighting, is how the casino makes wagering requirements fair across games. Every stake is multiplied by a percentage before it counts. A 10-unit stake on a game weighted at 100% adds 10 units of progress. The same stake on a game weighted at 10% adds 1 unit.

Casinos reduce the weighting on low-edge games because those games would let a careful player clear a bonus with very little risk to the casino. That is why table games are weighted down and some are left out.

• Reel games - Typical weighting in sources: 100%; What 100 units of stakes count as: 100 units
• Video poker - Typical weighting in sources: 10% to 20%; What 100 units of stakes count as: 10 to 20 units
• Roulette - Typical weighting in sources: 10% to 25%; What 100 units of stakes count as: 10 to 25 units
• Blackjack - Typical weighting in sources: 5% to 10%, sometimes excluded; What 100 units of stakes count as: 5 to 10 units
• Live dealer table games - Typical weighting in sources: Often 0% to 10%; What 100 units of stakes count as: 0 to 10 units

How Much Play Wagering Requirements Really Need on Each Game

The real play needed equals the requirement divided by the weighting. A guide gives a clear example: a 40x requirement worth 2,000 units played on blackjack at 10% weighting needs 20,000 units of stakes. Another finds that a 3,000-unit requirement at 10% needs 30,000 and at 20% needs 15,000.

That raises a second question: what does all this play cost you in expectation? These numbers are our own worked example for a 3,000-unit requirement. The cost equals the stakes needed multiplied by the game's house edge. We assume a reel game at 96% return, European roulette at an edge of 2.7% and blackjack with basic strategy at about 0.5%.

• Reel game - Weighting used: 100%; Stakes needed: 3,000 units; Assumed edge: 4.0%; Expected cost of clearing: 120 units
• European roulette - Weighting used: 15%; Stakes needed: 20,000 units; Assumed edge: 2.7%; Expected cost of clearing: 540 units
• Blackjack - Weighting used: 10%; Stakes needed: 30,000 units; Assumed edge: 0.5%; Expected cost of clearing: 150 units
• Live blackjack - Weighting used: 5%; Stakes needed: 60,000 units; Assumed edge: 0.5%; Expected cost of clearing: 300 units

Low weighting does not make a low-edge game cheaper. In this example the game with the smallest edge costs more to clear than the reel game, because so much more play is needed. Treat the weighting table as part of the real price of wagering requirements, and compare two offers only after you have converted both into expected cost.

Excluded Games, Maximum Stakes and Other Bonus Terms for Wagering Requirements

The bonus terms attached to wagering requirements often exclude particular games, such as high-return titles, jackpot games or titles with a buy feature. They usually set a maximum stake while you clear a requirement, and breaking it can void winnings. They also set an expiry, so unused progress can vanish. One guide also warns that using a buy feature while a bonus is active can breach stake limits.

• Eligible games: check whether your preferred game is excluded or counts at 0%.
• Maximum stake: stay below the stated limit for every round.
• Expiry: calculate whether you can realistically complete the play in time.
• Cashout cap: see how much of the winnings you can withdraw even after clearing.

A practical habit is to write the numbers down before you accept. Note the multiplier, the base, the weighting of your chosen game and the expiry date, then work out the total play and the cost. If the answer surprises you, the offer is probably not worth taking. Many players skip this step and discover the true price only when a withdrawal is refused.

5 Steps to Check Wagering Requirements Before You Claim

• Step 1: identify the multiplier and whether the base is just the bonus or the bonus and deposit together.
• Step 2: find the game weighting table in the bonus terms.
• Step 3: divide the requirement by the weighting of the game you plan to play.
• Step 4: multiply the stakes needed by the game's edge to see the expected cost.
• Step 5: check the maximum stake, the expiry and the cashout cap, then set a limit.

Common Myths About Wagering Requirements

Every game counts equally. 

False: weightings run from 100% down to 0%.

A lower multiplier is always better. 

False: the base and the weighting can outweigh it.

A low-edge game is the cheapest way to clear. 

False: the extra play needed can cost more.

Once cleared, everything is withdrawable. 

False: caps and conversion limits can still apply.

In short, wagering requirements are a price tag expressed in play. Check the base, find the weighting, divide to see the real total and then count what that play costs before you accept any bonus.

This article is for informational purposes only.