To calculate a wagering requirement, multiply the wagering multiple by the amount it applies to. A $100 bonus at 35x on the bonus alone means $3,500 in bets before you can withdraw. To see what that costs, multiply the total by the house edge of the game you play.
Most people stop at the first step and judge a bonus by its size. The second step is the one that decides whether the bonus is worth taking.
The formula
Total wagering required = wagering multiple × base amount
Expected cost of clearing = total wagering × house edge
Expected value of the bonus = bonus amount − expected cost of clearing
The base amount is the thing the casino multiplies. It is either the bonus alone, or the deposit plus the bonus. That one phrase in the terms can double the work.
Worked examples
All examples use a $100 deposit and a 100% match, so the bonus is $100.
| Terms | Base amount | Total to wager |
|---|---|---|
| 35x bonus only | $100 | $3,500 |
| 35x deposit + bonus | $200 | $7,000 |
| 20x bonus only | $100 | $2,000 |
| 10x deposit + bonus | $200 | $2,000 |
Notice the last two. A “headline” of 10x looks smaller than 20x but is the same total here, because the base is twice as large. Always convert to total dollars.
What does clearing cost?
Take the $3,500 requirement and apply different house edges. The edges below are from Wizard of Odds, or are labelled typical.
| Game | House edge | Expected cost of $3,500 | Result vs $100 bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slot at 96% return (typical) | 4% | $140 | -$40 |
| European roulette | 2.70% | $94.50 | +$5.50 |
| Baccarat banker bet | 1.06% | $37.10 | +$62.90 |
| Blackjack, liberal rules | 0.28% | $9.80 | +$90.20 |
That table is the real lesson. On a typical slot, the 35x bonus above costs more to clear than it is worth. The same bonus on a low-edge game is worth most of its face value. This is only true if the game counts toward wagering, which is the next trap.
Same bonus, deposit + bonus
Now the $7,000 requirement on a 96% slot: the expected cost is $7,000 × 4% = $280. That is $180 more than the bonus is worth. Even a great-looking 100% match turns into an expected loss of $180 once the deposit is included in the base.
Game contribution: where the maths gets quietly worse
Casinos count different games at different rates. A common structure looks like this (the exact numbers vary by operator, so treat it as an illustration, not a standard).
| Game type | Typical contribution |
|---|---|
| Slots | 100% |
| Roulette | 10-20%, or 0% |
| Blackjack | 5-10%, or 0% |
| Baccarat | 0-10% |
| Live dealer | 0-10% |
If blackjack counts 10%, each $1 you bet only reduces the requirement by $0.10. So the $3,500 requirement needs $35,000 of blackjack bets. At a 0.28% edge, the expected cost is $98, which is nearly the whole bonus. The low edge is cancelled by the low contribution. The “cost per dollar of progress” is what matters:
Effective cost = house edge ÷ contribution rate
For slots at 4% and 100% contribution, that is 4%. For blackjack at 0.28% and 10% contribution, it is 2.8%. For roulette at 2.70% and 20%, it is 13.5%. Operators price their contribution tables so that cheap-looking games are not cheap to clear.
Max-bet caps and other traps
Terms commonly include:
- Max bet while bonus is active. A typical cap is a few dollars per spin or hand. Break it and the operator can void the bonus and any winnings, even by accident. The cap defeats the “bet big on a low-edge game” approach and limits how fast you can clear.
- Time limit. Often 7 to 30 days. A $7,000 requirement at $2 a spin is a lot of spins.
- Win cap. Some bonuses cap the withdrawal, for example at 5 times the bonus. A bonus that cannot pay more than $500 changes the value calculation.
- Excluded games. High-RTP slots and jackpot games are often excluded.
- Sticky vs non-sticky. With a sticky bonus, the bonus amount is removed from your balance when you withdraw. With a non-sticky bonus, you play real money first and the bonus only activates if you lose it. Non-sticky bonuses give you the choice to withdraw before wagering, which is often more valuable.
- Max cashout from free spins. Free spin winnings are often a bonus balance themselves, with their own wagering.
Can you withdraw a casino bonus?
Not directly. The bonus is a credit that unlocks only after the wagering is complete. At the end you withdraw what remains of your balance, up to any win cap. Two ways to lose it all are: withdrawing before wagering is done, which typically forfeits the bonus and any winnings from it, and breaking a term such as the max bet.
What “bonus abuse” actually means
Operators use “bonus abuse” as a catch-all. In practice it refers to:
- Betting above the max-bet cap.
- Opening multiple accounts to claim the same offer.
- Covering opposite outcomes, such as red and black on the same spin, to clear wagering with little risk.
- Playing excluded games or using strategies the terms ban.
- Claiming from the same household or device when the terms say once only.
Playing the permitted games within the permitted stakes is not abuse, and neither is choosing the lowest-edge permitted game. What is risky is vague wording like “irregular play”, which operators can invoke at their discretion, so read the clause.
Best way to meet wagering requirements
The strategy is short.
- Check the game contribution table before the bonus, not after.
- Pick the permitted game with the lowest effective cost (house edge ÷ contribution).
- Stay under the max bet, with a margin.
- Keep an eye on the clock.
There is a catch with low-edge games. Low edge also means low variance, so your balance drifts slowly toward the expected result. If the expected value of the bonus is positive, that is good. If it is negative, a high-variance game gives you a better chance of a lucky run, but the expected result is worse. The smart play for a negative-value bonus is not to find a trick, it is to skip it.
A quick note on “beating” wagering: on any single bonus you can finish ahead, because games are random. A 35x bonus on a 96% slot has an expected loss of $40, but some players will still cash out a profit. That says nothing about the average.
A decision rule for good vs bad bonuses
Run these checks in order. Stop at the first failure.
- What is the base? Bonus only is much better than deposit + bonus.
- Compute total wagering. Multiple × base.
- Find your effective cost. House edge ÷ contribution for the game you would actually play.
- Expected cost = total × effective cost. If it is larger than the bonus, skip it.
- Look for the traps. Win cap below 5x the bonus, max bet under 5% of the bonus, time under 7 days, or sticky terms are all red flags.
- Prefer non-sticky offers where you can cash out your own deposit without touching the bonus.
As a rule of thumb, a bonus is worth taking when the wagering is 20x or below on the bonus alone, your game counts at 100%, and the expected cost is well under the bonus. If you need a high-contribution slot with a 4% edge to clear 35x, the numbers say no.
Common mistakes
- Comparing the multiples without checking the base.
- Ignoring contribution rates.
- Betting over the cap by accident while chasing a quick clear.
- Withdrawing before completing wagering.
- Treating a bonus as free money rather than a discount that comes with a work requirement.
Try it yourself
The bonus calculator on this site takes your deposit, match percentage, wagering multiple, base, game contribution and house edge, and returns the total wagering and the expected value. Try your next offer in it before you accept, and compare the same offer on a slot and on a lower-edge game.
Bonuses are optional, and the best result is sometimes declining them and playing with your own money only.
Related guides
- Game edges to plug into the wagering maths: about 30 bets in order, with cost per hour.
- Do baccarat strategies work?: roadmaps, banker-only, Martingale and dragon streaks tested.
- Where the blackjack house edge comes from: why the casino has an edge at all and how rules move it.