Wagering requirements decide how much you have to play before a casino bonus turns into money you can withdraw. This guide shows what 30x and 40x mean in dollars, how game contribution, max bet and time limits change the picture, and what it costs you on average to clear a requirement.
- What it is: the number of times the bonus (sometimes the deposit plus the bonus) has to be wagered before you can withdraw
- How to calculate it: the bonus times the multiplier, so 30x on $50 means $1,500 in bets
- The base: with a 100% match, 30x on deposit plus bonus is twice as much play as 30x on the bonus alone
- Game contribution: slots usually count in full, while table games and live casino often count only 5-20%
- Cost: the amount wagered times the house edge, so $1,500 on a slot with 96% RTP (Return to Player) costs $60
- Break-even point: at 96% RTP, a bonus only pays off on average if the requirement on the bonus is below 25x
What is a wagering requirement?
A wagering requirement tells you how many times you have to bet a bonus before you can withdraw the bonus and any winnings from it. It's written as a multiplier, for example 30x, and applies either to the bonus or to the deposit plus the bonus.
Wagering, also called playthrough, is the total of all the bets you place, whether each bet wins or loses. If you bet $1 per spin for 200 spins, you've wagered $200, even if your balance has barely moved.
The casino sets the requirement so you can't deposit, take the bonus and withdraw everything straight away. Instead, you have to play the bonus money through the casino's games, where the house edge works in its favor. The house edge is the share of all bets the casino keeps on average. Wagering requirements are used by regular online casinos and crypto casinos alike, and they cover welcome bonuses, reload bonuses (bonuses on later deposits), free spins and sometimes cashback.
How do you calculate a wagering requirement?
You calculate a wagering requirement by multiplying the bonus (or the deposit plus the bonus, when the requirement covers both) by the multiplier. A $50 bonus at 30x means $1,500 in bets, while 30x on a $50 deposit plus a $50 bonus means $3,000.
Example: 30x and 40x on a $50 bonus
Say you deposit $50, the casino matches it 100% with a $50 bonus, and you play a slot at $0.50 per spin. The table shows how much you have to bet at 30x and 40x, depending on what the requirement applies to.
| Requirement | Applies to | You have to bet | Spins at $0.50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30x | Bonus ($50) | $1,500 | 3,000 |
| 40x | Bonus ($50) | $2,000 | 4,000 |
| 30x | Deposit plus bonus ($100) | $3,000 | 6,000 |
| 40x | Deposit plus bonus ($100) | $4,000 | 8,000 |
Going from 30x to 40x on the bonus adds $500 in bets. When the requirement applies to the deposit plus the bonus, the amount doubles at both multipliers.
With the wagering requirements calculator below, you can change the amount, the requirement and the RTP. It also shows the average cost of the wagering, which is your total bets times the house edge.
Wagering calculator
Change the values to see what a bonus costs to wager, on average.
- Deposit$50.00
- Bonus (100%)$50.00
- Balance to play with$100
- Bonus only$50.00
- Wagering requirement30x
- Total to wager$1,500
- House edge at 96% RTP4%
- Expected cost of wagering$60.00
- Expected balance after wagering$100 − $60.00$40.00
On average you finish wagering with about $40.00. The expected cost ($60.00) is higher than the bonus ($50.00), so on average the bonus costs $10.00 more than it gives.
A simplified average based on the RTP you enter. Real sessions vary a lot, and many games count less than 100% towards wagering. Always check the casino's bonus terms.
Bonus or deposit plus bonus
You need to know what the requirement applies to before you compare two offers, because the base can double the amount. With a bonus that matches your deposit 100%, 30x on deposit plus bonus is the same amount of play as 60x on the bonus alone.
With a lower match, the gap is even bigger, because the deposit is then larger than the bonus. If you deposit $100 and get a 50% bonus, 30x on deposit plus bonus means $4,500 in bets, which equals 90x on the $50 bonus. If an offer only says 35x, check the full bonus terms to see what it applies to.
Game contribution by game type
Game contribution tells you how much of each bet counts toward the wagering requirement. Slots usually count 100%, table games and live casino tend to count 5-20%, and some games don't count at all. At a 10% contribution, you have to bet $100 for $10 to count.
Casinos usually set a low contribution on games with a small house edge, such as blackjack, because the wagering would otherwise be cheap for you. The table shows, for four game types, how much you need to bet to clear the $1,500 requirement from the example above and what that costs on average. The contribution rates are typical values. Every casino sets its own.
| Game type | Game contribution | Bets needed to clear $1,500 | Expected cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slot with 96% RTP | 100% | $1,500 | $60 |
| Blackjack, house edge about 0.5% | 10% | $15,000 | $75 |
| European roulette, house edge 2.70% | 10% | $15,000 | $405 |
| Dice (crypto original), house edge 1% | 5% | $30,000 | $300 |
| Progressive jackpots and other excluded games | 0% | Cannot be cleared | Not applicable |
The cost per dollar that counts is the house edge divided by the contribution: 4% for the slot, 5% for blackjack and 27% for roulette. Despite its low house edge, blackjack isn't a cheap way to clear a bonus, because only a tenth of each bet counts. That's why high-RTP slots that count in full are usually the cheapest option.
If you play crypto originals, the fast in-house games such as Dice and Plinko, your bets often count for only a few percent or nothing at all. Some casinos also exclude individual high-RTP slots, so check the list of excluded games before you pick a game.
You can see how bonus terms usually treat slots, table games, live casino and video poker in our overview of casino game types.
Max bet, time limit and other bonus terms
On top of the multiplier, a bonus with a wagering requirement almost always has a max bet per round and a time limit, and often a cap on withdrawals too. The terms also state whether you play with your own money or the bonus money first, and which bets count. If you break these rules, the casino can void the bonus and any winnings.
1. Max bet
The max bet is the highest stake allowed on each spin, hand or round while you have an active bonus. The crypto casino BitStarz, for example, sets it at 5 USD in its bonus terms (checked October 7, 2026). The limit applies to each round individually, and the casino can review your full betting history when you request a withdrawal.
The max bet also sets how fast you can finish. At $5 per round, you need at least 300 rounds to wager $1,500. Bonus buys, where you pay to skip straight to a slot's bonus round, also count as bets. A bonus buy often costs 100 times the base stake, so even at $0.10 per spin, it takes you over a $5 max bet.
Important: a single round above the max bet is enough for the casino to void the bonus and any winnings. Pick your stake before you start and do not change it until the wagering requirement is met.
2. Time limit
The time limit is the number of days you have to meet the wagering requirement, often 7 to 30 days and sometimes only 24 hours. When it runs out, the bonus and any remaining bonus winnings are forfeited.
Work out how much you need to play per day before you accept the bonus. At 40x on the $50 bonus from the example, you have to wager $2,000. Over 7 days, that comes to just over $285 a day, or roughly 570 spins at $0.50.
3. Max cashout
Max cashout, also called max win, is the cap on how much of your bonus winnings you can withdraw. The casino can set the cap in dollars, euros or USDT, or as a multiple of the bonus amount. With a $50 bonus and a cap of 10 times the bonus, you can withdraw at most $500, even if your balance shows $800.
4. Non-sticky and sticky bonuses
Casinos handle your balance in one of two ways during wagering. With a non-sticky bonus, you play with your own money first. The bonus money only comes into play once your own money is gone. If you're ahead before then, you can cancel the bonus and withdraw your winnings.
With a sticky bonus, you can never withdraw the bonus amount itself, because the casino deducts it from your balance when you withdraw. For the same amount and the same requirement, a sticky bonus is therefore worth less than a non-sticky one.
5. Low-risk bets
Bets that almost cancel each other out often don't count toward the requirement, and they can get your bonus voided. BitStarz's terms give two examples: betting on both red and black in roulette, and on both player and banker in baccarat.
Opening several accounts to claim the same bonus more than once is also prohibited. That's why many casinos run an identity check, also called KYC (Know Your Customer), before they pay out bonus winnings.
What does it cost to meet a wagering requirement?
Meeting a wagering requirement costs, on average, the amount you wager times the house edge of the game. At 96% RTP, which means a 4% house edge, $1,500 in wagering costs $60. That's $10 more than the $50 bonus the 30x requirement applied to.
RTP (Return to Player) is the share of all bets a game pays back on average, and the house edge is the rest up to 100%. Every dollar you wager therefore costs you the house edge on average, whether or not that particular bet wins.
A bonus only pays off on average if the cost is lower than the bonus. You find the break-even point by dividing 100 by the house edge in percent. The result is the multiplier at which the bonus and the cost cancel each other out, and any requirement below it gives you more than the wagering costs. The table shows the break-even point and the cost of the $1,500 requirement at four RTP levels.
| Game RTP | Cost of $1,500 in wagering | $50 bonus minus the cost | Break-even requirement on the bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98% | $30 | +$20 | 50x |
| 97% | $45 | +$5 | 33x |
| 96% | $60 | -$10 | 25x |
| 94% | $90 | -$40 | just under 17x |
If the requirement applies to the deposit plus the bonus at a 100% match, the break-even point is cut in half, to 12.5x at 96% RTP. These figures assume you only play to clear the requirement. If you would have bet the same amount without a bonus anyway, the bonus is simply extra money on top.
With very high requirements, the expected cost can exceed everything in your account. At 40x on deposit plus bonus, the wagering comes to $4,000 and the expected cost to $160, more than your entire $100 balance. Since you can never lose more than you have, the money usually runs out before the wagering requirement is met, and the bonus only gives you a small chance of a big win.
Volatility describes how unevenly a game pays out. It doesn't change what the wagering costs on average, only how individual attempts end. With low volatility, you're more likely to finish close to the average. With high volatility, more attempts end at zero, while a few end far above it.
Wagering requirements on free spins
The wagering requirement on free spins almost always applies to the winnings, not to the spins themselves. If you win $6 on your free spins and the requirement is 35x, you have to bet $210 before you can withdraw the winnings. There are also free spins without wagering requirements, where the winnings are paid out as money you can withdraw right away.
You work out what free spins are worth from the stake per spin and the game's RTP. With 50 free spins at $0.10 on a slot with 96% RTP, you win $4.80 on average, so without a wagering requirement the spins are worth about $4.80. With 35x on the same $4.80, you need to wager $168, and the expected cost of just over $6.70 is higher than the winnings.
When the cost is higher than the winnings, your balance usually runs out before the wagering requirement is met. If you got the spins without a deposit and have none of your own money in the account, you risk nothing, and a big win can sometimes carry you all the way through. Check the withdrawal cap too, because free spins and no-deposit bonuses can have a low one, for example 100 USD or EUR.
No-wagering bonuses
A bonus without wagering requirements, often labeled 0x or no wager, is paid out as money you can withdraw right away. At crypto casinos, examples include some welcome packages, cashback and rakeback. The amounts are smaller than most bonuses with a requirement, but you keep the full value.
Cashback returns part of what you've lost over a set period, and rakeback returns part of the house edge on everything you bet. A $10 bonus at 0x is worth the full $10. A $50 bonus at 40x, by contrast, costs $80 in wagering on slots with 96% RTP, so on average it's worth minus $30.
Even at 0x, there are two things to check. The winnings can be capped, just as with other bonuses, and some casinos block withdrawals until you have wagered your deposit once (1x), as an anti-money-laundering measure.
Withdraw whenever you want: The money is yours from the start, so you can stop playing at any time without losing any of it.
No wagering rules to break: With no requirement to meet, the max bet and game contribution rules usually don't matter.
You see the value right away: The amount in your account is what you get, with no hidden wagering cost.
Smaller amounts: A 0x offer is rarely as big as a bonus with a requirement, and it's sometimes paid out in small increments as you play.
Depends on how much you play: Cashback and rakeback depend on how much you bet, so if you play little, you get little back.
On our page about crypto casino bonuses, we compare bonus terms casino by casino, including the multiplier, max cashout and time limit.
Do local gambling rules affect bonuses?
Online gambling laws vary by jurisdiction, and so do the rules for casino bonuses. In some countries, locally licensed casinos may only offer a limited number of bonuses. Whether you can use a crypto casino at all depends on where you live, so check your local rules before signing up.
Locally licensed casinos vs crypto casinos
Where a national license limits bonuses, the wagering requirement works the same way. It just applies to fewer offers. Crypto casinos with offshore licenses fall outside those national rules and can hand out new bonuses on a rolling basis. Every reload bonus, free spins offer or cashback deal can then come with its own wagering requirement.
Licensing, protection and tax
A national regulator only supervises casinos that hold its license, and national self-exclusion schemes usually do not cover offshore casinos either. If an offshore casino confiscates your bonus winnings, you can complain to the casino and, in some cases, to the authority behind its casino license.
Gambling tax rules vary by country and by your tax residency, and converting crypto winnings to fiat can be a separate taxable event. Our guide to tax on winnings covers the basics, but consult your local tax authority or a qualified tax advisor for your own situation.
Can you beat a wagering requirement?
No, you cannot beat a wagering requirement with any strategy, because every bet costs the house edge on average. What you can do is pick bonuses where the cost ends up lower than the bonus, and play in a way that keeps the cost down without breaking the terms.
Betting systems like doubling your stake after every loss don't change the house edge, and they quickly run into the max bet, which puts the whole bonus at risk. If you bet on near-certain outcomes or on both sides at once, the casino usually excludes those bets, and the bonus can be voided.
There are six things you can control yourself, before and during wagering:
- Pick a low requirement on the right base: a bonus only pays off on average if the requirement is below the break-even point and applies to the bonus, not to deposit plus bonus.
- Play high-RTP slots that count 100%: check the RTP in the game's info panel and make sure the game isn't on the excluded list.
- Choose a stake that fits the time limit: stay under the max bet but still bet enough to finish before the bonus expires.
- Track how much is left: many casinos show the remaining wagering on the bonus page, so you can see when you're free to withdraw.
- Skip the bonus when the cost is higher than the bonus: without a bonus, you can withdraw every dollar in your account right away.
- Decide what you can afford to lose first: set deposit and loss limits before you activate the bonus, and do not raise them to finish the wagering in time. Treat gambling as entertainment that costs money, and read our guide to responsible gambling to learn how to set those limits.
Tip: work out the break-even point for the game you plan to play before you activate the bonus. At 97% RTP, the break-even point is 33x on the bonus, and at 95% it drops to 20x.
