Our Complete Guide to Wagering Requirements

Posted by Harry Kane on Friday, June 3, 2022

The UK iGaming and remote sports betting markets remain among the most mature and competitive in the world, while it also has one of the most stringent regulatory frameworks. This creates an inviting and open space in which betting brands are able to compete, while ensuring that players can choose from a huge range of operators when wagering online.

The question that remains, of course, is how do brands look to aggressively compete with one another and steal a march on their rivals? Well, perhaps the most obvious tactic is the use of generous welcome bonuses, which are used to incentivize new players and provide them with a finite amount of free bets and gameplay.

Of course, we’re using the word ‘free’ relatively loosely here, as all welcome offers come with stringent and occasionally complex terms and conditions attached. These include so-called “wagering requirements”, but what precisely does this refer to and how can you factor these into your bankroll management strategies? Let’s get into!

Getting Started – Welcome Bonuses Explained

In order to understand wagering requirements in their full and proper context, we first need to look at welcome bonuses in general and how they’re structured. In truth, welcome bonuses can comprise a number of different structures and offers, while they typically require you to make a qualifying deposit or wager before cashing in. Here’s a breakdown of the primary bonus types:

#1. The Deposit Match

We’ll start with the classic deposit match, which is the single most popular welcome bonus structure used online. Usually, this will match your first deposit by 100% up to a predetermined value, although operators may offer deposit matches of between 50% and 400% depending on the scale of their promotion their standing in the marketplace.

To provide some context, let’s say that you sign up to a casino that’s offering a welcome bonus comprising a 100% deposit matchup to the value of £100. If there’s also a £10 minimum deposit limit in play, any initial deposit that you make between £10 and £100 will be matched, doubling your bankroll by creating a separate bonus fund balance.

This type of bonus is usually far reaching, which means that it can be deployed across a broad range of verticals and betting markets. Make no mistake; this bonus structure offers significant

value and flexibility to new customers, while some betting brands may even look to create higher value deposit match promotions across a specific number of subsequent deposits.

#2. Free Spins

Occasionally, iGaming operators and sportsbooks may also combine a first deposit match with a finite number of free spins. Broadly speaking, you’ll receive anywhere between 20 and 100 free spins, while operators may compel you to deploy these on one or a small, selected range of slots.

Each spin will have a finite value (usually around £0.10), while your potential winnings are usually capped in line with the number of free spins made available in the first place. So, if you’re awarded 50 free spins at £0.10 per spin, you may find that your winnings are capped at £20, and any amounts earned above this threshold will be lost.

In instances where operators offer a larger number of spins (100 or upwards), these may be released and added to your account in increments over a specified period of time. In this case, you’ll have a limited window of opportunity in which to play through each set of spins, while you may also find that free spins are made available by operators as part of a no-deposit bonus offer.

#3. Free Bet Offers

If you register for a new sportsbook account, you’re most likely to be rewarded with a free bet offer up to a specified value. This offer is usually dependent on you making an initial deposit and placing a qualifying bet, before one or multiple free bet offers are added to your account. For example, a sportsbook may reward you with £20 in free bets when you place an initial wager of £5, while the bonus funds may comprise four separate bets worth £5.

Free bet offers may also be restricted to specific events or markets, while there’s almost always restrictions put in place in terms of the selections that you’re able to include. For example, a sportsbook may only allow you to place free bets on outcomes with minimum odds of 1.50 or higher, while certain types of wager (such as accumulators) may be prohibited.

From a strategic perspective, free bet offers can be used to engage in a version of matched betting, where you effectively wager on both potential outcomes in an even money wager without increasing your real-money stake. However, this requires specific skill and knowledge, either of a particular sport or two competing teams or players.

So What are Wagering Requirements?

While these bonus structures are very different and each offer variable pros and cons to customers, they’re all united by the fact that they’re typically subject to wagering requirements. This term describes a condition that’s applied directly to a promotion and affects how players are able to spend any winnings that arise as a result of the bonus.

More specifically, wagering requirements are represented as a multiplier of the total bonus value. The wagering requirements and bonus value are then multiplied together to create an amount of cash that you’ll have to play through before withdrawing any winnings, while you’ll usually have a finite period of time in which to meet such conditions.

To provide further content, let’s look at a common example. Typically, online casino bonuses are subject to wagering requirements of around 30x the total bons value, minus the initial cash deposit that you made into your account. Historically, wagering requirements would be

applied to the cumulative value of both your cash deposit and the bonus funds, but the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) outlawed this practice as it placed unfair restrictions on customers’ hard-earned money.

So, let’s say that you opt into a welcome bonus that comprises a 100% deposit match at the minimum deposit level of £10. This will afford you £10 in additional bonus funds, and it’s this sum of money that will be subject to the wagering requirements of 30x. More specifically, you’ll have to play through £300 in this instance before withdrawing your winnings, while you may have anywhere between seven and 30 days to fulfill this requirement.

Conversely, if you opt in at the same terms and a maximum deposit level of £100, you’ll have to play through £3,000 before you can withdraw your winnings. However, the timeframe for fulfilling these requirements highlighted in the T&Cs will remain unchanged, requiring you to wager considerably more to unlock any winnings you’re able to accrue.

You should also note that the failure to meet the wagering requirements within the specified timeframe will see all bonus funds and winnings removed from your account. Similarly, if you opt to simply withdraw your winnings before the bonus terms have been satisfied, the promotion will be voided.

What are the Key Considerations When Appraising Wagering Requirements

Now that you understand the concept of wagering requirements and how they apply to actual welcome bonuses and promotions, the question that remains is what are the key considerations when appraising offers and their exact terms and conditions? Below, we’ve prepared some things to keep in mind before you commit to a specific bonus offer.

#1. Does the Bonus Offer Genuine Value in Relation to Your Bankroll?

When browsing for casino welcome offers, you may occasionally come across 100% deposit matches up to the value of £1,000 or more, which are usually deployed across your first three or four promotions. Similarly, operators may offer 200% or 400% deposit matches up to a specified value, and these eye-catching bonuses can tempt players into committing their hard-earned cash!

However, this type of bonus is designed to suit higher rollers, which is why they’ll usually come with inflated wagering requirements of 50x or higher. When dealing with multiple-leg bonuses, such terms will be applied to each qualifying deposit that you make, whereas increased deposit match offers will automatically hike the bonus funds added to your account.

Either way, this will require you to spend considerably more to unlock your winnings, while you’ll still have to meet the requirements within a period of between seven and 30 days on average. So, although such offers may appear generous and appealing at first glance, this only applies if they don’t force you to wager outside of your means and potentially incur sizable losses.

So, check the full bonus T&Cs before committing, paying particular attention to total amount of bonus funds that are to be added to your account and the timeframes for fulfillment. This way, you can appraise the impact that that bonus will have on your spending and determine whether or not it offers tangible value in relation to your bankroll.

#2. What are the Game Weighting Requirements?

Typically, the wagering requirements also come with so-called “game weighting” terms and conditions attached. Game weighting refers to the specific contribution that each vertical or game type makes to the fulfillment of your wagering requirements, with each figure expressed as a percentage and liable to vary from one genre to another.

So, in addition to having to play through a fixed amount of cash in order to fulfill your wagering requirements and unlock any bonus winnings, you’ll also have to review the individual verticals that you play to understand the precise contribution that they make to you achieving such objectives.

Usually, slots contribute 100% towards your game weighting requirements, so every penny that you wager through this vertical will count towards your wagering requirements. Conversely, some iterations of roulette and blackjack will contribute just 10% or 20% to your wagering requirements, meaning that you’ll have to wager considerably more to unlock your winnings.

So, be sure to review the full game weighting terms as part of a bonuses wagering requirements, paying particular attention to the contribution made by each vertical. This way, you can prioritise bonuses and conditions that match your preferred gameplay, making it far easier to make the most of your bankroll and any secured returns.

#3. Look at How Wagering Requirements Are Applied to Free Spins

When you opt into a welcome offer with a number of free spins (whether this is a standalone bonus or one that’s attached to a deposit match promotion), it’s harder to appraise the total value of the offer and calculate the impact of wagering requirements. This is because wagering requirements in this instance are applied to your total winnings up to maximum and predetermined value.

However, you can estimate the value of a particular bonus by multiplying the number of free spins by the value of each one, before comparing this to the maximum winnings and total wagering requirements. For example, if you earn 50 free spins that are worth £0.10 each, you’re receiving £5 in free gameplay, while your total winnings may be capped at around £20.

However, if these winnings are subject to wagering requirements of 20x, this means that you may end up having to bet considerably more to unlock a relatively small sum of money. If you hit the maximum winnings’ threshold of £20, you’ll have to play through a whopping £400 to access the cash, which offers little value and may also encourage you to spend outside your means.

The key is to carry out this type of calculation when appraising any free spins promotion, just as you would with alternative bonus structures. Pay close attention to the maximum winnings and wagering requirements in play, so that you can determine whether or not it offers genuine value and is within your means as a punter.