- Wagering is the key number. 35x on a $100 bonus means $3,500 in bets before bonus winnings can be withdrawn, and twice that if the base is deposit plus bonus.
- A quick value estimate: bonus − (total wagering × house edge). On a 4% edge slot, any wagering above 25x the bonus is negative on average.
- Max bet rules, cashout caps, game weighting and expiry void more bonuses than the wagering itself does.
- Since 19 January 2026, Gambling Commission licensees in Great Britain cannot set wagering above 10x the bonus. Offshore crypto casinos set their own terms.
The main types of casino bonus
| Bonus | How it works | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit match | The casino adds a percentage of your deposit, e.g. 100% up to $500 | Wagering base, max bet, game weighting |
| Multi-deposit package | Several matches spread over your first two to four deposits | Separate terms and expiry for each stage |
| Free spins | Spins on named slots; winnings credited as bonus money | Spin value, wagering on winnings, cashout caps |
| No-deposit bonus | Small credit or spins without depositing | High wagering, low cashout caps, ID checks |
| Cashback | A share of net losses returned | Whether the cashback itself carries wagering |
| Lossback | A one-off refund of losses from a set window | Usually paid as bonus funds with a cap |
| Rakeback | A share of the house edge returned on every bet | Rate at your VIP level, payment timing |
| Reload | Smaller deposit matches for existing players | Same terms as a deposit match |
| Free bet | A sportsbook stake paid by the bookmaker | Stake usually not returned with winnings |
The headline percentage tells you how much bonus money you can get. It tells you nothing about how hard that money is to turn into cash. For crypto-specific offers, see our guides to no-deposit bonuses and rakeback, and for sportsbook offers our crypto sports betting guide.
How wagering requirements work
When a casino offers “100% up to $500 with 35x wagering”, you must place bets totalling 35 times a stated amount before bonus winnings become withdrawable. Wagering counts the total of your stakes, not your losses: a $1 spin counts as $1 whether it wins or loses.
The most important detail is the base the multiple applies to.
- Bonus only: a $100 bonus at 35x needs $3,500 of bets.
- Deposit plus bonus: a $100 deposit with a $100 bonus at 35x needs $200 × 35 = $7,000 of bets, double the work.
- Winnings only: common on free spins. If 50 spins win $12 and the wagering is 35x winnings, you need $420 of bets.
| Wagering on the bonus | Bets needed on a $100 bonus | How it compares |
|---|---|---|
| 10x | $1,000 | The maximum for Gambling Commission licensees in Great Britain since January 2026 |
| 20x to 30x | $2,000 to $3,000 | Fair for offshore and crypto casinos |
| 35x to 40x | $3,500 to $4,000 | Common, and usually negative value on slots |
| 50x and above | $5,000 or more | Rarely worth planning around |
The maths: estimating what a bonus is worth
A simple estimate of a bonus’s average value is the bonus amount minus the expected cost of clearing it. The expected cost is the total you must bet multiplied by the house edge of the games you play. A slot with 96% RTP has a 4% edge. Our RTP guide explains where those figures come from.
Bonus value ≈ bonus − (total wagering × house edge)
You deposit $100 and get a $100 bonus at 35x the bonus, playing 4% edge slots. Total wagering: $100 × 35 = $3,500. Expected cost: $3,500 × 4% = $140. Estimated value: $100 − $140 = −$40. If the 35x applies to deposit plus bonus, wagering is $7,000, the expected cost $280 and the value −$180.
The same $100 bonus at 10x needs $1,000 of bets. Expected cost: $1,000 × 4% = $40. Estimated value: $100 − $40 = +$60. On a 97% RTP slot (3% edge), the cost falls to $30 and the value rises to +$70.
The break-even multiple
Setting the estimate to zero gives a quick rule: a bonus-only wagering requirement breaks even at 1 divided by the house edge. At a 4% edge that is 25x; at 3% it is about 33x; at 2% it is 50x. Anything above the break-even multiple is, on average, a cost rather than a gift.
Why the estimate is only a guide
The formula ignores two things. Many players run out of balance before finishing the wagering, which limits how much they can lose on bonus money, and variance means individual results swing widely. It is best used to compare offers with each other, not to predict what you will win. If the estimate is strongly negative, the bonus is something you pay for in extra play, not free money.
Sticky and non-sticky bonuses
This distinction decides whether the bonus can ever leave the casino, and whether you can walk away early with your own winnings.
- Non-sticky (also called parachute or hybrid): your real money and the bonus are kept separate, and you play with your real money first. If you win before touching the bonus, you can usually withdraw your real-money balance and forfeit the bonus.
- Sticky: the bonus is mixed into your balance and cannot be withdrawn itself. When you cash out after completing the wagering, the bonus amount is deducted.
You deposit $100 and take a $100 bonus. Non-sticky: you play your $100 first and it grows to $400 before the bonus is used. You can withdraw $400 and drop the bonus. If you lose your $100 instead, you carry on with the $100 bonus. Sticky: you finish the wagering with a $450 balance. The $100 bonus is removed, so $350 is withdrawable.
Non-sticky bonuses are clearly better for players because they keep a real choice: walk away with a real-money win, or use the bonus as a second chance. In Great Britain, Gambling Commission guidance says players must be able to withdraw their deposit balance at any time, even with a bonus active, and that deposit and bonus balances must be shown separately. Offshore casinos are not bound by that guidance, so check the terms.
Max bet, cashout caps and expiry
Three quieter terms void more bonuses than wagering does.
Maximum bet while a bonus is active
Most casinos cap each bet while bonus funds are in play, often around $5 or the crypto equivalent. Breaking it once, even by accident, can void all bonus winnings. The cap also sets the pace: clearing $3,500 of wagering at $5 a spin takes at least 700 spins. In Great Britain, online slots also have a legal stake limit of £5 per spin for adults 25 and over and £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds, introduced in 2025.
Maximum cashout caps
A $20 no-deposit bonus has 40x wagering and a $100 cashout cap. You must bet $800 to clear it. If you finish with $400, you can withdraw $100 and the other $300 is removed.
Caps are common on no-deposit and free-spin offers and are sometimes set as a multiple of the bonus, such as 5x. They matter most if you play high-volatility slots, where a large win is the main reason to play.
Expiry windows
A seven-day window on 35x wagering forces a lot of volume into a short time, which encourages bigger bets and longer sessions. Check both the time to claim and the time to complete wagering. A longer window is worth more than a slightly bigger bonus.
Game weighting changes the maths
Casinos rarely let every game count fully, because low-edge games would make bonuses easy to clear. Each game type is given a contribution percentage.
| Game type | Typical contribution | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 100% | High edge relative to other games |
| Table games (blackjack, roulette) | 0% to 20% | Low edge with good play |
| Live dealer | 0% to 10% | Often excluded entirely |
| Crypto originals (dice, crash, mines) | Often reduced or excluded | Edges around 1% at many casinos |
| Sportsbook | Separate bonus or excluded | Different product with its own rules |
The $100 bonus at 35x needs $3,500 of counted wagering. Blackjack counts 10%, so you must bet $35,000. At about a 0.5% edge, the expected cost is $35,000 × 0.5% = $175, giving a value of −$75. Playing 4% slots at full weight costs $140, a value of −$40. A low-edge game is not automatically the better way to clear a bonus once weighting is applied.
Low-weighted games can also hit the max bet rule faster, and some casinos treat “low-risk” betting patterns, such as covering most of a roulette table, as bonus abuse. Read the contribution table before you claim, not after. If you mainly play crash games or other originals, many deposit bonuses will barely move.
Free spins and free spin winnings
Free spins look simple, but their value depends on spin value, the slot’s RTP and the wagering on winnings.
You receive 50 free spins at $0.20, a face value of $10. On a 96% RTP slot, expected winnings are $9.60. With 10x wagering on winnings, you must bet $96, an expected cost of $96 × 4% = $3.84, leaving an estimated value of about $5.76. With 35x on winnings, the bets needed rise to $336 and the expected cost to $13.44, which wipes out the paper value.
Because free spin winnings start as bonus money rather than your own, you cannot lose more than you were given. The realistic takeaway is that high-wagering spins are worth little, while wager-free spins are worth close to their face value multiplied by the RTP.
Regulatory changes in 2026
Where a casino is licensed changes which bonus rules apply. Several changes in 2026 matter for players.
Great Britain: 10x wagering cap and no mixed-product offers
From 19 January 2026, the Gambling Commission’s licence conditions (social responsibility code 5.1.1) bar licensees from applying wagering requirements of more than 10 times the bonus. The Commission’s own example: a £10 bonus with 50x wagering needed £500 of play; under the cap the same bonus needs at most £100. The same rules ban incentives that combine more than one type of gambling product, such as a bonus requiring both sports bets and slots, and require terms to be clear and accessible.
Great Britain: higher gaming duty
HM Treasury raised Remote Gaming Duty from 21% to 40% of gaming profits from 1 April 2026, with a new 25% rate for remote betting from April 2027. Operators pay the duty, but higher costs tend to show up as smaller or fewer promotions at licensed UK sites. Our UK page covers the British market.
Brazil: online casino games banned
Brazil banned fixed-odds betting and online casino games, including offers from operators abroad, under a provisional measure of 25 September 2026, and sites went offline from 6 October 2026. Court challenges and a congressional vote are pending. Bonuses aimed at Brazilian players should be treated as unavailable; see our Brazil page.
Offshore crypto casinos
Casinos licensed in Curaçao, Anjouan and similar jurisdictions are not bound by British rules and still commonly use 30x to 40x wagering, often on deposit plus bonus. That is not illegal for them, but it means the burden of reading terms falls on you. Our licence guide explains what offshore licences do and do not cover.
Crypto casino bonus structures
Crypto casinos use several structures you rarely see at regulated sites.
- Multi-deposit packages. Large headline totals split over two to four deposits, each with its own match rate, minimum deposit and wagering. BC.Game is a well-known example.
- Staged or locked release. Bonus funds are released in portions as you wager, rather than all at once at the end.
- Rakeback as the welcome offer. Stake says its welcome offer is rakeback of 3.5% of the house edge, unlocked with a valid affiliate code entered within 24 hours of opening an account, rather than a deposit match.
- Wager-free cashback. Some newer brands lead with daily or weekly cashback paid as cash. Hyper Lucky advertises daily cashback with no wagering in our data.
- Bonuses capped in crypto. Offers such as “200% up to 10 ETH” at TG.Casino have a dollar value that moves with the coin price.
- Token rewards. Bonuses or cashback paid in the casino’s own token, whose value can fall quickly.
A $500 bonus is released in ten $50 portions, one for each $1,500 wagered, which is 30x the bonus in total. Each $1,500 at a 4% edge has an expected cost of $60, more than the $50 released. The upside is that you keep each released portion as cash even if you stop early; the downside is that each step still costs more than it pays on average at that edge.
If your balance is in a volatile coin, bonus caps, max bets and cashout limits can effectively change during play. Many players prefer to claim bonuses in a stablecoin; our USDT casino guide explains why.
Where to find the terms that matter
Most casinos split bonus rules across several pages, and the promotional banner rarely shows the clauses that cause problems. Before you opt in, look in these places:
- The promotion’s own terms, usually behind a “terms apply” link: the wagering multiple, base, expiry and max bet.
- The general bonus terms, a separate page that often holds the game contribution table, excluded games and the abuse clause.
- The payments or cashier page, for coins and methods excluded from bonuses and minimum qualifying deposits.
- The general terms and conditions, for withdrawal limits, KYC triggers and restricted countries, which apply to bonus winnings too.
- Your account’s bonus tab, which should show active bonuses, remaining wagering and the time left.
Take a screenshot of the promotion terms when you claim. Terms change, and a dated copy is the simplest evidence if a dispute arises later. If the casino will not tell you which terms version applied, treat that as a warning sign about how it handles complaints.
Also confirm the offer is available where you live. Bonuses are often country-specific, and claiming one from a restricted country is one of the most common reasons winnings are voided. Our coverage page lists the markets we track.
How to judge a bonus step by step
- Find the wagering multiple and its base: bonus only, deposit plus bonus, or winnings.
- Multiply to get the total bets required.
- Check the contribution of the games you actually play and adjust the total.
- Multiply by the house edge of those games to get the expected cost.
- Subtract the expected cost from the bonus to get the estimated value.
- Check the max bet, cashout cap, expiry and excluded payment methods still fit your normal play.
- Check whether the bonus is sticky or non-sticky and whether you can withdraw your deposit mid-wagering.
- Check whether claiming the bonus pauses rakeback or other rewards.
If the result is positive and the terms suit how you normally play, the bonus adds value. If a bonus only makes sense by changing how you play, skip it. Playing without a bonus keeps you free to withdraw at any time, which is worth something too. Our guide to instant-withdrawal crypto casinos covers why payout freedom matters.
Bonus mistakes to avoid
- Claiming automatically at the cashier without reading the terms.
- Betting above the maximum bet, even on a single spin.
- Playing excluded or low-weighted games and assuming they count.
- Opening a second account to claim the same offer twice.
- Requesting a withdrawal mid-wagering, which usually forfeits the bonus.
- Depositing with an excluded payment method or coin.
- Chasing wagering with bigger stakes than you planned before the expiry date.
Casinos void bonuses for multiple accounts, VPN use from restricted countries, and betting patterns they define as abuse. Only claim offers available in your country and keep to the stated limits.
The offers on our bonuses page and in our crypto casino rankings are screened with this checklist, but terms change often: always read the operator’s full terms before opting in. If you notice yourself depositing to unlock a bonus rather than to play, take a break; our responsible gambling guide lists tools that help.
Sources
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