If you ever encountered a situation when you grabbed a casino bonus, played with it, managed to get a decent score, and tried to withdraw it, and suddenly the extra funds disappeared, you’re not the only one; the worst enemy, so say, was the concept of wagering requirements. Additionally, if you encountered the idea of wagering but didn’t understand what it meant or how to clear it, don’t worry. The bonus policy of a casino offer can be tricky, but understanding them, especially the rollover condition, is the key. Remember that the wagering requirements dictate how many times you must play through a bonus before you can withdraw any winnings. Or, as our experts usually say, “Miss the crucial details, and you lose it all”. So, in this guide, we will make sure to encompass every aspect of the concept of wagering: how this rule works, why it exists, and how you can calculate the value. Additionally, we will show you applicable situations via offers such as no deposit, welcome offers, etc. By the end of this article, you will be fully equipped with bonus knowledge. Keep on reading.

• What is Casino Wagering
• How to calculate the wagering requirements
• Game Contributions to the Wagering Requirement
• Ways to avoid wagering requirements
• How you can beat the wagering requirements
• CasinoAlpha Verdict
• References

What is Casino Wagering

Wagering is a term that represents the sum of your bets made in casino games with bonus money. It is a multiplier, and it can apply to the amount of bonus money credited to you or the bonus value, the deposit you have made to get that promotion, the winnings resulted from it, or any combination of these three values. Usually, deposit promotions come with lower wagering requirements, while deals such as no deposit bonuses NZ often have higher ones.

You must meet this requirement.

This is necessary to be able to cash out the money you have won using a promotion. However, you don’t have to follow rollover rules when accessing a no-wagering deposit bonus. These are usually smaller than other deals, but they are highly lucrative, because you can use or withdraw the winnings as soon as you finish using the promotion.

Why do bonuses come with wagering requirements?

1. To avoid bonus abusers: some casino players have no intention of sticking with a platform and are on the hunt for promotions they can benefit from. Because they have a low retention rate, gambling sites prefer to include them in a different marketing plan and choose to invest in their loyal customers instead.
2. To avoid money laundering: if there were no such rules, players could clean up illegal funds by making a deposit and then cashing out right away. Therefore, this measure is imposed to avoid money laundering, and it complies with regulations regarding this aspect.
3. To Maintain Fairness – Are you curious about how casinos keep things fair? Check out our detailed guide on whether online casinos are rigged.

A casino is a business and its goal is to make a profit

This is another fundamental reason why bonuses come with wagering attached. At the same time, it wishes to offer incentives to potential players in order to attract them. Therefore, they give out bonuses that increase the funds the gamer has to play, giving them the chance to experience more games and discover the platform. However, a high rollover requirement prevents them from cashing out too much money. Still, there are exceptions to this.

Bonus terms that affect wagering

Your experience with the playthrough of a promotion may differ from one deal to another because other terms also influence this aspect. Here’s what you need to pay attention to:

1. The maximum bet with bonus money – promotions often come with a low maximum bet, which makes meeting the rollover requirement a lot slower. If you could place bigger bets, you would complete it in no time, but with this limitation, it might take a lot longer, especially if the amount you need to wager is high.
2. Game weighting—games contribute different amounts to playthrough, and some are even entirely excluded from it. This means that playing one of these games will not contribute towards meeting the requirement, while playing one with a low contribution will delay the rollover completion.
3. Promotion availability – all casino bonuses come with a certain availability from the moment you have claimed them. In general, free spins have a shorter timeframe than bonus money. Within this time, you have to meet the playthrough requirement to be able to cash out. If this time passes and you did not manage to meet the requirement, you lose all your winnings so far.

For a more comprehensive look at how these terms work, visit our Bonus Terms and Conditions Explained guide, and make sure to check out our guide on Casino Terms and Conditions to avoid surprises.

How to Calculate the Wagering Requirements

It is very easy to calculate the wagering requirements you have to meet, and some of the best online New Zealand casinos even present you with the final amount you have to wager. Nevertheless, it is helpful to know how to calculate them so you can compare bonuses and decide which one is best for you. Free spins on sign up New Zealand offers usually come with this requirement applied to the winnings resulted from them, while deposit bonuses often require you to wager the deposit and bonus amount a certain number of times. There may always be exceptions to this rule, but this is a situation we have seen often as our experts have analyzed thousands of online pokies free spins NZ promotions.

Mathematical formulas to know how much you need to playthrough:

1. Bonus wagering – [Bonus Amount] x [Wagering] = Amount you need to playthrough
2. Bonus + Deposit – [Bonus Amount + Deposit Amount] x [Wagering] = Amount to playthrough
3. Winnings – [Winnings resulted from bonus] x [Wagering] = Amount to wager
4. Deposit + Winnings – [Deposit Amount + Winnings] x [Wagering] = Amount to wager

Now that you know the formulas let’s apply them and see how these look with actual bonus values.

Table with examples for each formula

As you can see in this table, even low wagering requirements can lead to a high amount of money you have to play through. For the New Zealand casino market, a 30x playthrough requirement, as seen in example 2, is considered low. This is because some promotions come with rollover multipliers such as 80x, 90x and even 100x. Be aware: Each casino has the right to set any wagering requirement, and the combination may sometimes be different from those shown above. Some even require a Bonus + Deposit + Winnings wagering.

Game Contributions to the Wagering Requirement

Not all games contribute the same to meeting rollover requirements. For a more detailed breakdown of how each game contributes, check out our Wagering Contribution Definition guide.

How did the requirement appear?

In the past, wagers contributed the same, regardless of the game type. This has led players to notice that playing games with a low house edge such as Roulette (2.7%) or Blackjack (0.5%) helped them meet the playthrough without losing much money. In addition, Roulette allowed them to place equal bets on both red and black, and most of the time, this resulted in coming out even more money. This means gamers did not lose a single coin but still contributed to meeting the requirement.

Casinos caught on to these tactics

This is why operators introduced further conditions, lowering the contribution of some table games while completely excluding certain games.

The game weighting may differ from one casino to another

In general lines, this is what you may expect to find:

• Online Pokies – 100%;
• Table Games – 50% to 10%;
• Live Casino NZ games – 50% to 10%.

For a more in-depth look at how RTP influences your chances, check out our RTP Guide. Be aware: Always check the Terms and Conditions and see which game types and titles are excluded from contributing to playthrough!

Ways to Avoid wagering Requirements

The best way to avoid playthrough requirements is to go for no wagering bonuses. These allow you to keep what you win, as they come with no strings attached, and you can simply enjoy the promotion and then cash out or use the winnings on different games.

Important notes:

1. The number of such promotions is much lower, so fewer options exist.
2. These deals generally offer less money or fewer free spins but are helpful and fun.

While this is the only way to avoid this rule, you can always opt for low-wagering casino bonuses. Important: For the New Zealand gambling market, 30X – 40X and under rollover requirements are considered low. Our experts have compiled a list of promotions for all tastes and needs. Compare them, find the right one for you, and enjoy the fun it provides!

How You Can Beat the Wagering Requirements

1. Pick a promotion with a low wagering requirement, preferably under 40X.
2. Pick the one that allows the highest maximum bet from the low-wagering deals, as this aspect strongly influences your further experience with the playthrough.
3. Ensure the casino you have chosen offers favourable terms and has a reliable customer support team if you have questions or encounter an issue with your bonus.
4. Check out the game contributions list and see which games contribute 100%. Most of the time, these will be slot machines.
5. Ensure you know which games are excluded and do not play them at all.
6. From the games that contribute 100%, pick the ones with low RTP (Return to Player) to start with. These have a high variance, which means they pay out more significant amounts but less often than other games.
7. Once you have increased your bankroll with the low-RTP, high-variance games, it is time to switch it up. Go for titles with high RTP, preferably over 98%, and low variance. These pay out smaller amounts but more often. Therefore, these are safer to play and will not empty your bankroll in a few spins.
8. If you have a dispute regarding your bonuses or wagering terms, our guide on How to Manage an Online Casino Dispute provides step-by-step solutions.
9. Check out our Strategies to Maximize Bonus Funds guide for more tips on stretching your bonus funds.

Remember, if you find yourself getting too absorbed in meeting wagering requirements, you can explore Activities to Stop Gambling Addiction for healthy alternatives. Are you looking for bonuses with lower commitments for a lower-difficulty task? Learn more in our blog on Should You Claim $1 Deposit Bonuses? However, remember that not all the $1 deposit bonuses are on the lower difficulty side. For example, if you check the bonuses from 7Bit Casino, you will see that the bonus for new players triggered with $1 will come with a 45x wagering, which is a difficult task. Be aware: While these tips come from our gambling experts, who are also experienced players, you must keep in mind that gambling relies very much on luck. This means that even if these tips may help you, it strongly depends on luck if you hit those much-needed wins or not.

CasinoAlpha Verdict

Pick low-wagering deals whenever possible and always read the Bonus Terms and Conditions. Use our tips to beat the playthrough and cash out your money faster! The wagering requirement is maybe the most important condition of a casino promotion. While other terms affect it, this ultimately shapes your experience with the bonus and the casino. Some offers have high requirements, while others have low ones or even none at all. This means that there are options for you and any other player, regardless of your preferences.

References

• Money Laundering Definition
• Gambling in New Zealand