Wagering Requirements Explained: The Clause That Prices Every Casino Bonus
Every casino bonus in the UK is a loan of playing credit with one condition attached: the wagering requirement, the number of times the credit must be bet before it becomes money. It is the clause that decides whether a £100 bonus is worth £60, £40 or nothing, and since 19 December 2025 it has been capped at 10× on every licensed site. This page is the wagering requirements explainer the manual has always pointed to: the definition, the two bases, the weighting table, the calculator, and the cost of every multiple from 1× to the legal ceiling — in pounds, not adjectives.
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What are wagering requirements on a casino bonus?
A wagering requirement — also printed as playthrough, rollover or turnover — is the total value of bets you must place before bonus funds, or the winnings from them, can be withdrawn. It is expressed as a multiple of a base amount: 10× a £50 bonus means £500 of bets. Until that £500 has been staked the bonus balance is locked; once it has, whatever remains converts to withdrawable cash, subject to any maximum cashout.
The requirement exists because a bonus with no wagering is simply a gift of money, and no casino can fund gifts at scale. Wagering ensures the credit is played, and every pound played carries the house edge. That is the whole economics of the clause: the operator does not need you to lose the bonus — it needs you to bet the bonus enough times that the edge on the turnover recovers what it advanced. The multiple is the operator's price; your job is to read it as a price.
Three things are commonly misread. First, wagering applies to turnover, not losses — a £5 spin that wins £5 still counts £5 towards the requirement. Second, it is measured against a base that is either the bonus alone or the bonus plus your deposit, and the difference doubles the bill (the next section). Third, not every game counts equally: a weighting table can make a 10× requirement behave like 50× if you clear it on the wrong game. Get those three right and the clause is fully understood; everything else on this page is arithmetic on top of them. The bonuses explained chapter puts wagering inside the four questions every offer answers.
The multiple
Capped at 10× in the UK since December 2025. Many offers sit below it — 1×, 3×, 5× and 0× all exist on the licensed market.
The base
"10× bonus" on a £100 match and £100 deposit is £1,000 of bets. "10× bonus + deposit" is £2,000. Same multiple, twice the work.
The weighting
Slots usually 100%, table games 5–20%, live dealer sometimes 0%. The table decides how many of your bets actually count.
Bonus-only vs bonus-plus-deposit wagering: the base that doubles the bill
Two offers can print the same "10×" and cost twice as much to clear. The difference is the base. Bonus-only wagering multiplies the bonus funds alone: deposit £100, receive £100 bonus, wager £1,000. Bonus-plus-deposit wagering multiplies the combined balance: the same deposit and bonus require £2,000 of bets. The second structure is legal, common and disclosed — but disclosed in the significant terms, where the phrase "D+B" or "deposit and bonus" is easy to skim past under a headline.
The cost difference is not academic. At a 4% average slot edge, £1,000 of turnover is expected to cost £40 and £2,000 is expected to cost £80. Against a £100 bonus, bonus-only wagering leaves about £60 of paper value; bonus-plus-deposit leaves about £20. The multiple was identical; the base moved the value by two-thirds. It also changes the variance: clearing £2,000 of turnover on a high-volatility slot with a £200 balance is a session that ends early more often than not, and an early end means the bonus was never realised at all.
| Offer as printed | Deposit | Bonus | Base | Required turnover | Expected cost at 4% edge | Paper value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% up to £100, 10× bonus | £100 | £100 | £100 | £1,000 | £40 | £60 |
| 100% up to £100, 10× bonus + deposit | £100 | £100 | £200 | £2,000 | £80 | £20 |
| 50% up to £50, 5× bonus | £100 | £50 | £50 | £250 | £10 | £40 |
| 200% up to £200, 10× bonus + deposit | £100 | £200 | £300 | £3,000 | £120 | £80 |
| 100% up to £100, 3× bonus | £100 | £100 | £100 | £300 | £12 | £88 |
Read the last row against the first: a 3× bonus-only offer and a 10× bonus-only offer differ by £28 of paper value on identical headlines. The base line and the multiple together are the price tag; the percentage and the maximum are the shop window. A related distinction — sticky versus non-sticky bonuses — governs whether the bonus itself can ever be withdrawn or only the winnings from it, and roughly halves the value of an offer when it applies; the bonus terms guide handles that clause alongside the max-bet rule.
Wagering requirements calculator: turnover, cost and paper value
Enter the offer as its significant terms state it. The calculator returns the bets required, the expected cost of placing them, and what is left of the bonus on paper.
Required turnover = multiple × base. Effective turnover = required ÷ weighting. Expected cost = effective turnover × house edge. Paper value = (bonus − cost) × sticky factor. Long-run averages before caps and variance. All arithmetic runs in your browser.
Switch the game from slots to blackjack and watch the effective turnover multiply by ten: a £1,000 requirement that counts 10% on blackjack needs £10,000 of blackjack bets, and even at blackjack's tiny 0.6% edge that costs £60 — more than the £40 it costs to clear on slots. That is the weighting table doing its work, and it is why almost every bonus in the UK is cleared on slots whatever the player's usual game. The site's RTP and house edge chapter holds the edge figures the calculator uses.
Wagering requirements from 1× to 10×: what each multiple costs on a £100 bonus
Bonus-only base, cleared on a 96% slot counting 100%. The last column is what the bonus is worth after the expected cost of clearing it — the number to compare across offers.
| Multiple | Turnover on £100 | Expected cost | Paper value | Value retained | Read as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0× | £0 | £0 | £100 | 100% | Cash — see no wagering bonuses |
| 1× | £100 | £4 | £96 | 96% | A single pass through the balance |
| 3× | £300 | £12 | £88 | 88% | Generous for a match bonus |
| 5× | £500 | £20 | £80 | 80% | Common on reloads and spins |
| 7× | £700 | £28 | £72 | 72% | Mid-market welcome match |
| 10× | £1,000 | £40 | £60 | 60% | The UK legal maximum |
| 10× bonus + deposit | £2,000 | £80 | £20 | 20% | Maximum multiple on the doubled base |
| 35× (pre-cap era) | £3,500 | £140 | −£40 | Negative | Why the cap was introduced |
The bottom row is the history lesson. Before December 2025 the market standard was 35× to 50× and the standard offer was worth less than nothing in expectation — the bonus was a device for extracting turnover, and bonus literacy meant declining. The 10× cap moved the standard case to positive paper value, which is a different world: an offer cleared on slots now typically retains 60% of its face, and offers below the cap retain more. What did not change is the variance. A £60 expectation is an average over thousands of players; any single attempt at £1,000 of turnover on a volatile slot ends with the balance at zero far more often than at £160. The variance guide is the honest companion to this table.
Game weighting: which games count towards wagering requirements?
The multiple tells you how much to bet. The weighting table tells you how much of each bet is counted. Together they set the real requirement, and the table can move it by a factor of ten or more.
| Game | Typical UK weighting | House edge | Real turnover per £1,000 required | Expected cost | Verdict for clearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video slots (most) | 100% | 3–5% | £1,000 | £30–£50 | The standard route |
| Selected high-RTP slots | Often 0–50% (excluded) | 1–3% | £2,000 or excluded | Varies | Check the excluded list |
| Jackpot slots | 0–100% | 5–10% | £1,000 if counted | £50–£100 | Expensive edge |
| Roulette (European) | 5–20% | 2.7% | £5,000–£20,000 | £135–£540 | Do not clear here |
| Blackjack | 0–10% | 0.5–1% | £10,000+ or excluded | £60+ | Low edge, huge turnover |
| Baccarat | 0–20% | 1.1–1.2% | £5,000+ or excluded | £55+ | Usually excluded |
| Video poker | 0–10% | 0.5–3% | £10,000+ or excluded | Varies | Skill games are filtered |
| Live dealer tables | 0–10% | 0.5–2.7% | Excluded on most offers | — | Read the live bonus guide |
| Game shows | 0–50% | 3–5% | £2,000 if counted | £60–£100 | Occasionally useful |
The logic behind the table is the operator's, and it is consistent: games where the house edge is lowest are weighted lowest, because clearing wagering there would cost the player too little. That is why blackjack — the cheapest game on the floor per pound bet — is the most expensive game on which to clear a bonus. The weighting turns a 0.6% edge into an effective 6% by demanding ten times the bets. Slots at 100% weighting and 4% edge are, counter-intuitively, the cheap route. Two lists sit alongside the weighting table and must not be confused: zero-weighted games simply do not move the meter, while restricted games must not be played with bonus funds at all — opening one can forfeit the bonus and its winnings. The casino games floor plan prices every game by the hour if you want the edges behind these rows.
How to clear wagering requirements efficiently — and legally
Efficiency here means minimising expected cost and the chance of busting before the requirement is met, while staying inside every clause. Six rules cover it.
Wagering requirements and UK law: what changed on 19 December 2025
The Gambling Commission's consultation on promotional terms concluded with two rule changes to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, effective 19 December 2025. The first capped wagering requirements on all bonus offers at 10× the bonus. The second banned mixed-product promotions — offers requiring play across casino and sports, or casino and bingo, to release a bonus. Both apply to every operator holding a remote licence for Great Britain and to every offer they make to GB customers, new or existing.
Three earlier rules still frame the clause. Advertising standards require significant terms — including the wagering multiple and its base — to be presented with the headline, not behind a link. The LCCP's fairness provisions require terms to be transparent and not to be changed after a customer has opted in. And the Consumer Rights Act's unfair-terms regime, enforced through the Competition and Markets Authority's 2018 undertakings from major operators, requires that wagering terms be clear enough for an ordinary consumer to understand before claiming. Together those rules mean the multiple is capped, must be visible, and cannot be moved once you are in.
What the rules do not do is make wagering free. 10× is a ceiling, not a target, and offers at the ceiling on a bonus-plus-deposit base remain thin. Nor do the rules police weighting tables — an operator may still count roulette at 5% — or prevent restricted-game lists. The regulation set the frame; reading the terms inside it is still the player's task. The UKGC rules tracker holds the dated status of every current rule, and the licence chapter explains what the licence guarantees beyond promotions.
Wagering requirement mistakes that void bonuses or waste them
Reading the multiple without the base
"10×" on bonus-plus-deposit is twice the work of "10×" on bonus alone. The base is in the significant terms; find it before comparing offers.
Clearing on table games
10% weighting means ten times the bets. A blackjack player clearing a slots-weighted bonus pays more in edge than a slots player does, despite the lower per-hand edge.
Feature buys and max-bet breaches
A £100 bonus buy counts as a £100 stake under most terms — twenty times a £5 max-bet cap. The winnings are voided and the wagering progress with them.
Letting the clock run
Wagering windows of 7 to 30 days expire with the meter at 80% just as readily as at 0%. Unfinished wagering forfeits the bonus and, usually, the winnings from it.
Withdrawing mid-wagering
On most offers a withdrawal request before the requirement is met forfeits the bonus and bonus winnings. Some operators allow you to cancel a bonus and keep only the deposit — read which applies before you click.
Opening a restricted game
Restricted is not the same as zero-weighted. A restricted title played with an active bonus can forfeit everything, even if you bet pennies on it for one spin.
Each leak is preventable by one reading of the significant terms before opting in. The bonus FAQ answers over a hundred narrower wagering questions, and the casino bonuses hub links every offer type this clause governs.
How the five casinos approach bonuses — mini reviews
Same five brands, one lens: what each welcome offer actually asks of you, and what the arithmetic on this page says when it is applied. Read each offer's significant terms on the operator's own page before claiming — headlines summarise, terms decide.
Commercial content: these mini reviews cover partner brands, and joining through these links can earn this site a commission. Rankings and copy remain editorial — see how we review.
Ladbrokes Casino
Ladbrokes' bet-£10-get-500-spins is the cleanest structure in the table: one qualifying bet, no deposit-match wagering to clear, spin winnings governed by their own stated terms. Because the qualifying cost is fixed at £10, the value question reduces to spin value × count × RTP — exactly what the pricer above computes. The rare offer where the fine print is shorter than the headline.
Claim 500 Spins ➜Read the full Ladbrokes Casino review →Coral Casino
Coral's 100-spin version of the same shape trades headline size for identical simplicity: £10 staked, spins credited, no match wagering. It prices lower than its sister deal by construction, but the claiming discipline is identical and the downside is capped at the tenner. A textbook first bonus for a player practising the four-question method on this page.
Claim 100 Spins ➜Read the full Coral Casino review →Casumo
Casumo's 100% match plus 100 spins is the classic contract: your deposit doubled, wagering attached at the UK-capped multiple. That means real turnover before withdrawal — run deposit × match × multiple through the pricer and decide with the number in front of you. The spins ride alongside as a separate parcel with their own terms; read both.
Claim the Match ➜Read the full Casumo review →10bet Casino
10bet's up-to-£250 match is the biggest bonus ceiling here, and ceilings are where wagering sums bite hardest: a maxed claim means the most turnover in the table. If you deposit small, the maths shrinks with you. Either way, this is the offer that most rewards ten minutes with the calculator before a penny moves.
Claim up to £250 ➜Read the full 10bet Casino review →SpinYoo Casino
SpinYoo mirrors the 100% match plus 100 spins pairing at boutique scale. Smaller casino, same UK rulebook: wagering capped at the licensed maximum, terms published, spins parcelled separately. Its compact lobby actually helps here — fewer eligible-game ambiguities when you're clearing wagering on a curated slot shelf.
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Wagering requirements — FAQs
The wagering questions searched most often, answered in full. All figures assume a UK-licensed operator, a 96% slot counting 100%, and the 10× cap in force since December 2025.
What does 10× wagering mean?
It means the bonus (or the bonus plus deposit, if the base says so) must be bet ten times over before it can be withdrawn. A £50 bonus at 10× requires £500 of qualifying bets; the balance is locked until the meter reaches £500, then converts to cash. Wagering counts turnover, not losses — a winning spin counts its stake towards the total just as a losing one does. Since 19 December 2025, 10× is the highest multiple any UK-licensed casino may attach to a bonus, so on the licensed market it represents the most expensive legal contract rather than a typical one.
How do you calculate wagering requirements?
Multiply the base by the multiple. If the terms say "10× bonus" and you received £100, the requirement is £1,000. If they say "10× bonus and deposit" on a £100 deposit and £100 bonus, it is £2,000. Then divide by the weighting of the game you will clear on — a game counting 50% doubles the bets needed. To price it, multiply the effective turnover by the game's house edge: £1,000 on a 96% slot costs about £40 in expectation, so the £100 bonus is worth roughly £60 on paper. The calculator on this page does all four steps.
Is 10× wagering good or bad?
On the current UK market it is the ceiling, so it is the most demanding contract a licensed casino can offer — but on a bonus-only base and cleared on slots, a 10× bonus still retains around 60% of its face value in expectation, which is positive. Before the December 2025 cap the typical multiple was 35× to 50× and the typical bonus had negative paper value, so 10× is good by historical standards and merely acceptable by current ones. It becomes poor when the base is bonus plus deposit (retaining about 20%) or when the offer is sticky (halving what remains).
What is the difference between wagering, playthrough, rollover and turnover?
Nothing, in practice. All four words describe the same clause — the total bets required before bonus funds can be withdrawn. "Playthrough" and "rollover" are American usage that appears in some UK terms; "turnover" is sometimes used for the total bets you have actually placed rather than the requirement. When an offer uses more than one word, check whether they refer to the same base: some terms say "10× playthrough" on the bonus and separately describe a "turnover requirement" on the deposit, which is the bonus-plus-deposit structure in disguise.
Do wagering requirements apply to my deposit as well as the bonus?
Only if the base includes it, and the significant terms must say so. "10× bonus" applies to bonus funds alone. "10× bonus + deposit", "10× D+B" or "10× the total balance" applies to both. Under the second structure your own money is locked alongside the bonus until the combined requirement is met; under the first, some operators keep your deposit withdrawable if you forfeit the bonus (a non-sticky or "parachute" structure), while others lock everything. The base and the sticky status are the two lines that decide what your own deposit is worth while the bonus is active.
Which games count towards wagering requirements?
Video slots almost always count 100%. Table games, live dealer games, video poker and often jackpot or very high-RTP slots count far less — 5% to 20% — or are excluded outright. The weighting table in the terms is definitive, and it changes by operator and by offer. Low weighting exists because those games have low house edges: the operator needs ten times the turnover on blackjack to earn what it earns from slots. There is also a separate restricted list of games that must not be played with bonus funds at all, which is a different and harsher rule. The casino games chapter prices each game's edge.
Can I withdraw before completing the wagering requirements?
Requesting a withdrawal while a bonus is active usually forfeits the bonus and any winnings attached to it. What happens to your deposit depends on the structure: on non-sticky ("parachute") offers, where real money is played first, an unused deposit can usually be withdrawn intact once the bonus is cancelled; on offers that lock the combined balance, withdrawing mid-wagering forfeits everything except what the terms explicitly protect. Most UK operators let you cancel a bonus voluntarily from the account page. Read the cancellation clause before opting in, not at the moment you want your money out.
What happens if I don't complete the wagering requirement in time?
The bonus and the winnings derived from it are removed when the window closes. Windows on UK offers run from 7 to 30 days for match bonuses, shorter for free spins winnings, and start at crediting rather than at first play. Partial progress does not carry over; a meter at 90% expires exactly as a meter at 0% does. Whether your original deposit survives depends on the base and sticky structure. Because windows are fixed in the terms, the only defence is planning the turnover against the days available — £1,000 of wagering in 7 days at £2 per spin is 500 spins, roughly three hours of play.
Why is the wagering requirement higher on some bonuses than others?
Because the multiple is the price the operator charges for the credit, and different offers carry different costs. A large match (200%) needs more wagering to recover than a small one; a sticky bonus can carry lower wagering because the bonus itself is never paid out; spins winnings sometimes carry 0× because the face value is tiny. Reload and loyalty bonuses often sit below the welcome multiple because the operator already knows the customer. The cap of 10× bounds every case, but within it the multiple is a design choice — which is why two offers with the same headline can differ by half their value.
Does the 10× wagering cap apply to free spins too?
Yes. The cap applies to all promotional offers made to Great Britain customers, including the winnings from free spins, which are treated as bonus funds. A UK-facing offer printing 30× or 40× on spins winnings is either unlicensed or out of date. Many operators have gone further and attached 0× to spins — keep-what-you-win — because the face value is small enough that wagering was never a meaningful recovery mechanism. The free spins guide prices spins under both structures.
Is it possible to clear wagering requirements with a profit?
In expectation, yes on most post-cap offers cleared on slots; in any single attempt, unpredictably. A £100 bonus at 10× on a 96% slot has an expected cost of £40, so the average outcome across thousands of players is £60 retained — but the distribution is wide, with many players busting the balance before the requirement is met and a few finishing well above. Lower volatility slots, smaller stakes and a bonus-only base all narrow the distribution around the expectation. No method turns the average into a guarantee; the honest framing is that the bonus lowers the price of a session you were going to play anyway.
What counts as 'irregular play' when clearing a bonus?
Betting patterns designed to satisfy turnover with minimal risk rather than to play the game: covering opposing outcomes on a table (red and black together), placing large stakes then dropping to minimum after conversion, using bonus funds only and never real money, moving winnings between games to exploit weighting, or playing with an active bonus on another account at the same operator. Standard UK terms allow the operator to void winnings where such patterns are detected, and detection is automated. Ordinary slot play at a steady stake is never irregular, which is why it is the only method this page recommends.