Wagering Requirements is simply the term for obligation on the players part to contribute play to a casino before he or she cashes their money out. The wagering requirements of a bonus is probably the most important piece of information you should look up on a casinos website.
Purpose Of Wagering Requirements
Wagering requirements are logical in nature. Every bonus you will every see has wagering requirements attached to it. Wagering requirements vary from casino to casino as well as bonus type to bonus type. The reason online casinos attach wagering requirements to a bonus is so players will have to contribute a certain number of wagers before cashing out. Obviously, an online casino is not going to survive if players are depositing, recieving their bonus, and then running away with free money.
What Are Wagering Requirements?
A wagering requirement is a stipulation where you are typically forced to wager 10-40 times the amount of your deposit + bonus before cashing out of the casino.
Wagering Requirement Example: Jim claims a 100% up to $400 deposit bonus. He deposits the maximum amount of $400. Jim is a seasoned player who knows that before he can cash-out he must wager his deposit+the bonus ($800 total) 20 times before he can cash out. (in the terms and conditions of a bonus this would probably look like "20x deposit+bonus")...Jim also read that many of the games will not contribute to meeting the wagering requirements he must meet before cashing out. Therefore, he plans on playing his favorite slots. The situation Jim is faced with is that he must wager $16,000 with his $800 before he is able to withdrawal.
In this example, Jim has stumbled upon a pretty good deposit bonus with good wagering requirements. You can see though, how by accepting the bonus, jim now has to get lucky and complete the wagering requirements successfully before he is able to cash out any money.
Strict Wagering Requirements
If you read the above wagering requirements you can see that Jim had to wager $16,000 in bets before being able to cash out. That was only at a wagering requirement of "20x deposit+bonus". If the wagering requirement was "40x deposit+bonus" you can see how that might start to look a bit ridiculous. That would mean jim would have to use his $800 to make $32,000 in wagers without going broke before he could cash out. He would have to be pretty damn lucky for that to happen. It is very important for you to examine the wagering requirements before claiming a bonus.
Less Strict Wagering Requirements
Typically you'll find the most favorable wagering requirements at the top online casinos. Wagering requirements also are typically more favorable with recurring loyalty bonuses that the best online casinos are able to offer.
Game Restrictions
Game Types with low house edge are typically either extremely watered down or have no power at all in helping you to fulfill a wagering requirement. Bonuses are geared towards players who love lottery type games such as slots or keno.
In conclusion, wagering requirements are the most important thing to examine before you opt to claim any online casino bonus.