Guide
How casino wagering requirements work
The single term that decides what a bonus is worth, explained with real numbers.
Last updated 16 Sep 2026
Wagering is the reason two bonuses with identical headlines can be worth wildly different amounts. It is the number of times you have to stake bonus money before the winnings become yours to withdraw. Everything else in a bonus offer is decoration by comparison.
The basic sum
If a site gives you a £50 bonus with 10x wagering, you must place £500 of bets before you can withdraw anything that bonus produced. That is not £500 of your own money and it is not £500 lost. It is £500 of turnover: the same pound can be staked, won back and staked again many times over.
Say you deposit £50 and receive a £50 bonus on a 100% match with 10x wagering:
- Your balance is £100, of which £50 is bonus funds.
- You must stake £500 in total before the bonus and its winnings unlock.
- On a slot returning around 95% over the long run, £500 of turnover costs roughly £25 in expected losses.
So the offer is not worth £50. It is worth something closer to £50 minus what the turnover costs you, and that is before any cap is applied. This is still better than no bonus, but it is a long way from free money.
Bonus only, or deposit plus bonus?
Read this part carefully, because it doubles the work without changing the headline.
- Wagering on the bonus means the multiplier applies to the bonus alone. A £50 bonus at 10x is £500 of turnover.
- Wagering on deposit plus bonus means it applies to both. The same £50 bonus on a £50 deposit at 10x becomes £1,000 of turnover.
Every offer on Casino Menu that prints a wagering figure states the basis where the operator states it. If the terms only say “10x wagering”, check the full bonus policy before you claim, because the difference is exactly twice your effort.
Game weighting decides how fast you clear it
Not every pound you stake counts as a pound towards the requirement. Operators apply weighting so that low-margin games contribute less:
| Game type | Typical contribution |
|---|---|
| Slots | Usually 100% |
| Bingo | Often reduced |
| Roulette, blackjack, other table games | Heavily reduced or excluded |
| Live dealer | Frequently excluded |
If table games contribute 10%, then £10 staked on blackjack counts as £1 towards your requirement. Trying to clear a slots bonus at the roulette table is one of the most common ways people end up with a bonus that expires untouched. The weighting table is in the operator’s bonus terms and it is worth two minutes of reading.
The three rules that catch people out
Expiry. Bonuses have a claim window and a wagering window. Both matter. A 30-day wagering window on a large bonus can demand a rate of play you would not otherwise choose, which is a good reason to decline an offer that is bigger than the way you actually play.
Maximum bet. Many offers cap the stake per spin while a bonus is active, often at a low figure. Break that cap, even once and even accidentally, and operators are usually entitled to void the bonus and everything it won. If you are used to higher stakes, this is the rule most likely to cost you.
Conversion and win caps. This is the one that matters most on the offers we list. A cap limits how much of your bonus winnings can become withdrawable cash. Several sites cap conversion at the total you have deposited over the life of the account, up to a stated ceiling. Others cap the win per batch of free spins, for example a few pounds for every ten spins. A £600 headline sitting behind a £250 conversion cap is a £250 offer at best.
Why “no wagering” changes everything
Some offers pay free-spin winnings straight into your cash balance. There is no multiplier, no weighting table, no expiry on the winnings and usually no conversion cap. What you win is simply yours.
That is why our list puts those offers first, even when the number of spins is small. Fifty spins whose winnings are cash routinely beat a headline promising hundreds of spins whose winnings arrive as bonus funds capped at a few pounds per ten spins. The spin count is the part the marketing shouts about. The wagering is the part that decides what you keep.
You can see which sites currently do this on our no wagering free spins page.
A checklist before you claim
- What is the wagering multiple, and does it apply to the bonus or to deposit plus bonus?
- What is the conversion or win cap, and how does it compare to the headline?
- Which games count, and at what weighting?
- How long do you have, and what is the maximum bet while the bonus is live?
- Would you have deposited this much anyway? If not, the bonus is setting your stake for you, and that is the wrong way round.
If the answers are not easy to find, that is information too. Sites that publish their terms clearly tend to be easier to deal with when something goes wrong.
Gambling should be entertainment, and no bonus changes the fact that these games are built to return less than you stake over time. If it stops being fun, stop. Free, confidential help is available from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.