If you frequent online casinos chances are you have seen or perhaps even taken advantage of new signup bonuses, game bonuses, etc. Many online casinos offer great incentives in order to acquire more users, create excitement, and generate loyal customers. However, if you opt to partake in bonuses that a casino offers you are probably going to need to meet the rollover requirement, also known as the wagering requirement.
The below information on rollover requirements will help you better understand what they are, how they vary, and why they are in place.
Rollover Requirements
Simply put, rollover requirements refer to the amount you need to wager in order to cash out the money from bonuses. Rollover requirements differ from casino to casino and differ from offer to offer.
Casinos implement this play-through requirement to avoid being cheated and taken advantage of by players. Without rollover requirements in place, you could easily look for signup bonuses on online casinos, collect the bonuses, and never play. Clearly, this would cost casinos a lot of money, and it wouldn’t contribute to creating more return players, which is one objective of bonuses.
Casinos utilize bonuses as part of their player retention strategy in an effort to generate more repeat business. Most casinos only ask you to meet the rollover requirements prior to cashing out, so it is reasonable and fair that there is an opportunity for the casino to earn their money back.
Signup, welcome, and deposit bonuses are very common and are in place to attract new players. These bonuses exist to give you more money to bet when playing on a particular online casino. And like most bonuses, the rollover requirements will be included in the fine print of these offers. You will want to look for a terms and conditions page to read what is required of you prior to accepting the bonus. If you still do not fully understand what you are signing up for it is best to contact the casino’s support to gather further clarity.
Rollover requirements are commonly given as a multiple of the bonus and also factor in your deposit. You can expect to see most casinos offering 5x, 10x, and 20x multiples.
For example, if an online casino offers 100% deposit bonus and you deposit $100, you will receive an additional $100 bonus deposited into your account to total $200. Another aspect to consider in this example is if the casino says you must wager 10x your deposit plus the bonus amount. Therefore, the total amount you must wager is 10 x $200, which is $2,000. It is important to understand that you don’t have to lose $2,000 or win $2,000, you just need to bet a total of $2,000 across your wagers in order to meet the requirements.
Terms and Conditions
As indicated above it is important to access the terms and conditions page to view any bonus offer that you are thinking about partaking in. Sometimes casinos will not only list out the bonus offer itself but specific actions you can take to certain games to meet the requirements. They may list wagering contributions along with what the percentage contribution is, but it all depends on how the casino structures their bonuses and requirements.
For example, if you opt-in for a signup bonus the terms and conditions page may state that slots and specialty games account for 100% contribution towards the wagering requirement of your signup bonus, while video poker and blackjack may only account for 20% contribution. You’ll be able to understand what games you can play and how much each wager will account for rollover requirement.
By researching this ahead of time you’ll avoid a situation where you cannot withdraw your funds after wagering what you thought was the correct amount required. Some casinos are accused of scamming players by not letting them claim their bonus winnings after opting in because players were wagering money on restricted games not eligible under the terms and conditions.
Furthermore, terms and conditions pages will state other rules and regulations pertaining to withdrawals, forfeit bonuses, or if you are allowed to consecutively claim free bonuses or not. Again, some casinos are often accused of scamming players who attempt to withdraw their bonus money prior to completing the wagering requirements and fall back on the fine-print included in their terms and conditions page as justification for blocking the withdrawal and sometimes confiscating money.
Game Type
Some online casinos exclude certain games from their rollover requirements or only allow a certain percent to go towards the amount required as indicated above in the terms and conditions section.
Video poker, baccarat, craps, and blackjack are some of the more common games that are casinos prohibit from counting (or fully counting) towards your rollover requirement as they have a lower house advantage relative to other games. If these games are included, players have a better chance of meeting the rollover requirements and consistently winning, ultimately costing the casino the bonus money and more.
For example, an online casino may set up its terms to that it only allows $20 of a $100 table game wager, or 20%, to count towards a rollover requirement, 10% of video poker wagers 5% of single deck and double deck blackjack, roulette, and baccarat wagers, and 0% for craps.
Other Bonus Types and Requirements
Reload Bonuses
Whether you took part in a new player signup bonus or not, you will most likely have an opportunity to take advantage of a reload bonus, which is fairly standard on online casinos today. This offer is available to you if you are a newly signed up player with an online casino and made a deposit. It encourages you to reload your account by depositing more money and playing. Like welcome bonuses, reload bonuses are subject to play-through requirements in order to cash out. But unlike welcome bonuses, they are typically not one-time offers and you will most likely reoccurring reload bonuses. Typically, the more you play the better the next reload bonus offer will be.
Loyalty Bonuses
Most online casinos offer loyalty bonuses, also known as VIP bonuses or VIP programs. As a member, you will have access to benefits that are not available to other players such as weekly deposit bonuses, expedited withdrawals, and other incentives. VIP programs are typically reserved for high rollers or players who heavily frequent an online casino and make several deposits.
Similar to any other bonus, you should always read the terms and conditions to learn about the requirements prior to redeeming loyalty bonuses. It is worth noting that requirements are not as strict as welcome bonus requirements, but loyalty offers often do still require play-through.
Casinos usually implement a system to track their rewards members. For example, some casinos offer 1 reward point per $1 wagered and have different tier memberships based on the number of points accumulated. Often times you are required to be active on the site and earn a minimum amount of points to be eligible for bonuses of monthly point carry-overs.
Additionally, casinos offer special promotions to loyal members such as referral bonuses and monthly VIP bonus draws. With bonus draws, casinos may enter you to win a cash prize based on the number of points you accumulate. For example, for every 10 points earned you earn an entry to win a cash prize.
High roller bonuses are also offered by online casinos. For example, if you were to deposit a large amount (i.e. $25,000 or more) a casino may offer you reward points in return and upgrade your VIP tier.
No-Deposit Bonuses
No-deposit bonuses started out to attract new players by offering sums of free money upon signup without requiring an additional deposit. This did come with a catch as casinos required certain criteria to be met to avoid losing the free money offered. This strategy mirrors that of free play, which is often associated with land-based casinos where you will receive free bets or chips from casinos that are valid at their casino only.
Online casinos also offer practice money to new players so that they can sign up and wager using practice money to test their skills and the gameplay without having to deposit and risk their own money.
Game Bonuses
Most, if not all, online casinos have bonuses pertinent to specific games on their site. For example, you may receive a bonus deposited into your account if you wager a certain amount on table games during a certain promotional period or day of the week. Each casino is different, but it is pretty standard to see game-specific bonuses.
Deposit Method Bonuses
With the emergence of cryptocurrency, it is now fairly common to see online casinos offering bonuses for players who make their first deposit using Bitcoin or another alternate form of payment. Again, you will need to refer to the casino’s term as there is undoubtedly a play-through requirement associated with alternate deposit bonuses.
Device Bonuses
Another type of bonus that is starting to come of age is a mobile bonus. With many online casinos now offering mobile gaming they are providing bonuses to players who use their mobile devices. Keep in mind that mobile bonuses are more than likely going to have rollover requirements.
Referral Bonuses
Referral bonuses are not just accessible to loyal members. Depending on the casino referring a friend may earn you bonus money once they open an account and deposit funds. The details of the incentive will depend upon the casino you play on, but essentially your social network could help you unlock additional bonuses, which of course are subject to requirements.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the ins and outs of the rollover requirements associated with your bonus offer is crucial to ensuring that you not only enjoy playing on online casinos but allowing yourself an opportunity to cash out. You ultimately want to avoid a situation where you are constantly depositing more money into your account only to merely try and meet the wager requirements of the bonus you signed up for.
If you are a casual player that does not bet a whole lot it might be best to avoid welcome bonuses and bonuses in general as you may find yourself in a situation where you do not want to wager or deposit more funds but still haven’t met your rollover requirement.
Veteran gamblers seem to split on the topic of bonuses. While they certainly have the experience to fully understand the fine print and various bonuses structures, often times the offers themselves are not that enticing to the veteran gambler, or they may stick to a certain site or two and focus on building their membership status and receiving loyalty offers. Overall, be sure to do your research and play smart if you choose to take advantage of casino bonuses.