How wagering requirements work
Last reviewed 9 July 2026.
A wagering requirement (sometimes called a playthrough or rollover) is the number of times you have to bet a bonus before you can withdraw anything you win from it. It is the single most important number in almost every welcome offer, and it is the reason two bonuses that look identical can be worth very different amounts.
What "30x" actually means
If you claim a £30 bonus with a 30x wagering requirement, you have to place £30 × 30 = £900 in bets before the bonus and any winnings become real, withdrawable cash. Check what the multiple applies to, because it varies:
- Bonus only (30x B): 30 times the bonus. This is the friendlier version.
- Deposit + bonus (30x D+B): 30 times both added together, so a £30 deposit and £30 bonus means 30 × £60 = £1,800 to wager. Much harder.
Working out the real cost
Wagering has a cost because you rarely bet £900 and walk away with £900. On a game with a 96% return to player (RTP), the house keeps roughly 4% of everything you stake. Bet £900 through and you should expect to lose about £36 to the margin along the way. So a £30 bonus with heavy wagering can be worth close to nothing once you account for what it costs to unlock. This is exactly why our value score penalises high wagering multiples rather than just rewarding a big headline number.
The terms that change the cost
- Game weighting: slots usually count 100% toward wagering, but table games and live casino often count 10% or 0%. A bet on a game weighted at 10% moves you toward the requirement ten times more slowly.
- Max bet while wagering: most offers cap the stake you can place while a bonus is active (commonly £5). Break the cap and you can void the whole bonus.
- Time limit: requirements usually expire after a set window (often 7 to 30 days). Miss it and the bonus and its winnings are removed.
- Max cashout: some bonuses, especially no-deposit ones, cap how much you can withdraw no matter how much you win.
We surface these as the significant terms on every offer so you can see them before you claim, not buried in a T&Cs page afterwards.
Why a smaller bonus is often better
A £10 bonus at 10x wagering (£100 to bet through) is far easier to clear than a £50 bonus at 40x (£2,000 to bet through), and you are much more likely to actually keep something. Bigger is not better; lower wagering on a realistic amount is. A no-wagering offer, where winnings are yours to withdraw straight away, is the strongest of all, which is why those rank highest for us.