When you first start online gambling, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Not only do you have ‘£20 First Deposit Bonus’ this and ‘100 free spins’ that, but you also have to get used to new buzzwords and phrases you’ve probably never even heard of before. It’s like coming across a new internet meme or a new emoji you’re trying to decipher the meaning of.
Wagering requirements is more than likely one of those terms. It’s also one of the scariest, when you think about it. But not to worry — we’re here today to clear the air and show you what wagering requirements are and how they affect your online gambling.
What Are Wagering Requirements?
While it sounds scary, wagering requirements are really quite simple. You can take the two words and work it out based on their individual meaning.
- Wagering: The amount that you bet.
- Requirement: Something you’re required to do.
- Wagering Requirements: The amount you are required to bet in order to gain a bonus.
So, in exchange for some cash, the casino has to make you wager a certain amount of times before you can withdraw the money you receive from your bonus. This includes any money that was offered to you for free (sadly). Whenever you see a wagering requirement written down, it’s usually in the form of “20x” or “30x”. So, if you’re wagering requirement is 30x, you have to wager 30 times the amount to get your bonus.
Why Are Wagering Requirements Necessary?
Because casinos need money in order to run their websites, naturally they’ll be reluctant to offer any welcome bonuses to players who will otherwise join because they want free money. A wagering requirement is a measure that stops random people signing up to a casino just so they can get a free fiver. It’s to show that you’re serious about gambling on their site.
They are usually set by a risk management team who assess each promotion and bonus scheme at the casino and assign a wagering requirement to each one. So it’s unlikely you’ll encounter two promotions at the same casino with the same wagering requirement. It’s basically the casino’s safety net so that players don’t take advantage.
Where Am I Likely To Find Them?
If you want to know what a promotion’s wagering requirement is from now on, you will need to check the terms and conditions of said promotion. It’s usually one of the first things you see so you don’t have to scroll through pages and pages of small text in order to find it. In any case, you can just use ‘Ctrl+F’ to find what you’re looking for. Few casinos will hide the wagering requirement from you but there are some who make it difficult to find.
But it would be foolish to assume that any given mobile casino promotion does not have a wagering requirement. It is not up to the casino to make sure you check the T&Cs to know what you’re getting in for so be sure to check them so that you don’t feel cheated out of money.
