One of the biggest incentives to join a specific online casino is to take advantage of the bonuses and promotions that they offer. A generous welcome bonus can provide an extra 100% to 200% match on your deposit, which can have significant financial value. Receiving 100 or 200 free spins is another very attractive incentive to sign up for a new online casino and it is a very effective marketing tactic used by casino operators.
It is very easy for people who are new to online betting to get drawn in by these types of free play offerings, as they seem like free money for nothing. However, more experienced gamblers or those who pay careful attention to the terms of bonuses, know that amazing bonus offers are not always as good as they first seem. The reason for this is that many free play offers have strings attached, in the form of wagering requirements.
What are Wagering Requirements?
Wagering requirements are part of the conditions that need to be met in order for a bettor to be able to withdraw their bonus winnings. The wagering requirement is the number of times that you must bet the bonus amount before you can withdraw any winnings from the bonus.
As an example, if you are offered a 100% deposit match bonus and you deposit R1,000, you will get an extra R1,000 bonus. However, if there is a wagering of 30x you would need to wager 30 x R1,000, so R30,000 before you are able to withdraw your bonus winnings.
That is a considerable amount for casual bettors and beginners, so they often prefer to deposit a smaller amount to make it easier to meet the wagering requirements. Another important factor in wagering requirements is the timeframe by which the wagering requirements must be met.
Some casinos have a 7 day window, while others offer a more realistic 30 days. So, the longer the amount of time you have to meet the wagering requirements, the more chance you will be able to meet them.
How to Beat Wagering Requirements
Online casinos typically have wagering requirements of between 20x and 50x, so choosing the casinos that offer the lowest wagering and with the longest period of time is going to help you to claim your bonus winnings.
Even better, if you can find a casino with free spins or other bonuses with no wagering requirements then you won’t have to worry about meeting difficult wagering requirements. However, these types of bonuses are not as common.
If you only have a short period to meet the requirements, you might be tempted to wager higher amounts but this can lead to larger losses. You should also look out for any maximum bet limits in the terms and conditions, as you could bet higher stakes and realize that the money is not counting towards your wagering target.
Choosing low-volatility games with a high RTP (Return to Player) can help you to keep increasing your wagering amounts to get to the target.
You should also check what the contribution percentage is for your chosen games, as some games contribute 100% to your wagering requirement and some can be much lower. Typically, slots will contribute 100% to the betting requirements but some table games have a lower percentage.
Beyond Welcome Bonuses
While welcome bonuses tend to be the main attraction to casino sites, finding ones that provide regular bonuses can be more rewarding and are often tailored to the games that you play the most. Unlike some welcome bonuses that have to be used on specific slots, you will find that many online casinos reward players for playing specific games regularly.
For example, if you enjoy playing at a live casino in South Africa on games like blackjack, receiving 100 free spins on a slot might not be of great value to you if you’re not really interested in playing slots. A more useful type of promotion could be cashback offers, so it is worth reviewing what bonuses and promos are offered beyond the initial welcome bonus before you register with a new casino.
Casinos apply wagering requirements so that players don’t simply claim the deposit, accumulate winnings and withdraw them never to return again. Turning free spins and free deposit matches into withdrawable funds is not always easy but it is achievable if you know the best route to take. The most important element is to carefully read the terms before depositing any money and to not end up losing money with big stakes just to reach your wagering target.
