How To Calculate Bonus With Wagering Requirements
Bonuses are not always what they seem. Two similar bonuses you find on promotion pages of two different casinos may turn out of completely different value if you claim them, because of the playing conditions and wagering requirements applied. Let’s look at some examples, for a 100% match bonus for a $10 deposit.
If the bonus is subject to zero wagering requirements, the player makes a $10 deposit, gets another $10 as a bonus, wagers both deposit and bonus together in games until they win enough money, and withdraws what they win. (sometimes, the maximum winnings rule is applied, but this is a different story).
If the bonus is subject to standard x30 playthrough, the player has to wager the amount of the bonus - $10 - 35 times, which makes $350, and this is the sum they have to wager in games. In such cases, the maximum allowed bet in games is $5 or so, meaning the player will have to make 70 bets each worth $5, before they meet the wagering requirements.
Of course not all bets will win, and there is a risk that the player will spend all money on their balance before they are able to win something to keep.
Therefore, if you get a cash bonus, look at the wagering requirements, and multiply the cash bonus by the playthrough reqs, to see how many bets you are to make, and how much money you are to lose, before you meet the requirements.
There are other tricky rules that often apply, such as playthrough requirements for deposit plus bonus together (which makes the sum twice as big, and twice as hard to wager through), maximum withdrawal rule according to which all money exceeding the limit are forfeited, etc.
This is why Bonus T&C should be read carefully at all times.
