Almost every fully licensed and regulated online casino out there today offers a range of bonuses and promotions to attract new customers and to retain existing members.
The vast majority of online casino bonuses typically have ‘wagering requirements’ attached, which some people refer to as rollover, playthrough or turnover requirements. It all means the same thing.
The best bonuses are the ones that don’t have any wagering requirements attached, which are often called no wagering casino bonuses or wager-free bonuses. These are the most highly sought-after bonuses and super hard to find, but they do exist and are currently available on a handful of licensed casino sites.
With these offers, you don’t have to wager your free bonus money a specific number of times before you can withdraw any winnings you manage to make from your bonus.
Let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at the main differences between traditional offers and ones that don’t have those annoying wagering requirements attached.
What’s the difference between wager-free and traditional offers?
The main difference between traditional offers and wager-free offers on today’s safest casino sites is that there are no wagering requirements attached. With traditional offers, players typically need to wager their bonus amount and the initial deposit amount a specific number of times before they can cash out their winnings.
On most sites with traditional offers, you will generally find that bonus money from a deposit match bonus must be wagered 30x, 40x or 50x times before you can cash out.
When it comes to wager-free offers, you don’t have to spend a certain amount of money first. The winnings you make from your bonus or the free cash you receive from the casino operator because of a bonus you claim are yours to do with as you please from the moment that money arrives in your account.
Always remember when claiming online casino bonuses that the lower the wagering requirement is, the better it is for you as a player. Here is a quick look at the average wagering requirement amounts you will most likely come across at online casinos today:
- 0x (zero wagering requirements) – The best online casino bonuses have no wagering requirements attached, but these all-elusive bonuses are often hard to find.
- 1x to 10x – These bonuses are also hard to find, but there are plenty of bonuses with 1x-10x wagering requirements attached. 1x to 10x is considered super low.
- 15x to 20x is considered low.
- 25x to 45x is considered average.
- 50x is considered above average.
- Anything higher than 50x is considered high. Casino sites that attach 60x or 70x wagering requirements to their offers should be avoided at all costs and are often a sign of a casino with unfair processes.
How do wagering requirements work?
Let’s say that the 100% deposit match bonus of up to $500 you have claimed comes with a 30x wagering requirement attached, and you deposit just $50.
In this case, the 100% match part of the bonus will instantly double your deposit. Therefore, because you deposited $50, you would receive a $50 bonus, so your account balance should appear as $100.
However, if the bonus has a 30x wagering requirement attached, it means you couldn’t just withdraw that $50 you just received until you have completed the wagering requirements. In other words, your $50 must be wagered 30 times before you can withdraw it, so you would have to wager $1,500, which is 30 multiplied by your $50 deposit, before you can make a withdrawal.
Wagering requirements must normally be completed within the time stated in the terms and conditions, which could be as long as two weeks to one month or as little as 24 or 48 hours. This is one reason you should always read the terms and conditions as they should specify how long you have to complete the wagering requirements.
If you don’t complete the wagering requirements before the time runs out, the bonus money you received and any winnings from your deposit match bonus money will be removed from your account.
With zero-wager offers, you don’t have to worry about rushing to complete any wagering requirements because any winnings from your bonus are free to withdraw straight away.
What to look for in a good online casino bonus
Besides looking for online casino bonuses with 0x wagering requirements, the most important thing to look for is a trustworthy website that won’t let you down. Try to avoid claiming offers that sound too good to be true and never claim them out of necessity or on unlicensed casino sites because sites like this should not be trusted.
Stick to claiming offers and playing games on world-class sites that have overwhelmingly positive reviews from the experts because these ones will have reputable operators with solid track records and good standing in the iGaming industry.
The most important thing to remember before claiming any online casino bonus is to read the terms and conditions because they will always explain in much greater detail exactly what you need to do to get the most out of the offer.
Finally, only claim one bonus at a time, and only spend money that you can afford to lose when claiming bonuses.
Conclusion
If you decide to claim any bonuses that you are offered on any trustworthy sites that you join, the other important thing you must always remember is to gamble responsibly.
Many players find that setting a daily, weekly or monthly deposit limit helps them easily remain within their spending budget, whereas others prefer setting session time reminders or win/loss limits.
These safer gambling tools can be set manually when logged into your account. They include some great bankroll management tools that keep things safe and fun and help you to get the most out of playing.
