Wagering Requirements Explained: What 40x Really Costs You
Casino wagering requirements, also called playthrough or rollover, set how much you must bet before you can withdraw a bonus or the winnings from it. A $100 bonus with a 40x wagering requirement means placing $4,000 in bets first.
Most players never get there. We simulated 100,000 players on a $100 bonus at 40x, and only 15 in 100 finished the wagering on a low volatility slot, against fewer than 3 in 100 on a high volatility one.
This guide covers:
- How to calculate wagering requirements, including bonus only versus deposit plus bonus and how each game counts
- What 1x to 50x wagering means, with the total you need to bet and how long it takes
- Our wagering simulation and bonus value calculator, showing how many players finish a 5x to 50x bonus
- How to clear wagering requirements, from the best bet size to the rules that can void a bonus
- Wagering limits by country and real terms from casinos we have tested
What Is Casino Bonus Wagering?
Casino bonus wagering is the condition a casino sets for turning bonus money into cash you can withdraw. Until you have bet the required amount, the bonus and anything you win with it stay locked in your account.
Casinos set wagering requirements because a bonus with no conditions would be free money that players could claim and withdraw straight away. Four things decide how hard a wagering requirement is:
- The multiplier. 40x means four times as much betting as 10x on the same bonus.
- What it applies to. The bonus only, or your deposit plus the bonus, which doubles the total.
- Which games count. Slots usually count in full, while table and live games often count for only a small share.
- The time limit and max bet. The casinos we tested give 7 to 14 days, and a max bet caps how fast you can get through it.
What Does Wager Mean in a Casino?
To wager simply means to bet. On a game that counts in full, every bet adds its whole size to your total whether it wins or loses, so a $1 spin adds $1 even if it pays back $5.
Only the amount you bet matters. Losses do not count extra, and winnings do not count at all.
Bonus Only vs Deposit Plus Bonus
The same multiplier can mean twice as much betting, depending on what it applies to. With a $100 deposit and a $100 bonus at 35x:
| Wagering Applies To | Calculation | Total to Wager |
|---|---|---|
| Bonus only | $100 × 35 | $3,500 |
| Deposit plus bonus | $200 × 35 | $7,000 |
Deposit plus bonus wagering also locks your own money into the playthrough. In our simulation of a $100 deposit and a $100 bonus at 40x on the deposit plus bonus, 86 in 100 players on a low volatility slot ended with less than the $100 they deposited.
Wagering on Free Spins Winnings
Free spins usually carry wagering on what they win, not on the spins themselves. In our 22Bet test account in August 2026, free spins paid €0.88, and the 25x requirement turned that into a €22.00 wagering target.
How to Calculate Wagering Requirements
To calculate a wagering requirement, multiply the amount it applies to by the multiplier, then divide by the share your game counts for:
Total to wager = (bonus, or deposit plus bonus) × multiplier ÷ game contribution
For a $100 bonus at 40x, played on slots:
- 1Find what the multiplier applies to. Here it is the $100 bonus only.
- 2Multiply by the multiplier. $100 × 40 = $4,000.
- 3Divide by the game's contribution. Slots count 100%, so you still need $4,000 in bets.
How Game Contribution Changes the Math
Game contribution is the share of each bet that counts toward the wagering. At 5%, a $1 blackjack hand only counts as 5 cents, so the same $4,000 target takes $80,000 in blackjack bets:
| Game Contribution | A $1 Bet Counts As | Bets Needed for $4,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 100% (most slots) | $1.00 | $4,000 |
| 20% | $0.20 | $20,000 |
| 5% | $0.05 | $80,000 |
Some games count 0% or are excluded completely, and playing them can void the bonus.
Crypto Originals and Live Games
Crypto originals, live dealer tables and instant win games are where contribution rules bite hardest. This is what the casinos we tested say in their bonus terms:
- BitStarz: table games, live games and instant win games typically count 5%.
- Cashy: table, live and instant games count 20% toward its deposit bonus.
- FortuneJack: live casino and table games typically count 5%, against 100% for slots.
Crypto originals such as dice are often grouped with instant win or table games, so they tend to count for little or nothing. A 99% RTP dice game costs you less per bet than almost any slot, yet it can still be the slowest way to clear a bonus, if it counts at all.
What 1x, 5x, 10x, 20x, 40x and 50x Wagering Mean
The table shows what each common multiplier asks of a $100 bonus. Time assumes 500 slot spins an hour, and the house edge cost is what you would lose on average by betting the full amount on a 96% RTP slot:
| Wagering | Total to Wager | Time at $1 a Spin | House Edge Cost on a 96% Slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1x | $100 | 12 minutes | $4 |
| 5x | $500 | 1 hour | $20 |
| 10x | $1,000 | 2 hours | $40 |
| 20x | $2,000 | 4 hours | $80 |
| 30x | $3,000 | 6 hours | $120 |
| 35x | $3,500 | 7 hours | $140 |
| 40x | $4,000 | 8 hours | $160 |
| 50x | $5,000 | 10 hours | $200 |
Most players never pay the full cost in the last column, because they run out of bonus before they finish. Our simulation below shows how often that happens.
What Does 1x Wagering Mean?
1x wagering means betting the bonus amount once before you can withdraw it. A $100 bonus needs $100 in bets, about 12 minutes of $1 spins, and it is the lowest wagering you will find short of no wagering casino bonuses.
What Do 5x and 10x Wagering Mean?
5x and 10x count as low wagering. A $100 bonus at 10x needs $1,000 in bets, about two hours of $1 spins, and 10x has been the most UK licensed casinos may ask since January 2026. In our simulation of a $100 bonus at 10x:
- About half of players finished on a low volatility slot.
- Only 7 in 100 finished on a high volatility slot, where most bonuses are gone within the first few hundred spins.
What Does 20x Wagering Mean?
At 20x, a $100 bonus needs $2,000 in bets, around four hours at $1 a spin. Only 3 in 10 players finished it in our simulation on a low volatility slot, so a 20x bonus is already more likely to run out than to pay out.
35x vs 40x Wagering
40x is the most common multiplier among the crypto casino welcome offers we track, with 35x close behind. The gap between them is smaller than it looks:
- Total to wager: $3,500 against $4,000 on a $100 bonus.
- Time at $1 a spin: about 7 hours against 8.
- Players who finished in our simulation: 18% against 15% on a low volatility slot.
What Does 50x Wagering Mean?
50x and above is high wagering: $5,000 in bets on a $100 bonus, around 10 hours at $1 a spin. Only 12 in 100 players finished in our simulation, and just 2 in 100 on a high volatility slot, so treat these offers as extra playing time rather than money you expect to withdraw.
How Many Players Clear a Bonus? Our Wagering Simulation
The totals in the table above assume you get to the end, but most players run out of bonus first. To measure how often, we simulated 100,000 players on each multiplier with a $100 bonus and $1 spins.
Finishing rates fall fastest between 5x and 20x, then level off:
| Wagering on a $100 Bonus | Finished, Low Volatility Slot | Finished, High Volatility Slot |
|---|---|---|
| 5x | 76% | 11% |
| 10x | 49% | 7% |
| 20x | 30% | 5% |
| 30x | 20% | 3% |
| 35x | 18% | 3% |
| 40x | 15% | 3% |
| 50x | 12% | 2% |
From 10x upwards, the typical player on either slot cashed out nothing. The few who did finish a 40x bonus got there in very different ways:
- Low volatility slot: 15 in 100 players finished, and the typical one cashed out $215.
- High volatility slot: fewer than 3 in 100 finished, but the typical one cashed out $3,344, almost always after a single huge win.
If you claim a bonus with high wagering, treat it as entertainment with a small chance of a cashout, and decide in advance how much of your own money you will add. A deposit limit lets you lock that amount in, and it is one of several responsible gambling tools most casinos offer.
How We Ran the Simulation
We reused the two model slots from the simulation in our casino RTP guide, with three settings:
- The slots. Both have an RTP of exactly 96%. The low volatility one pays on 44% of spins with a top win of 100x, the high volatility one on 28% with a top win of 5,000x.
- The players. 100,000 per multiplier, each starting with a $100 bonus and betting $1 a spin, with no deposit at risk.
- The rules. Each player stopped on finishing the wagering or when they could not cover the next bet, and anyone who did not finish cashed out nothing.
Is a Bonus Worth It? Bonus Value Calculator
A bonus is worth claiming when what you can expect to keep is more than what you put at risk. Most sites work that out with one formula, which holds up at low wagering but goes wrong as the multiplier climbs.
The Simple Formula
The usual shortcut takes the bonus and subtracts what the wagering costs you in house edge. For a $100 bonus at 20x on a 96% RTP slot:
- 1Total wagering: $100 × 20 = $2,000.
- 2House edge cost: $2,000 × 4% = $80.
- 3Bonus value: $100 minus $80 = $20.
To run the formula for another game, swap the 4% for that game’s figure in our chart of the house edge of every popular casino game.
Why the Formula Breaks at High Wagering
At 40x, the same formula says a $100 bonus costs you $60. That cannot happen when only bonus money is at stake, because most players run out of bonus and stop long before they pay the full cost:
| Wagering on a $100 Bonus | Simple Formula | Our Simulation, Low Volatility | Our Simulation, High Volatility |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10x | $60 | $68 | $88 |
| 20x | $20 | $55 | $84 |
| 30x | $20 loss | $44 | $87 |
| 40x | $60 loss | $37 | $83 |
| 50x | $100 loss | $31 | $80 |
The high volatility averages stay high only because a few players land huge wins, while 97 in 100 cash out nothing at 40x. Real bonus terms make the picture worse:
- Cashout caps. When we capped winnings at 5x the bonus, as FortuneJack's terms do, the high volatility average at 40x fell from $83 to $12.
- Your own deposit. With a $100 deposit and a $100 bonus in one balance at 40x on the deposit plus bonus, players on a low volatility slot lost $48 of their deposit on average.
A non sticky bonus is worth more than a sticky one with the same wagering, because you can withdraw what you win with your deposit before the bonus is touched.
Bonus Value Calculator
Enter any offer to see the total to wager, what it costs in house edge and your chance of finishing, from a live simulation of your own numbers:
Based on a live simulation of your numbers with our model games. Players who run out before finishing cash out nothing, and real games can swing more than our models.
How to Clear Wagering Requirements
No method removes the house edge from a bonus, but the game you pick, your bet size and your timing all change your chance of completing the wagering. These steps give you the best chance of meeting wagering requirements, based on our simulation and the bonus terms of the casinos we tested:
- 1Check the max bet and time limit first. Both sit in the bonus terms, and breaking either one can cost you the bonus.
- 2Play a slot that counts 100%. Table, live and instant games often count 5% to 20%, which means 5 to 20 times the bets for the same target.
- 3Choose low volatility. In our 40x simulation it got more than five times as many players to the finish as the high volatility slot.
- 4Pick the highest RTP allowed. Over $4,000 of wagering, a 97% slot costs you $120 on average, against $160 on a 96% one.
- 5Withdraw when you finish. Once the wagering is complete, your balance can be withdrawn up to any cashout cap, so cash out what you want to keep before you play on.
What Bet Size Is Best for Wagering?
Smaller bets make a bonus last more spins, so one bad run is less likely to wipe it out. We ran the $100 bonus at 40x again on the low volatility slot with three bet sizes:
| Bet Size | Spins Needed | Players Who Finished | Average Cashout |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1 | 4,000 | 15% | $37 |
| $2 | 2,000 | 13% | $47 |
| $5 | 800 | 10% | $59 |
Small bets give you the best chance of finishing. Bigger bets make the bonus more all or nothing: fewer players finish, but the average cashout is higher, because the players who run out do so earlier and pay less house edge on the way.
Whichever size you pick, check the max bet before your first spin. On the BitStarz bonus in our test account it is $2.65, so the $5 row would break its rules there. You can test any other bet size in the calculator above.
How to Track Your Wagering Progress
You do not need to count your spins. Casinos usually show how much wagering is left on each bonus, such as the progress bar in the Bonus Space section at FortuneJack. Check it at the start of every session against two numbers:
- The wagering left, compared with the balance you have left to play it with.
- The time left. A $100 bonus at 40x is about 8 hours of $1 spins, so a 7 day limit means more than an hour of play a day.
Rules That Can Void Your Bonus
One broken rule can cost you the bonus and everything you won with it. These are the ones that catch players out most often, and our guide to casino bonus terms covers the rest:
- Betting over the max bet, even on a single spin.
- Playing excluded games. Many terms exclude jackpot slots and some high RTP slots, and one bet on them can void the bonus.
- Low risk betting, such as covering red and black together on roulette.
- Asking for a withdrawal too early. At many casinos, a withdrawal request before the wagering is complete cancels the bonus and its winnings.
- Missing the time limit. The bonus and anything you won with it expire, even if you were close to finishing.
Wagering Requirement Limits by Country
Some regulators now cap wagering by law, so the same kind of bonus can come with very different terms depending on where the casino is licensed. These are the rules in key markets as of October 2026:
| Where the Casino Is Licensed | Wagering Limit | Other Bonus Rules |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 10x maximum since 19 January 2026 | No offers that mix two types of gambling |
| Denmark | 10x the deposit plus bonus since 2020 | Bonus capped at DKK 1,000, no wagering on free spins winnings, every counting game at 100% |
| Sweden | No fixed cap | A bonus is only allowed the first time you play at a casino |
| New Jersey | No fixed cap | The regulator bans unrealistic wagering requirements |
| Curacao or Anjouan (most crypto casinos) | No cap | Each casino sets its own multiplier, max bet and cashout cap |
The UK 10x Wagering Cap
The UK Gambling Commission brought in new bonus rules on 19 January 2026, through a rewrite of its social responsibility code on rewards and bonuses. For players, these are the changes that matter:
- Wagering is capped at 10x, so the 35x and 40x offers that used to be common are gone from UK licensed casinos.
- Mixed product offers are banned, such as a sports bet that unlocks free spins on slots.
The cap more than triples your chance of finishing. About half of our simulated players cleared a $100 bonus at 10x on a low volatility slot, against 15 in 100 at 40x.
Crypto Casinos and Offshore Licenses
Most crypto casinos hold a Curacao or Anjouan license, and neither sets a limit on wagering. Each casino picks its own terms, which is why 35x and 40x are still standard on crypto offers, up to four times the UK cap.
With no cap to fall back on, check these terms before you claim a bonus at any of the verified crypto casinos we list:
- The multiplier, and whether it applies to the bonus only or your deposit plus the bonus.
- The max bet per spin or round while the bonus is active.
- The cashout cap, which limits how much you can withdraw from bonus winnings.
Real Wagering Terms From Our Accounts
Bonus terms change often, so we checked these offers in our own accounts between June and September 2026. Each one shows a different term that changes what a bonus is worth to you.
BitStarz: 40x With a $2.65 Max Bet
Our exclusive BitStarz offer is a 100% bonus up to 40 ETH plus 180 free spins, with these terms:
- 40x wagering on the exclusive bonus.
- A $2.65 max bet per game round, set in dollars even though the bonus is paid in ETH.
- 180 free spins, credited 20 a day over 9 days, with a minimum deposit of 0.01 ETH, shown as $17.64 when we checked.
At $2.65 a round, a $100 bonus at 40x needs at least 1,510 spins to clear. That costs most players nothing, since $1 and $2 bets finished more often than $5 bets in our bet size test.
FortuneJack: 30x With a 5x Cashout Cap
At 30x, the FortuneJack deposit bonus in our account is quicker to finish than the usual 40x, but it limits how much you can win from it:
- 30x wagering, with slots counting 100%.
- 7 days to finish, with the countdown running from the moment the bonus is credited.
- Winnings capped at 5x the bonus, so a $100 bonus can pay out $500 at most.
The cap rarely matters on a low volatility slot, where our typical 30x finisher cashed out $193. On a high volatility slot the typical finisher cashed out $1,403, so the same cap would cut that to $500. The 50 free spins that come with the offer carry no wagering at all, so anything they win can be withdrawn straight away.
Cashy: VIP Wagering Is Not Bonus Wagering
Not every “wagering required” figure is a condition on a bonus. Cashy’s Tiers and Rewards page shows $500 of wagering on each VIP level.
That $500 is how much you bet to reach the next level, which pays a $1.50 level up bonus. Nothing in your balance is locked while you play, so it works as a loyalty target rather than a playthrough you must finish before you withdraw.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 40x wagering mean?
40x wagering means you must bet 40 times the bonus before you can withdraw it or anything you win with it. A $100 bonus at 40x needs $4,000 in bets, or $8,000 if the 40x applies to your deposit plus the bonus. In our simulation, only 15 in 100 players finished a $100 bonus at 40x on a low volatility slot.
Is 35x wagering good?
35x is close to the usual multiplier for casino bonuses, so it is fair but not low. A $100 bonus at 35x needs $3,500 in bets, and only 18 in 100 players finished it in our simulation on a low volatility slot. A requirement of 10x or under is what counts as low.
Do losses count toward wagering requirements?
Yes. Every bet counts toward the wagering whether it wins or loses, so on a game that counts 100%, a $1 spin adds $1 to your total whatever it pays. Losses do not count extra, and winnings do not count at all.
Do crypto originals count toward wagering?
Often only partly, or not at all. Many crypto casinos group dice, crash and plinko with table or instant win games, which count 5% at BitStarz and 20% at Cashy in the terms we checked. At 5%, a $4,000 target takes $80,000 in bets, so check the game contribution before you play originals with a bonus.
Can you withdraw before completing wagering requirements?
Usually not without losing the bonus. At many casinos, a withdrawal request before the wagering is complete cancels the bonus and anything you won with it. With a non sticky bonus, you can withdraw winnings made with your own deposit as long as you have not started playing with the bonus.
What happens if you don't meet the wagering requirements?
When the time limit runs out, the casino removes the bonus and anything you won with it. If your balance runs out first, the bonus simply ends with nothing to withdraw, which is how most 40x bonuses ended in our simulation.
How long do you have to complete wagering requirements?
It depends on the casino, so check the time limit in the bonus terms before you claim. The casinos we tested gave 7 to 14 days, and the clock usually starts when the bonus is credited, not when you first play it. At 40x on a $100 bonus, that means fitting about 8 hours of $1 spins inside the limit.
What is the maximum wagering requirement in the UK?
10x. Since 19 January 2026, UK licensed casinos cannot set wagering above 10 times, and offers that mix two types of gambling, such as a sports bet that unlocks slot spins, are banned. Casinos licensed elsewhere, including most crypto casinos, are not bound by the cap.