A big bonus headline tells you very little. What decides whether you'll ever withdraw bonus money is the wagering requirement: how much you must bet before the bonus, and anything won with it, becomes withdrawable.
How wagering works
A wagering requirement is written as a multiple, like 35x or 40x. It tells you how many times you must bet an amount before you can cash out. The key detail is what gets multiplied: some casinos apply it to the bonus only, others to the bonus plus your deposit.
Example 1: bonus only
You deposit $100 and get a 100% bonus of $100, with 35x wagering on the bonus.
- Amount to wager: 35 × $100 = $3,500
Example 2: deposit plus bonus
Same deposit and bonus, but 35x applies to deposit + bonus.
- Amount to wager: 35 × $200 = $7,000
Same headline, twice the betting. Always check which one applies.
Why the house edge matters
Every bet has a built-in house edge. On a slot that returns 96% on average, you lose about 4% of everything you wager over time. Wagering $3,500 at a 4% edge costs about $140 on average, more than the $100 bonus. That's why high wagering on a small bonus is often worth less than it looks.
These are averages, not predictions. Real results swing a lot in both directions.
Other terms that change the value
- Game weighting. Slots often count 100%, while table games may count 10% or nothing.
- Max bet. Betting above a limit while a bonus is active can void the bonus and winnings.
- Time limit. Unfinished wagering after the deadline means the bonus disappears.
- Max cashout. Some bonuses cap what you can withdraw, for example $100 from free spins.
Comparing offers
| Offer | Wagering | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| 200% up to $1,000 | 40x deposit + bonus | Large, but a lot of betting before any withdrawal |
| 100 free spins | 40x, $100 cap | Small and capped, but no deposit needed |
| 10% weekly cashback | None | Small, but paid as real, withdrawable money |
The bottom line
Read the wagering line before the headline. If you don't want to be locked in, you can usually decline a bonus at deposit. On WhatOBet, the Compare bonuses table shows wagering and cashout caps side by side.