Wagering Requirements, Decoded

Every casino bonus has two prices. The one on the poster, and the one in clause four. This page is about clause four.

The one-sentence version

A wagering requirement (you will see it written as WR, playthrough, or rollover) is a multiplier applied to your bonus that says how much you must bet in total before winnings from that bonus can be withdrawn.

The maths, in real dollars

Take a 100% match up to C$100 with 35x wagering. You deposit C$100, the casino adds C$100, and before that bonus C$100 can pay anything out, you must place C$3,500 in total bets. Not lose C$3,500, bet it: wins and losses along the way all count toward the meter. But every bet carries the house edge, so the expected cost of turning over C$3,500 on a 96% RTP slot is about C$140. That is the real price of a "free" C$100.

The Bandit's Rule of Thumb

Multiply the bonus by the wagering figure, then take 4% of that number. That is roughly what clearing the bonus will cost you on an average slot. If the answer is bigger than the bonus, the offer is entertainment, not value.

The four numbers that ride with it

Max bet while clearing. Usually C$5 to C$8 per spin. Betting over it can void the bonus and its winnings.
Withdrawal cap. Many offers cap what bonus winnings can pay, commonly a multiple of your deposit or a flat weekly ceiling.
Game contribution. Slots usually count 100% toward the meter. Tables and live dealer often count 10% or less, which multiplies the effective requirement.
The clock. Claim windows and expiry dates, often 7 days per deposit step. An unclaimed step is a step that never existed.

Every offer on my board, priced

Casino	Headline	Wagering
Jackpot City	C$1,600	35x bonus
Zodiac Casino	$1 for 80 chances	About 200x on winnings from the $1 entry (reputation sourced)
Royal Vegas	C$1,200	35x bonus
Ruby Fortune	C$750	35x bonus
Yukon Gold Casino	150 chances for C$10	Group free-spin terms (~200x) on chance winnings
Casino Classic	Free chance	Group terms on chance winnings
Golden Tiger Casino	C$1,500	Group terms (not stated on the bonus page)
Grand Mondial Casino	150 chances for C$10	Group terms on chance winnings
Luxury Casino	C$1,000	Group terms (not stated on the bonus page)
Spin Casino	C$1,000	35x bonus
Captain Cooks Casino	$5 for 100 chances	Group terms on chance winnings

How to use this without getting fleeced

Three habits cover most of it. Claim only the deposit steps whose match rate earns its keep. Never bet above the max-bet cap while a bonus is active. And decide before you deposit whether you are buying entertainment or chasing withdrawable value, because at 35x and above, it is entertainment, and it should be priced into your night out like a ticket, not an investment.

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