Wagering Requirements on No-Deposit Bonuses, Explained
What wagering actually is
A wagering requirement — also called playthrough or rollover — is the total amount you must stake before any winnings tied to a bonus can be withdrawn. It is written as a multiplier applied to the bonus value: 30×, 45×, 60×. The number is not how much you must win, and it is not how much of your own money you must spend. It is how much you must cycle through the games in cumulative bets.
That distinction trips up most players. A 40× requirement on a €10 bonus does not mean you need €400 of cash. It means the casino will not release a withdrawal until your qualifying bets add up to €400 — bets funded by the bonus balance as it rises and falls. The practical effect is that you keep betting until either the wagering target is met or, far more often, the balance hits zero first.
This page sits under our main guide, how no-deposit bonuses actually pay out, and pairs with maximum cash-out limits. The live scored offers are on the homepage ledger.
The playthrough math
The formula to internalise:
estimated playthrough = bonus value × wagering multiplier
Examples, in ascending pain:
- €10 at 20× → €200 of stakes. Clearable for a patient player.
- €10 at 40× → €400 of stakes.
- €5 free spins at 60× → €300 of stakes on a tiny balance — the multiplier is high and the bonus is small, so variance usually empties the balance before you get near €300.
- $25 at 50× → $1,250 of stakes. A big number, but on slots at 100% contribution it is survivable if the window is a week and the cap is generous.
The figure only becomes meaningful next to two other numbers: the max cash-out (how much of any win you can keep) and the clearance window (how long you have). A modest multiplier with a tight cap can be worse than a steep multiplier with a fair cap. This is exactly why our scoring model weighs wagering at 35% rather than ranking purely on the lowest number.
Bonus-only vs deposit-plus-bonus wagering
On welcome bonuses you will see two flavours: wagering on the bonus amount only, or on the deposit + bonus combined (the harsher version, since it inflates the base the multiplier multiplies). For no-deposit offers there is no deposit, so wagering is effectively bonus-only — but a subtler split matters:
- Multiplier on bonus value — €5 × 40 = €200. The friendlier reading.
- Multiplier on bonus winnings — if your €5 of spins wins €20, and the term is “40× winnings”, that is €800 of playthrough. Much steeper.
Always check which base the multiplier attaches to. Terms that read “40× the winnings from free spins” are quietly multiples harder than “40× the bonus” and routinely catch players out.
Game contribution: not all stakes are equal
Wagering counts at a contribution rate that varies by game. Slots almost always count 100%; table and live games count a fraction or nothing:
| Game type | Typical contribution |
|---|---|
| Slots | 100% |
| Keno / scratchcards | 100% |
| Video poker | 10–20% |
| Roulette | 5–25% (often excluded) |
| Blackjack | 5–10% (often excluded) |
| Live dealer | 0–10% |
A worked case: a 30× requirement on a €5 bonus is €150 of contributing stakes. Cleared on slots at 100%, that is €150 staked. Attempted on blackjack at 10%, every €1 bet counts as €0.10 — so you would stake €1,500 to clear the same target. Worse, many terms list table games as excluded, meaning a bet there does not just fail to count: it can void the entire bonus. The safe approach is to clear on 100%-contribution slots and avoid every restricted game while the bonus is live.
No-wagering offers: rare and valuable
A genuine no-wagering bonus lets you withdraw winnings with zero playthrough — they are real cash from the first spin, limited only by the max cash-out. These are uncommon because they are expensive for operators, so they tend to be small (a handful of spins or a few euros). But on a value-per-effort basis they are unbeatable, which is why they sit at the top of our scoring: the wagering-burden factor (35%) scores at maximum when playthrough is zero.
The one thing to still check on a no-wagering offer is the cash-out cap. “No wagering” plus a €20 cap is honest but modest; “no wagering” with a €100 cap on a decent spins package is the genuinely strong combination.
Sticky vs non-sticky
- Sticky (non-withdrawable): the bonus is playing credit only. When you cash out, the original bonus amount is deducted — you keep the winnings, not winnings-plus-bonus. The vast majority of no-deposit bonuses are sticky.
- Non-sticky: rarer on no-deposit offers; once wagering is met, the bonus and winnings are both withdrawable.
Knowing which you hold sets your expectations correctly: with a sticky €10 bonus that grows to €60, a withdrawal nets €50, not €60, before the cash-out cap is even applied.
Max-bet traps and the expiry clock
Two terms can void everything regardless of how well you played:
Max bet while active. Almost every no-deposit bonus caps your stake — commonly $5 per spin or hand — for as long as the bonus is live. Place one bet above it, including a stray autospin, and the operator can confiscate all bonus winnings. It is enforced strictly and automatically. Treat the max-bet figure as a hard ceiling on every single bet, not a guideline.
Expiry window. Wagering must be completed within the clearance window, which starts at claim. A 24-hour window on a 60× requirement is, for most players betting sensibly under a $5 cap, simply not enough time to cycle the required stakes — the bonus expires mid-grind and the balance is lost. A 7-day or 30-day window makes the same multiplier survivable. Our model rewards longer windows (15% weight) for precisely this reason: time is what converts a steep requirement from impossible to merely demanding.
Putting it together
Wagering is never a single number to fear or trust on its own. Read it as a system: multiplier × bonus value gives the playthrough, contribution rates decide how fast you can clear it, the max-bet rule decides how each bet must be sized, and the expiry window decides whether the clock allows it at all. A bonus is good value only when all four point the same way — which is the relationship our scoring model captures. From here, see how the ceiling on winnings works in maximum cash-out limits, or browse the current scored offers. For players 18 and over; bonuses are entertainment, never a guaranteed return.