Wagering Requirements Calculator
Enter the terms of a casino bonus and see what it is actually worth: the stakes you have to put through, the expected loss at your game's RTP, and the wagering requirement at which the offer stops being worth taking. The calculator handles both bonus-only and deposit-plus-bonus wagering, and adjusts for how much your game contributes.
Check the offer terms: the same headline multiplier can mean twice the stakes depending on which one applies.
At 10% contribution, £10 of stakes counts as £1 towards the requirement — so you stake ten times the headline figure.
True Bonus Cost
On these terms, clearing the wagering is expected to cost £180.00 more than the bonus is worth. Averages, not guarantees: an individual result can land either side of this figure.
Break-even point: at these RTP and contribution settings, this bonus stops being worth taking above 12.5× wagering.
How the Wagering Calculator Works
A casino bonus reads as free money, but the wagering requirement means you have to put the qualifying amount through the games many times over before anything can be withdrawn. Every stake carries the house edge, so the requirement has a predictable average cost. That cost is what this calculator puts a number on.
The Four Steps
1. Bonus amount = Deposit × Bonus percentage. A £100 deposit with a 100% match gives a £100 bonus.
2. Wagering to clear = Qualifying amount × Multiplier. The qualifying amount is either the bonus alone or the deposit plus the bonus, and the offer terms decide which. At 35×, bonus-only means £3,500; deposit plus bonus means £7,000 on the same offer.
3. Stakes you actually place = Wagering to clear ÷ Game contribution. If your game contributes 100%, the two figures match. At 10%, clearing £3,500 means placing £35,000 of stakes.
4. Expected loss = Stakes placed × House edge, where the house edge is 100% minus the RTP. £7,000 of stakes on a 96% RTP slot has an expected loss of £280 — against a £100 bonus, an effective value of −£180.
Game Contribution Is the Detail That Catches People Out
Contribution rates sit in the bonus terms rather than in the headline, and they change the answer more than the multiplier does. Typical UK values:
| Game | Typical contribution | Stakes to clear £3,500 |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 100% | £3,500 |
| Video poker | 20% | £17,500 |
| Roulette | 20% | £17,500 |
| Blackjack | 10% | £35,000 |
| Live dealer tables | 0–10% | £35,000 or excluded |
The trap is that the games with the friendliest RTP are usually the ones with the lowest contribution. Blackjack at 99% RTP looks cheap per pound staked, but at 10% contribution you place ten times as many pounds, and the two effects cancel out or worse.
What the Break-Even Figure Tells You
The break-even line under the results is the multiplier at which the expected cost of clearing exactly equals the bonus. On a 96% RTP slot with full contribution, a bonus-only requirement breaks even at 25×; anything higher has a negative expected value before you place a single bet. On the same game, a deposit-plus-bonus requirement on a 100% match breaks even at 12.5×. Most advertised offers sit well above both.
What This Calculator Does Not Cover
Expected loss is a long-run average, not a prediction of one session. The calculator also leaves out maximum bet limits while a bonus is active, time limits for clearing, maximum win caps on bonus funds and excluded games — all of which appear in the terms and all of which make an offer worse, never better. Read the terms alongside the number.
For the background, read our Understanding Wagering Requirements guide. For sports offers, the free bet calculator does the equivalent job, and the bet calculator works out returns across 19 bet types.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a 35x wagering requirement actually mean?
It means you have to place bets totalling 35 times a qualifying amount before bonus funds can be withdrawn. Whether that multiplier applies to the bonus alone or to deposit plus bonus is set by the operator's terms, and the gap is wide: on a £100 deposit with a £100 bonus, 35x bonus-only is £3,500 of stakes, while 35x deposit-plus-bonus is £7,000.
How do I know whether the multiplier applies to the bonus only or to deposit plus bonus?
It is stated in the bonus terms, usually as "wagering applies to bonus funds" or "wagering applies to deposit and bonus". It is worth finding before you claim, because on a 100% match the second version doubles the stakes required and doubles the expected cost of clearing the offer.
Do all games count the same towards wagering requirements?
No. Slots usually contribute 100%, while table games such as blackjack and roulette often contribute 10% or less and some titles are excluded altogether. A game contributing 10% means £10 of stakes counts as £1 towards the requirement, so the real cost of clearing the bonus rises accordingly.
Why does the game's RTP change the result?
The expected loss while clearing a bonus is approximately the total stakes multiplied by the house edge, and the house edge is 100% minus the RTP. A 99% RTP game therefore costs roughly a quarter of what a 96% game costs over the same amount of stakes.
Does a bonus with a high wagering requirement still have value?
Often less than the headline figure suggests. Every pound wagered carries the game's house edge, so the expected cost of clearing the requirement has to be subtracted from the bonus. On a 96% RTP slot, clearing £3,500 of wagering costs around £140 on average, which is more than a £100 bonus is worth.
18+ — This calculator is informational and does not recommend claiming any offer. Gambling should never be treated as a way to make money. If it stops being enjoyable, free confidential help is available: see our responsible gambling resources and our responsible gambling guide.