Wagering requirement

What a wagering requirement means

Think of a wagering requirement as a turnover target. A casino hands you bonus funds, and those funds stay locked until the total of your bets reaches a set figure. Once you hit it, whatever is left converts to withdrawable cash. Until then, the money behaves like credit you can play with but cannot take out.

The target is written as a multiple, such as 10x. Turnover means the sum of every stake you place, not your losses. Spin a slot 100 times at 50p and you have wagered £50, even if you finished level. That distinction matters, because a modest balance can churn through a large wagering figure as wins are fed back into play.

You will see the same idea called playthrough or rollover. It applies to deposit-match offers such as a matched deposit bonus and, at some sites, to winnings from free spins. Offers labelled no wagering skip the step entirely and pay winnings as cash.

How to calculate a wagering requirement

Multiply the bonus by the stated multiple. A £25 bonus at 10x needs £250 of qualifying bets. A £100 bonus at 10x needs £1,000. Before 2026, older UK terms sometimes multiplied the deposit and the bonus together, which doubled the figure; check which base the terms use, because the wording decides the number.

The last row is there for contrast: a 35x offer of the kind that used to be common in the UK would need seven times the turnover of the same bonus at today’s cap. Our wagering calculator guide walks through more combinations.

What wagering really costs: the house edge sum

Every stake carries the game’s house edge, the share the casino keeps on average over very many spins. On a slot with 96% RTP the edge is 4%, so £250 of wagering has an expected cost of about £10. That is an average across huge numbers of players; any single session can land well above or below it.

Set that expected cost against the bonus. A £25 bonus with £250 of wagering at a 4% edge leaves roughly £15 of expected value at the end. The same £25 at 35x (£875 turnover) would cost about £35 on average, more than the bonus itself. This is why the 10x cap made such a difference to the arithmetic, though no bonus turns slots into a way to make money: losses remain the likely result over time.

UK rules on wagering requirements

From 19 January 2026 the Gambling Commission capped wagering at 10x the bonus and banned promotions that mix products, such as betting on football to unlock slot spins. Earlier rules on fair terms still apply alongside the cap:

• Wagering cannot apply to your deposit balance. You can withdraw deposited money while a bonus is pending, and promotional restrictions must not apply when you play with deposit funds.
• The casino must tell you clearly when you are playing with restricted bonus money, not only bury it in the terms.
• Significant terms, including the multiple, time limit, stake cap and any game restrictions, have to be shown before you accept.
• Terms cannot be changed after you have opted in, except to prevent fraud or unlawful behaviour.

Our UK slot rule changes 2026 page covers the wider package, including the stake limits of £5 per spin for over-25s and £2 for 18–24s.

Where you meet wagering on a slot site

The multiple sits in the significant terms of the promotion, usually next to the bonus expiry period and the stake cap. In the account area, many casinos show a progress bar or a ‘wagered so far’ figure once the bonus is live. If that figure moves slower than your bets, the game you are on probably counts at less than 100%: see game weighting.

Two real examples show how the pieces sit together. Casumo’s welcome offer is a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of at least £20, wagered 10x within 7 days, with a £5 maximum bet while the bonus is active; 18+, opt-in required, game, play and payment restrictions apply. 10bet’s is a 100% match up to £25, wagered 10x on slots within 3 days, with bonus winnings capped at £1,000; 18+, new UK customers, terms apply.

To keep track as you go, our guide on how to track wagering shows what to note down.

Related bonus terms

• Max bet rule: the highest stake allowed while the bonus is active.
• Sticky bonus: a bonus that can be played with but never withdrawn itself.
• Opt-in: the step where you accept the bonus and its terms.
• Win cap: the most that bonus play can convert into cash.

Slot sites showing the wagering multiple clearly

The offers below state their wagering in plain figures: 10x for the Casumo and 10bet bonuses, and none on PlayOJO’s 80 spins at 10p on Big Bass Bonanza (first deposit of £10 or more, new UK customers excluding Northern Ireland). All are 18+ and terms apply.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.