Why do bonuses have wagering?

Why do bonuses have wagering? The core reason

Picture a 100% match with no strings. You deposit £25, get £25 extra, then withdraw £50. The casino would have paid £25 for nothing more than a sign-up. Multiply that by thousands of customers, many opening accounts just for the cash, and no operator could afford the offer.

Wagering requirements solve that by making the bonus something you must play through before it turns into cash. The Gambling Commission's glossary of terms (opens in a new tab) defines them as any requirement that a consumer make wagers totalling a set value for funds to become withdrawable. You may also see the same idea called playthrough or turnover.

The three jobs wagering does for a casino

1. It prevents instant withdrawal, so the bonus can only become cash through play.
2. It returns part of the bonus through the house edge, which makes the offer's cost predictable.
3. It filters out people who sign up only to take the money, because the bonus has to be played with first.

The second job is the one that matters most to your wallet. Each pound wagered on a slot with a 4% house edge costs about 4p on average. Wagering therefore acts as a built-in charge on the bonus, and the higher the multiple, the bigger the charge. Our explainer on why casinos give bonuses sets this in the wider business context.

How much wagering eats into a bonus: the maths

The expected cost of wagering is roughly the amount wagered times the house edge. Using a £50 bonus and a 4% edge:

Once the expected cost passes the bonus amount, around 25x at a 4% edge, the average player loses the whole bonus before converting it. That is why the old high multiples were so criticised, and why they mostly converted for the lucky few rather than the typical player. Try your own figures in the wagering calculator.

These are long-run averages. Real sessions vary a lot, especially on high-volatility slots, so you may finish wagering with much more or run out of bonus long before the end.

Why the UK capped wagering at 10x in 2026

The Gambling Commission consulted in late 2023 on rules for incentives, and on 26 March 2025 it announced a cap on wagering and a ban on mixed-product offers. After a short delay, both came into force on 19 January 2026. Its announcement (opens in a new tab) used the example of a £10 bonus with 50x wagering needing £500 of play before winnings could be withdrawn.

The rule itself sits in social responsibility code provision 5.1.1 (opens in a new tab), which says bonus wagering may not require play through bonus funds more than 10 times. An outright ban on wagering was consulted on but not adopted. Our 10x wagering cap page has the full detail.

Wagering can't lock your own deposit

An older complaint about wagering was that it sometimes trapped the player's own money too. That changed after the CMA's action in 2018. Commission guidance now says players must be able to withdraw their deposit balance at any time, must not be made to meet wagering before doing so, and must see deposit and bonus balances displayed separately.

So when you take Casumo's 50% match on a £100 deposit, wagering of 10x applies to the £50 bonus (£500 of play), not to your £100. Our guide to how bonus funds and cash are used explains how the two balances interact during play.

Why some games count less towards wagering

Wagering targets assume a particular house edge. Games with a lower edge, such as some table games, would let a bonus convert more cheaply, so operators often count them at a reduced rate or exclude them. This is called game weighting or contribution.

Example: if blackjack counts at 10%, a £100 bet adds only £10 towards wagering. 10bet's offer goes further by requiring wagering on slots. Our page on why some games are excluded from bonuses explains the reasoning, and does live casino count towards wagering covers live games.

Why some bonuses have no wagering

If wagering protects the casino, why do Coral, Ladbrokes and PlayOJO offer spins without it? Because spins already limit the operator's cost in a different way. The stake is fixed at 10p, the games are chosen, and the face value is known in advance: 100 spins × 10p is £10. The house edge applies to the spins themselves, so the expected payout is a little below face value.

See our pages on no wagering bonuses and whether a no wagering bonus is better for a fuller comparison.

Wagering on real UK offers in 2026

Both match bonuses sit exactly at the cap. Read more on Casumo's wagering and 10bet's wagering.

How to approach a bonus with wagering

1. Work out the total: bonus × multiple. A £25 bonus at 10x means £250 of bets.
2. Estimate the cost: total × house edge. At 4% that is about £10.
3. Check the time limit and whether you can realistically play that much within it.
4. Note the max bet and which games count.
5. Decide whether you would play that much anyway; if not, consider declining the bonus.
6. Track progress in your account rather than guessing.

There is no legitimate way to make wagering cheaper than the house edge. Advice promising to 'beat' wagering with special betting patterns breaks most terms and can void winnings. Our page on how to check wagering progress shows where to look, and the questions hub has related answers.

Wagering and safer play

Wagering requires you to keep playing, which is exactly why it should be weighed carefully. If meeting a target would push you past your budget, it is fine to forfeit the bonus and keep your remaining cash. Deposit limits, time-outs and GAMSTOP are there if you need them, and GamCare (opens in a new tab) runs the free National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. See our safer gambling page for more.

No wagering alternatives from our partners

If you'd rather skip wagering altogether, the three spins offers are the closest fit. All are 18+, for new customers, and terms apply.

• PlayOJO: £10+ first deposit for 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p (£8 of spins), no wagering, winnings paid in cash. Not available in Northern Ireland; designated link only.
• Coral: deposit and bet £10 on slots for 100 free spins at 10p (£10 of spins) on selected games, accept within 48 hours, valid 7 days, no wagering on winnings. Some payment methods, including PayPal and Skrill, don't qualify.
• Ladbrokes: deposit and spend £10 on slots for up to 500 free spins (50 a day for 10 days) at 10p, claim before 23:59 daily, valid 7 days, no wagering. PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe, Moneybookers and prepaid cards don't qualify.

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