Casino bonuses can look extremely generous at first glance. Get $500 in bonus cash for a $20 deposit? Sign me up! However, while these offers seem too good to be true at face value, the reality is that they usually are. Behind that tempting bonus lies pages of fine print designed to claw back as much of that bonus money as possible.
Wagering Requirements Turn Bonuses into Obligations
The key tool that online casinos like Bet & Play use to restrict how much bonus money you actually withdraw is the wagering requirement. This specifies how much you have to bet before you can withdraw bonus funds. A 30x wagering requirement on a $100 bonus means you would have to place $3,000 in bets before cashing out.
Wagering requirements typically range from 20x to 50x the bonus amount. So for a 300% welcome bonus, you might get $3,000 in bonus funds from a $1,000 deposit, but need to wager $60,000 or $150,000 before withdrawing. That transforms the “bonus” into more of an obligation.
| Bonus Amount | Wagering Requirement | Total Required Bets |
| $100 | 30x | $3,000 |
| $500 | 40x | $20,000 |
| $1,000 | 25x | $25,000 |
| $5,000 | 35x | $175,000 |
Game Restrictions Limit Bonus Applicability
Most online casinos restrict which games you can play to clear bonus wagering requirements. Slots usually count 100%, while table games and video poker may count just 10% or 20% – if they count at all.
For example, if you accept a $500 slots bonus with a 40x wagering requirement, you’d need to bet $20,000 playing slots to cash out. But if you play blackjack, which only counts as 10%, you would need to wager $200,000 before you can withdraw!
These game restrictions funnel players toward specific games, reducing versatility. Be sure to understand which games apply before accepting any bonus.
Time Limits Apply Pressure
Casinos don’t want you to take your time slowly clearing bonus requirements. Most bonuses come with strict time limits, typically around one or two weeks. If you don’t meet the wagering requirements in that window, the bonus and any winnings earned with it are forfeited.
For large bonuses with high wagering requirements, these short time frames apply intense pressure. To clear $20,000 in bets within two weeks likely requires extremely high stakes. And if you don’t make it in time – tough luck.
Read the Fine Print Before Accepting
While casino bonuses seem extremely generous upfront, closer inspection reveals that their terms and conditions essentially turn them into burdens rather than gifts. Massive wagering requirements, short time limits and game restrictions conspire to minimize how much bonus money players actually withdraw.
So while it can be tempting to activate the biggest welcome bonus to maximize your starting bankroll, it pays to read the fine print first. Make sure you understand exactly what’s required before you commit. Otherwise, that tasty bonus might end up leaving a sour taste when it vanishes unused because the requirements were unrealistic.
High Rollover Maximums Restrict Big Winners
Even if you do manage to overcome steep wagering requirements and cash out your bonus, online casinos throw in one final barrier with rollover maximums. These restrict how much you can actually withdraw from bonus wins.
For example, a casino may cap bonuses at 5x the amount awarded. So for a $500 bonus, the most you could withdraw is $2,500, even if you win much more than that while clearing wagering requirements. Essentially, everything above the rollover max goes back to the casino.
These ceilings are typically in the 3x to 10x range for deposit bonuses, and can be as high as 20x to 50x for no-deposit bonuses. Either way, they mean you don’t get to keep all profits earned from bonus bets.
So while hitting a hot streak could help you clear playthrough requirements quicker, your potential upside is still limited by rollover maximums. Big wins get chopped down to size by more fine print designed to restrict how much bonuses really pay.