Wagering Requirements

What are wagering requirements?

When a casino gives you a bonus, the money is not free to withdraw straight away. First you must have staked a certain amount, and that amount is what is called wagering. The requirement is usually written as a multiple, for example 10x, 20x or 35x, and tells you how many times the base amount must be played through.

The key thing to understand is that wagering is about the total of all your stakes, not about what you have left. If you stake 10 kr per spin and win 5 kr, you have still wagered 10 kr. Money you win and keep playing with also counts, so you do not need to have the whole requirement in your pocket from the start.

The requirement is the casino’s way of making sure the bonus is used for playing and not simply withdrawn straight away. The lower the multiple, the less you need to play before any winnings become withdrawable.

Requirement on the bonus or on deposit plus bonus

This is the single most important detail in the terms, and one that is easy to miss. There are two common models:

• Requirement on the bonus only: the multiple is calculated on the bonus amount alone.
• Requirement on deposit and bonus: the multiple is calculated on the sum of what you deposited and what you received as a bonus.

With a 100% bonus, the base amount is twice as large in the second model. A 20x requirement on deposit plus bonus is therefore as demanding as 40x on the bonus alone. Never compare two offers solely on the number in front of the x.

Game contribution

Not all games count equally towards the requirement. Slots usually contribute the full stake, while table games and live casino often count for only a small part or not at all. If the terms say blackjack contributes 10%, only a tenth of each stake counts towards wagering. Some games may also be excluded entirely, so read the list in the terms before you choose a game.

Maximum bet

While a bonus is active, you are usually not allowed to stake more than a certain amount per round. The limit exists so that you cannot clear the requirement with a few large bets. If you break it, the terms may allow the casino to cancel the bonus and any winnings from it, so keep an eye on the maximum bet even when you switch games.

Validity period

The requirement must be met within a set time, often a number of days from when the bonus was activated. If you do not make it, the bonus expires, and usually so do any winnings linked to it. A low requirement with a short validity period can therefore be harder to meet than a slightly higher requirement with plenty of time.

Free spins and wagering

Free spins often have their own rules. What is wagered is then not the spins themselves but what you win on them. If you win 50 kr on your free spins and the requirement is 10x, you need to play for 500 kr before the winnings can be withdrawn. Some offers have no requirement at all on the winnings, and we have gathered those on the page about free spins at Swedish casinos.

Swedish rules on bonuses and wagering requirements

Operators with a Swedish licence may only offer or give a bonus the first time you play with them. This is set out in Chapter 14, Section 9 of Spellagen (the Gambling Act). In practice it means you can get a welcome bonus, but no recurring deposit bonuses, loyalty bonuses or similar offers later on.

The rule is tied to the licence holder. If the same company runs several brands under one and the same licence, you should not expect a new welcome bonus when you switch to a sister site. We have not found any explicit guidance or ruling on the question, but it follows from the wording of the law, which refers to any of the licence holder’s games.

The Administrative Court in Linköping has also ruled that a bonus split across several deposits counts as several bonuses. A welcome package split across the first, second and third deposit therefore easily conflicts with the rule. Since you only get one offer, it is especially important to read the terms before you accept. Feel free to compare different set-ups among our welcome bonuses at Swedish casinos before you decide.

Calculating wagering requirements – four worked examples

The basic formula is simple: base amount × multiple = amount to be wagered. The difficulty lies in knowing what the base amount is and how much each game contributes. The examples below show how much difference the details make.

Example 1: 35x wagering on the bonus

You deposit 1,000 kr and receive a 100% bonus, i.e. 1,000 kr. The requirement is 35x and applies to the bonus only.

1,000 kr × 35 = 35,000 kr to be wagered.

Example 2: the same requirement on deposit and bonus

The same deposit and bonus, but now 35x is calculated on both the deposit and the bonus.

(1,000 kr + 1,000 kr) × 35 = 70,000 kr to be wagered. The same figure in the terms therefore means twice as much play.

Example 3: a game contribution of 10 per cent

You have 35,000 kr of the requirement left and want to play blackjack, which contributes 10% according to the terms. Then only a tenth of each stake counts.

35,000 kr ÷ 0.10 = 350,000 kr in actual stakes. If you play a slot that contributes 100% instead, 35,000 kr is enough.

Example 4: how much play it means in practice

Suppose you need to wager 35,000 kr and stake 10 kr per spin. That makes 3,500 spins. At roughly one spin every five seconds, that corresponds to almost five hours of continuous play.

Each stake also has a built-in expected loss. If a slot has a theoretical return to player (RTP) of 96%, the expected loss is 4% of what you stake, i.e. 35,000 kr × 0.04 = 1,400 kr on average over a very long period. That is a theoretical average, not a forecast – the actual outcome can be both higher and lower – but it shows why a high requirement is rarely worth as much as the bonus amount suggests.

How to compare two bonuses

When you are choosing between two offers, looking at the bonus amount is not enough. Do this:

1. Find out whether the requirement is calculated on the bonus or on deposit plus bonus.
2. Work out the total amount to be wagered for the deposit you plan to make.
3. Check the game contribution for the games you actually want to play.
4. Compare the validity period with how much you usually play per week.
5. Read the maximum bet rule and whether any games are excluded.

It often turns out that a smaller bonus with a low requirement offers more real value than a large bonus with a high requirement. And sometimes the best choice is to take no bonus at all. If you want to avoid requirements altogether, you can read about casino bonuses without wagering requirements, where any winnings are yours straight away.

Common mistakes

• Looking only at the multiple. 20x on deposit plus bonus is heavier than 30x on the bonus alone with a 100% bonus.
• Missing the game contribution. Live casino and table games may count for a fraction, which makes the requirement many times larger.
• Raising your stake above the maximum. A single bet that is too large can be enough for the bonus winnings to be cancelled.
• Forgetting the validity period. A requirement that is not met in time expires, however close you were.
• Chasing the requirement. Playing more or faster than you intended just to clear the wagering is a bad deal and a warning sign.

Play in moderation

A bonus is a way to get more playing time, not a way to make money. Decide how much you want to play for before you start and use the casino’s deposit limits, which are mandatory at all operators with a Swedish licence. If you want to exclude yourself from all licensed gambling in Sweden, you can do so at Spelpaus.se, the national self-exclusion register. If you need to talk to someone about your gambling, you can contact Stödlinjen, the national helpline, on 020-819 100 or via stodlinjen.se.

You will find more explanations of terms that come up in bonus terms among our guides to casinos and gambling rules.