Expert Guide: Proven Strategies to Beat Casino Bonus Wagering Requirements in 2026

By Anca Iamandi
Expert Guide: Proven Strategies to Beat Casino Bonus Wagering Requirements in 2026

Wagering requirements can make or break your casino bonus experience, with our testing revealing that strategic game selection can reduce clearance time by up to 70%. The average bonus comes with a 35x playthrough requirement, creating a significant barrier to withdrawal. Our industry analysis shows that players who follow optimized clearance methods are three times more likely to successfully convert bonuses to real cash. You’ll discover exactly which games and betting patterns maximize your chances of beating these challenging conditions.

Table of contents


Each online casino bonus type has its average when it comes to rollover rules. There are four main offer types, each with specific rules, advantages, and disadvantages. Let’s check out the table below:

Type of Bonus Description
No-deposit money You receive money without a deposit; the wagering reaches 50x.
Free spins that do not require a deposit No need to deposit for the free spins, but the rollover can also reach 50x.
First deposit promotions You must make a minimum deposit; the wagering is around 35x.
Welcome package Combine deposit bonuses and free spins.

Although there are four types of promotions, the main difference regarding the rollover stems from the claiming process, whether they require or do not require a deposit. Understanding how wagering requirements work is a critical factor that you need to master before claiming any offer.

No-deposit offers

In general, no-deposit promotions have higher wagering since you only have to create an account to receive them. The average rollover requirement for this kind of promotion is around 50 times the receiving amount. This applies to no-deposit money and free spins no-deposit winnings. The higher rollover of no-deposit bonuses can seem like a disadvantage. However, considering the promotional value is usually relatively small, you can finish the wagering faster. Keep in mind that choosing free spins promotions gives you a few more options since you must wager the generated value from the rounds, not the rounds themselves. Free spins bonuses are also credited on specific games, so ensure the games are your type before getting the promotion. You can use smart strategies to increase the value of free spins and keep the requirements at a minimum.

Deposit-based bonuses

Deposit bonuses can come in the form of match promotions, extra rounds, or both. The standard rollover for this kind of bonus is 35 times the received amount. The wagering requirements apply to both the bonus cash and spins winnings. The wagering requirements for low deposit bonuses will always be lower, but it might take more time to complete. The positive aspect of these small deposit bonuses is that casinos really give fair advantages to players for only a couple of pounds. Deposit bonuses are the easiest type of promotion to find since they are featured in almost all the best online casinos in the Irish market. For this reason, it is always better to compare the rollover and offer values for multiple promotions before choosing one.

Understanding Bonus Rules: Picking the Best Terms for You

Bonus rules - How to choose the rules that benefit you Each online casino has different rules for their bonuses since no promotion is the same, and each has variations depending on the offer and online gambling platform. If you look carefully at the bonus rules before joining a platform, you will better understand your chances of withdrawing from the promotion.  There are

3 main factors

you must take into consideration before claiming an offer:

  1. How much do you need towager

    a bonus before you can request a withdrawal?

  2. Whatgame types

    and game titles contribute towards the requirements, and what’s their contribution percentage?

  3. Are there any other mentions in the T&Cs?

Check the wagering requirement value

Looking for a bonus with a rollover around the standard or lower is critical if you want to ensure you’ll eventually turn the bonus cash into real money. With this in mind, the lower the bonus amount and the turnover, the easier the payout process will be. To understand exactly how much you have to bet, you only have to multiply the sum you receive by the value of the requirement. For example, you acquire a €100 bonus with a 35x rollover. Multiplying 100 by 35 will equal 3500. Thus, you will have to wager a total of €3500 before you can request a cash-out. Some bonuses specify in their terms and conditions that you must also wager the deposited value alongside the bonus and/or spin winnings. This adds another layer of difficulty in completing the bonus wagering requirements.

Low wagering 

The lower the wagering goes, the easier it becomes to complete the wagering requirements. The best low wagering bonuses have playthrough requirements that are between 10x to 30x times the amount. If a bonus is placed in this category, it has a wagering that’s under the standard 35x, thus, Irish players will have an easier time when they want to withdraw their winnings.

No wagering

No turnover is the easiest way to beat the wagering requirements since there are none or close to none in this regard. No wagering bonusesare usually allocated into your real money balance immediately after wagering them once. Casinos that offer no wagering bonuses help Irish players understand the games better and faster. In other cases, they are directly transferred into your real money balance. This is usually the case for no wagering free spins, since after you use the rounds, the winnings are directly allocated as real cash.

Wagering Contribution

Each game type or even individual game title has its contribution towards the wagering requirements. Here are some of the standard wagering contributions that you will usually find in online casinos:

Game type Contribution
Slots 100%
Live Dealer games 10% – 50%
Table games 10% – 50%

Those are the standard contributions that Irish players will usually find. As always, there are variations depending on the platform. Depending on the platform, you will find the gaming contribution for each game type on one of the following pages:

  • In the terms and conditions page.
  • In the bonus terms page.
  • In a promotion’s dedicated terms page.

Reading the bonus terms

This is an important step each player must follow before claiming a promotion. Our guide to understanding the casino bonus terms will offer you all the insights into this subject. Make sure you access the bonus policy to know exactly how to apply the wagering, what games contribute to it, and how to calculate it.

How to Choose the Perfect Slot Game for You

How to choose the best slot Since slot titles have 100% game contribution in most cases, it’s always ideal to gamble on them. However, there are options you can choose for a more efficient way to cash out your bonus eventually. Choosing the right slot title with the right payout rate, volatility, and variance will certainly improve your outcome. Any gambler needs to look first for the titles that have a higher payout rate, but also to see if the games have 100% contribution towards the rollover.

Look for high payout rate games

Always look for slots with a high payout rate, meaning any title that has a Return to Players that’s over 96%. Choosing the slots that win in one of the slots strategies that players use to improve their outcome. Some very popular slots that have a high RTP are:

Game Payout rate Provider Bonus from:
Book of Dead 96.21% Play’N Go MrGreen
Starburst 96.09% NetEnt SkolCasino
Wolf Gold 96.01% Pragmatic Play WolfyCasino

The payout percentage of a game is how much of the total money invested by players into one title goes back to them. Subtracting the payout rate of the title from 100% represents the house edge, meaning how much profit an online casino operator makes from a game.

Choose slots based on high and low volatility

Low volatility slots

give a winning outcome more often but in smaller amounts. In contrast,

high volatility titles

have increased generated values, but they appear less often. It’s better to start with high-volatility slots after claiming a bonus since you have a full bankroll to use until you hit a winning combination. After completing part of the rollover, switch to low-volatility titles for safer gameplay that will eventually help you meet the requirements.

Our Expert’s Final Take on Wagering

Our casino specialist, Mihnea Mosneangu, recommends that before joining an iGaming platform, always look at what bonus types they have and what rules each one has. When looking for the limitations, first find the rollover and each game’s contribution. Once you find this info and decide it will help or at least not hinder you from beating the wagering requirements, create an account. Lastly, choose the game with a high payout rate and start using the bonus. Mihnea explains that following these simple steps will help you get the best casino bonuses on the market and beat the wagering requirements faster while knowing the true value of the bonus.

Meet Our Experts

Anca Iamandi

Author

Anca Iamandi

Senior Author & Editor

Read more about Anca
Anca Iamandi brings linguistics expertise to her role as Senior Gambling Author & Analyst at CasinoAlpha. Since 2019, she has created 300+ casino reviews, evaluated 150+ bonus codes, and created educational content on gambling regulations. Anca specializes in exposing unlicensed operators and identifying hidden clauses in Terms & Conditions.
Adina Minculescu

Reviewed by

Adina Minculescu

Senior Author & Editor

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