A wagering requirement (also called a rollover or playthrough) is the number of times you must bet a bonus amount — or the bonus plus your deposit, depending on the operator — before you're allowed to withdraw any winnings made with it. It's shown as a multiplier, like ×30 or ×40. Until you've wagered that total, the bonus and anything you won with it stay locked in your account.
Say a casino gives you a GH₵500 bonus with a ×40 wagering requirement that applies to the bonus only. You'd need to place bets totalling GH₵20,000 (GH₵500 × 40) before you could withdraw any winnings tied to that bonus. If the requirement applied to the bonus plus your deposit instead, the number to wager would be higher. Our bonus wagering calculator works this out for any bonus and deposit automatically, including the expected cost based on the game's RTP.
Without a wagering requirement, someone could claim a bonus, deposit, and withdraw it immediately without ever really playing — which is why essentially every real-money bonus has one attached. It's the mechanism that turns a bonus into "play more, not withdraw immediately."
Not every bet counts the same. Slots usually contribute 100% of the amount wagered, while table games like roulette or blackjack often count for only a fraction — commonly 10-20% — because they have better odds for the player. Live dealer games and some jackpot slots are frequently excluded altogether. The game contribution percentages are normally listed in the bonus terms, not the promotional banner, so it's worth checking before you start.
Generally yes, assuming the bonus amount and game contributions are similar — a ×20 requirement means wagering half of what a ×40 requirement demands for the same bonus.
It depends on the operator. Some calculate the requirement on the bonus amount only; others calculate it on the bonus plus your deposit, which roughly doubles the amount you need to wager for the same multiplier.
The unused bonus amount and any winnings made with it are usually removed from your account — see our page on what happens if you don't complete a wagering requirement for the full picture.
Most operators show a running progress bar or a remaining-amount figure somewhere in your account or bonus dashboard — it's worth checking this regularly rather than guessing how close you are.