The gambling industry only seems simple. It can be quite difficult for newcomers to understand all the intricacies that accompany any online casino. And that’s even though they also play a very important role when choosing a site. Virtually every online casino offers a variety of bonuses: registration, first deposit, weekday and weekend deposits, action-based bonuses (such as Email confirmation), holiday bonuses, etc. Any of these seem lucrative and attractive, but they are not. Often newcomers are happy to take part in a promotion, activate the bonus, and then find out that the offer is not free. This is a quite a challenge for new casino players, even though casino review websites, such as casino howto, are trying their best to make players’ life easier.
For newcomers, this is often a surprise and not always a pleasant one. Why? The answer is simple – every gift has to be wagered on certain conditions. These conditions are set by the operator itself. You can read them in the casino’s Bonus Policy or the promotion description. There you can find out about:
- The minimum deposit for the bonus
- The maximum bet on wagering
- Bonus activity period
- Games in which the bonus can be used
- Wager.
The first terms are clear even to the inexperienced user, but the last one is sometimes surprising. What is it? The wager is a measure of the minimum number of bets that must be placed in a game for the bonus to be considered used. The wager is the number of spins you need to place as part of the bonus offer. Each casino sets its wagers. They are calculated for making a profit for their establishment, fighting for free bonus chasers and for keeping players in the casino. The goals are clear, but the institution does not always succeed in realising them because of the high wager. This makes the terms advantageous for the operator and disadvantageous for the player.
Wager is what matters most
As recently as 10 years ago, many online casinos were attracting players en masse to their sites with bonuses with no wagering requirements. Spin a slot, win money, withdraw. The operator mistakenly thought that this would “tie” a customer to him for a long time. Very quickly the operators realised that it did not work. Users came to the casino only to get their winnings and leave for another casino for a freebie.
This state of affairs forced gambling clubs to reconsider their position. This is how the wager was invented. It should be understood that its size is not regulated by the licensing authorities, so it may vary depending on the casino’s policy. So it turns out that each institution calculates this figure from personal benefit. When wagering the offer, the deposit money is deducted first and only then the bonus money. This allows you to work out whether or not there is a chance of wagering the bonus while you are playing. Remember, if you want to give it up, do so before the first wager from the bonus account. The lack of standards regarding wager has a particularly negative effect on newcomers, who unknowingly accept bonuses and then are left with no money.
Good vs bad wager
The wager is usually divided into three main types:
- High (bad). Anything above x40 is considered such a wager
- Low (good). This is considered to be the most favorable wager for the casino customer and should be below x35
- Medium (standard).
So let’s look at a low wager as an example. Let’s assume a client has a 50% bonus of 100 USD, i.e. 50 USD. The wagering requirement for the bonus is x25. Thus, a player will have to wager 50 USD (bonus) x25 (wager) = 1, 250 USD. Only after that winnings can be withdrawn. Now let’s calculate the same offer size, but for wager x50. 50 USD (bonus) x 50 (wager) = 2,500 USD. That is how much you will have to wager. If the bonus is the same, the difference is obvious. The higher the wager, the harder it is to wager.
And even after that, it cannot be said unequivocally that a high rate is bad and a low rate is good. The fact is that each operator is looking for his benefit. By setting a high wager, the casino can honestly give the winnings to those who have fulfilled all the conditions. Another issue is that it is often not possible to meet them. Some operators attract players with low wagers in their bonus program. Wagering the rewards is much easier, but afterwards, players are often confronted with cheating by the operator. In summary: both high and low wagers have their advantages and disadvantages.
Average wager on the market
The wager x40 is another matter. Experienced players have calculated that wager x40 is the most convenient. It is easier to win back, and the casino itself remains in the black. Let’s do the math. Suppose you received 50 USD over a deposit as part of a promotional offer with a wager x40. You will need to wager it for at least 2,000 USD in a game with an RTP of 97%. The theoretical operator income in this situation could be 2,000 USD x 3% (casino advantage) = 60 USD. As you can see, even by offering a slot with a very attractive RTP to the player as a wagering tool, the operator can remain in the black. So it turns out that it is profitable for responsible operators to make wager a little bit higher, but pay out winnings honestly.
