What Is No Wager in an Online Casino?
A low wagering casino can bring you a more profitable gaming session, as bonuses require virtually no payment. You’ll be able to keep more of your winnings and withdraw them faster. Scroll further to find out how to take advantage of them!
What is Wagering?
One of the most misunderstood online casino rules are the wagering requirements. If you’re new to online gambling, these requirements may surprise you when you’re ready to withdraw your winnings. Also known as playthrough and rollover, wagering requirements are conditions placed on players in relation to the bonus amounts they receive. To withdraw money from a bonus, you need to fulfill these requirements, which means wagering the full amount multiple times.
Let’s say you received a free bonus of £10 with requirements of 50x the bonus you received. This means that you will have to wager £500. However, this does not mean that you have to deposit £500 into your account. Only winnings that you have deposited back into the game count towards wagering.
The same logic applies to additional spins as bonuses – you will need to wager your winnings by the amount specified in the user agreements. Therefore, finding a great win-win casino can be akin to luck. That is what we’re about to help you with.
Wagering is the most common rule used by online casinos. The purpose of this rule is to prevent money laundering or exploitation of bonuses. Why? Suppose someone deposits stolen money into a casino and immediately withdraws it to another account. The funds would be untraceable, making the online casino a haven for criminal activity.
As a consequence, most operators set wagering requirements in their offers. This ensures that players really want to play and will not abuse welcome bonuses and promotions. You will only be able to claim your winnings once this requirement is met.
Otherwise, a withdrawal request will result in the bonus and all winnings received being canceled.
Types of Wagering Requirements You May Encounter
You will find information about the type of gameplay on the User Agreement page or directly on the bonus banners. There are three types of gameplay you may encounter:
- Wagering requirements for the accrued bonus – marked with the letter B, e.g., 35xB.
- Bonus and deposit wagering requirements – marked with the letters B D, e.g., 35xB D.
- Wagering requirements – marked with a W, e.g., 35xW.
Watch out as online casinos have the right to set any wagering requirements. Therefore, you may even encounter a combination of the three examples above, although this is quite rare.
Basic Wagering Characteristics
While a low wagering requirement may seem like an exhaustive criterion when choosing a casino, this is not always the case. Several other factors can affect your experience.
A casino with a low wagering requirement may try to recoup potential losses by manipulating any of these factors:
- Maximum withdrawals. Some casinos do not allow players to withdraw money too quickly, setting an upper limit for withdrawals, such as a minimum of £50.
- Promotion expiration date. If a low stakes promotion seems too good to be true, you should check its expiration date. Standard casinos give players about 30 days to fulfill the wagering requirements, while some give players as little as 24 hours.
- Bonus eligibility. Some bonus funds are only available for certain types of games or even certain titles.
- Withdrawals after placing a deposit. There are casinos that will only allow you to withdraw your winnings from a free bonus after you deposit a minimum amount.
- Payout timing. Waiting too long to win can reduce your motivation to fulfill wagering requirements. If you ever encounter this problem, you can always check out our list of casinos with fast payouts.
Keep in mind! Low wagering casinos will not be as generous as their regular counterparts. However, if you ignore this, you will be able to get more enjoyment out of the online casino. To take full advantage of low wagering casinos, you should keep these unspoken rules in mind. They are relatively common to all online casinos, although the specifics may vary from provider to provider.
Contributions to the Game
To prevent players from using low-risk betting strategies to fulfill requirements faster, most casinos employ in-game contribution systems. Different types of games have a set percentage, so the bets you place on them are only partially compliant. As a rule of thumb, slots bring in 100%, while live games, video poker and table games bring in between 5 and 10%.
Wagering Compliance
Many online casinos specify that wagers placed on jackpots, progressive jackpots and lottery games are excluded from the calculations. Specific games may also be excluded at the operator’s discretion.
Upper betting limits are also common. User agreements will specify a maximum bet size, which may vary from operator to operator or country to country. However, you can expect this limit to be quite low.
Consider, an online casino may specify a £5 bet limit for its offer. In this case, bets that exceed £5 will be excluded from the calculations or even result in the bonus being voided. It’s also quite rare for the money you spend to buy bonus rounds for slots to count towards your gameplay. The main takeaway is that you will face a lot of obstacles if you try to fulfill these requirements too quickly.
How to Select the Best No Wager Casino Online
Some of you may still have doubts about how to choose the top casino operators in the United Kingdom. You may already know that low wagering requirements don’t automatically make a casino outstanding.
You can use filter options like the image below to sort the casinos that match your preferences. We recommend checking out some of these if you need additional viewpoints to evaluate your choices:
- Game collection. Variety is vital when it comes to entertainment. Make sure you have plenty of games to choose from and quick access to new titles.
- Quality of promotions. Low wagering requirements are not an automatic prerequisite for a great bonus.
- Customer service. Some low stakes casinos do not have a dedicated support team. Getting timely help should be a priority.
- VIP program. Being loyal to an online casino can sometimes reward you generously. If you’re taking a trip to a new casino, check to see if it has a loyalty program and it will pay off handsomely in the future.
By paying attention to these features, you can go a long way in trying to create the perfect casino experience. Combined with low wagering requirements, these benefits can quickly turn into a more lucrative endeavor.
How to Get a Low Wagering Casino Bonus
Choose a promotion after comparing various online casinos based on their wagering requirements.
When aiming for a prize, be sure to review the terms and conditions page of the promotion or bonus. This is very important, as here you will learn everything about how the playthrough is calculated, the duration of the promotion and all the additional steps you need to take to get the opportunity to withdraw your winnings.
Register on the online casino site and follow the necessary instructions.
Some casinos online may require you to enter a special code to receive the bonus. Make sure you understand what is required of you before clicking the Visit button. Casino bonuses for new players are usually quite generous, but not always completely transparent.
Check your account and verify your identity.
Most online casinos will require a photo of your ID and other additional documents to make sure you are not engaging in fraud.
Instructions will be available to you in your account or sent to you via email. Congratulations – you are ready to start playing!
Available Low Wagering and No Wagering Bonuses
Now that you’re up to speed with the process, here are the low and no wagering casino bonuses you can get:
Free Spins
We highly doubt anyone has ever turned down free spins before. If there are any wagering requirements, they will apply to the amount you win after them.
The validity period for free spins is usually quite short. Most online casinos have free spins available for 7 days, although some offer to use them for 48 hours only.
Remember: extra spins with low or no wagering requirements, as well as spins for fancy games, can expire after just 24 hours.
There are plenty of casinos on our list that offer free spins with no wagering requirements, so we think they’re a great place to start your gaming journey.
No Deposit Bonuses
A no deposit, no wagering bonus gives you free money that you can immediately use and withdraw your winnings. One of the advantages of a no deposit bonus over free spins is that you can play other types of games besides slots.
Low Wagering Casinos: Advantages & Disadvantages
Considering how unfair high wagering odds can be, it’s easy to find several advantages to low stakes casinos. There are fewer disadvantages, but they are worth noting, especially for players seeking the biggest bonuses.
Pros
Cons
As you can see, the main drawbacks are related to the size of the bonuses. Of course, you might get lucky and end up winning, because not all low wagering casinos have the same rules.
Why Do Some Casinos Have Low Wagering Requirements?
Many gambling platforms, including new online casinos, use low or no wagering requirements to gain an advantage in such a competitive market. Their welcome offers and general promotions can only sometimes match those offered by the top casino operators.
However, due to their low draw rates, they can increase their player base and brand loyalty. This is a great strategy for attracting new players while balancing their profits.
Before 2014, online casinos were not as transparent about wagering requirements. Some players were unpleasantly surprised when they couldn’t withdraw their winnings. However, the Gambling Act of 2014, issued by the UK Gambling Commission, forced casinos to openly display their terms and conditions. The UKGC cites full compliance with the Competition and Markets Authority as a prerequisite for obtaining a license.
CMA dispositions require a high degree of transparency so that players know what to expect when receiving their bonuses. Naturally, wagering requirements have become another point of competition between operators, who have started to offer increasingly lower requirements in order to attract players.
FAQ
What happens to my bonus money if I fail to meet the wagering requirements?
If you try to withdraw before the end of the gameplay or fail to wager the required amount within the validity period, the casino will forfeit your bonus. The same will happen to any money you win after wagering this bonus.
Is there any way to avoid complying with the wagering requirements?
Unfortunately, no. You will not be able to avoid wagering requirements. Online casinos perform these checks automatically, and your account will only be allowed to withdraw your winnings if you meet them.
How do I know if I have met the wagering requirements?
Many casinos display a wagering counter either next to your balance or in a special section of your account. Usually this information is available in the active bonuses or promotions section.
If you can’t find this information, it will probably be displayed in the cashback section. Usually, the casino will warn you that you still have to wager a certain amount before you can withdraw your money.
Which casino on your list has the lowest wagering requirements?
We have sorted the casinos by wagering requirements. The first casinos on the list have no wagering bonuses, followed by the casinos with the lowest thresholds, down to 25x.