Marketing
Wagering Requirement
Definition
The amount a player must stake before bonus funds or winnings from them can be withdrawn, usually expressed as a multiple of the bonus.
Why it matters
A wagering requirement, sometimes called a playthrough, converts a bonus from a gift into a conditional offer. A 100 bonus with 30x wagering requires 3,000 of stakes before withdrawal. Game weighting complicates it further: slots often count fully toward the requirement while table games count a fraction or nothing, so the effective hurdle depends on what the player actually plays. The higher the requirement and the tighter the weighting, the lower the real value of the bonus.
This is one of the most complained-about mechanics in online gambling, because the headline number is prominent while the conditions are not. Regulators in several mature markets have intervened, requiring clearer presentation of terms, limiting the ability to void winnings for breaching them, and in some cases restricting the structures entirely. For operators the requirement is the control that makes bonusing economic, since without it a bonus is simply cash and bonus abuse becomes trivial.