The best thing that can happen to a casino player is, of course, a large win. But second best? Generous bonuses—especially those with low or no wagering requirements. So how do you find the best wagering requirements casinos? In this article, we'll explain what wagering requirements are, the jargon surrounding them, and examine which South African online casinos offer the best terms.

What Are Wagering Requirements?

It's not new in the online casino scene for players to receive bonus money when playing slots—either as a welcome bonus for registering or as a loyalty reward. On special occasions or holidays, promotions are quite common too. Loyal players are usually rewarded with deposit bonuses, free spins, or even no-wagering bonuses.

When they give these bonuses, they tend to have wagering requirements. What this means is that you need to wager your bonus money a certain number of times before you can withdraw it as real cash.

Example: You deposit R1,000 at a casino that offers a 100% welcome bonus. You have R1,000 real money and R1,000 bonus money. If the wagering requirement is 25x the deposit, you will need to wager R25,000 (25 x 1,000) before you can withdraw your bonus winnings.

Generally speaking, the higher the bonus, the higher the wagering requirement. For the majority of online welcome bonuses, you can expect wagering conditions to range between 20x and 50x your deposit. That being said, there are casinos with lower—or higher—requirements.

Wagering requirements tend to work as follows:

  • Small bonuses = Lower requirements (20x or so)
  • Medium bonuses = Standard requirements (30x or so)
  • Large bonuses = Higher requirements (40x or more)

Although it doesn't always stick to this pattern, these are general trends. Most casinos allow you to track your wagering progress on your profile page or you can ask support via live chat.

Why Do Wagering Requirements Exist?

If it were so simple as to sign up to get a deposit bonus, casinos would quickly lose money. Players could simply take the bonus and withdraw the free cash. Casinos introduced wagering requirements to help ensure that bonuses are spent on the site.

Players must meet these requirements before they can cash out any real money. The requirements vary from bonus to bonus, game to game, and casino to casino. That is why it's vital to read through the terms and conditions carefully before claiming any promotion.

Bonuses With No Wagering Requirements

Getting a bonus with no wagering requirements is the holy grail for the majority of casino players—but it's rare. They are typically reserved for the most loyal or high-stakes players.

Most offers carry wagering requirements of 20x to 50x, and must be fulfilled within a certain period of time. While 30 days is standard, some casinos will give you only 7 days to meet the conditions. 

Depending on how much time you're given and how high the wagering amount is, it can be easy, reasonably challenging, or virtually impossible to complete a bonus. That's what makes it so vital to read the bonus conditions.

If you're lucky enough to find a no-wagering bonus, you don't need to worry about rolling over your balance. Most of the time, you'll only need to play through your balance once before withdrawing to satisfy anti-money laundering conditions. If that's the case, then just enjoy your winnings and withdraw after one cycle of play.

Some casinos in South Africa offer multiple welcome bonuses—some with wagering requirements and others without. For instance, a casino may offer a 100% deposit bonus with high wagering conditions, or a smaller cashback offer with no strings attached. You’ll need to choose the bonus that best fits your playing style and preferences. Again—always read the terms and compare offers.

Free Spins Without Wagering Requirements

It's less common to find free spin offers with no wagering requirement. Some online casinos give you these spins as a reward for your first deposit. For example, Guts Casino often offers wager-free free spins, so you get to keep everything that you win—no strings attached.

Perfect for players who want to test a casino's games without needing to commit to real money play.

How to Win With Wagering Requirements

Always read the terms before accepting any bonus. Though we strive to stay current, South African casinos reserve the right to change terms at any time.

In a few instances, only specific games contribute towards meeting wagering requirements. So check which games apply, what the wagering multiple is, and how long you have to complete it.

It can be complicated—and sometimes it is. That is why you want to know these things before you sign up at multiple casinos. Our goal is to provide you with the information you need so that you can make smart decisions about casino bonuses.

Ultimately, it's up to you which bonuses you choose to take, what conditions you're willing to meet, and how much time you're willing to invest in getting them done. But if we can make you more aware of how online casinos work—particularly how wagering requirements and bonuses function—we feel we've done our job.

If you don't feel like opening an account, you may try South African no-account casinos, where you can play slots with low wagering requirements and fast gameplay without time-consuming signup processes.