Online Casino Terms and Conditions

Minimum Deposit and/or Wager

Many casino bonus offers require players to make a minimum deposit to activate the bonus. Usually this is the same as the minimum deposit at the casino itself and is often between $5 and $10.

Additionally, some bonus offers require players to also make a minimum wager before the bonus is activated. This means you need to deposit and then play with a certain amount of money before you receive the bonus.

Example: If a bonus has a minimum deposit and wager of $10, you must deposit and then wager at least $10 to activate that bonus.

Expert insight: We recommend you try to find a bonus with a minimum deposit you are comfortable with. Do not deposit more than you are willing to lose.

Wagering Requirements

Also known as playthrough requirements, this condition requires players to wager their bonus a certain number of times before you can withdraw any potential winnings.

Some casinos have relatively high wagering requirements. We often see licensed casinos with 15x wagering requirements. Seriously consider the wagering requirements before accepting a bonus as they can be difficult to clear.

Example: If you receive $100 in bonus cash and the wagering requirements are 10x, you will have to wager at least $1,000 (100x10) before you can withdraw any potential winnings.

Expert insight: We think that wagering requirements are the most important yet least understood bonus conditions. We recommend that you research how much you would be required to wager before accepting a bonus using Casino.us’ bonus calculator. Never deposit and wager more than you are comfortable with just to clear a bonus.

Game Contribution Rate

Online casinos don’t always treat all their games equally when it comes to terms and conditions. The game contribution rate tells you how much of a wager on a particular game goes towards clearing the bonus.

Generally, online slots contribute 100% towards clearing the bonus. That means every penny of your wager will contribute towards clearing the wagering requirements of the bonus.

Table games, such as blackjack, often contribute either very little (20% or less) or are ineligible towards clearing a bonus’ wagering requirements. This means that it is very important to know the game contribution rates when accepting a bonus as it can be close to impossible to clear a bonus when playing table games.

Example: Let’s say that slots contribute 100%, roulette 20%, and blackjack 0%. If you were to wager $100 on each of those games, the following amounts would contribute towards clearing the bonus wagering requirements:

• Slots – 100% of $100 means that $100 would go towards clearing the bonus
• Roulette – 20% of $100 means that $20 would go towards clearing the bonus
• Blackjack – 0% of $100 means that $0 (zero) would go towards clearing the bonus

Expert insight: Strict game contribution rates mean that it is normally very difficult, if not impossible, to clear a bonus using table games. If you choose to accept a bonus, we recommend playing slots to clear the bonus and using your winnings for any game of your choice.

Game Eligibility

Some bonus offers are exclusively to be used on certain games. This is common on bonus spins offers where the spins can only be used on a specific game.

The opposite is also true as some terms and conditions explicitly exclude selected games or even genres of games. Be sure to read the terms and conditions clearly to find which, if any, games are excluded from contributing towards clearing the bonus.

Example: BetMGM’s welcome bonus cannot be used on any versions of baccarat, roulette, or craps.

Expert insight: We suggest reading the terms and conditions carefully to check which games are excluded from a bonus. We find that there is usually at least a dozen excluded slot titles, so we recommend you check this list before playing.

Time Limits

Most casino promos have time limits as part of their terms and conditions. This means that you must complete the wagering requirements within a certain amount of time.

The time limits can vary wildly between casinos. Most give players at least a week, but we have seen some more generous sites offering 30 days.

Example: The BetRivers bonus terms give players 30 days to clear the bonus wagering requirements. As BetRivers has a 1x wagering requirement, this is very easy to achieve.

Expert insight: We always check the time limits against the wagering requirements. While BetRivers gives you 30 days to clear 1x wagering requirements, Golden Nugget gives players seven days to clear 20x wagering requirements.

Excluded Payments

This is less common to find, but we have seen some casinos exclude players from claiming a bonus if they deposit using certain payment methods.

This is often related to a casino’s Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. Some e-wallets make it hard to verify your age or location and therefore make it difficult for casinos to comply with relevant state laws.

Example: You cannot claim the welcome bonus at Caesars if you deposit using either PayNearMe or by depositing cash at the cage at a local Caesars land-based casino.

Expert insight: Generally, deposits using credit/debit cards or PayPal will always be eligible for the welcome bonus. Be sure to carefully read the terms and conditions before making a deposit.

Net Losses

Many casinos offer a cashback or lossback bonus which returns a certain percentage of your net losses. This means that you would only receive a bonus if you won less than your total wager in the bonus period.

Example: At Monopoly Casino, the welcome bonus gives you a 90% cashback up to $100 bonus. So, if you wagered $100 and won $30, your net loss would be $70. The bonus amount you would therefore receive would be $63 (90% of $70).

Expert insight: We like cashback bonuses because they give you a refund on some of your losses. So, if you win, you keep your winnings, but if you lose, you at least get something back.