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Casino bonus wagering calculator
Put in the four numbers a welcome offer actually runs on — deposit, match, cap, wagering multiple — and this tells you the bonus you really receive, the turnover you owe, and roughly what clearing it is expected to cost you. The percentage on the banner is the least important number on this page.
By Ali Hasanli · 18+ · Nothing is sent anywhere; the maths runs in your browser. Your cashier's terms beat any calculator. How I write.
Your offer
Start from a real welcome offer, or type your own numbers.
What that means
- Bonus credited
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- Effective match
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- Turnover required
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- Expected cost to clear
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Expected cost is an average over the whole turnover, not a prediction of your session. Variance is the whole point of a slot: you can finish ahead or lose the lot well before the target.
What each field is hiding
Bonus cap
The cap is the number that decides your bonus, not the percentage. JoyCasino's smallest first-deposit band is 200% with a $25 cap. Deposit $10 and 200% gives $20, which fits under the cap, so you genuinely get 200%. Deposit $20 and the arithmetic wants $40 — you receive $25. The effective match collapses to 125%. Every offer has a deposit size where the percentage stops being real, and this calculator shows you where it is.
Wagering base
One sentence in the terms doubles your work. "30x the bonus" on a $50 bonus is $1,500 of bets. "30x deposit plus bonus" on a $50 deposit and $50 bonus is $3,000. Same sticker, twice the turnover. This is the single line I check before I opt in, and it is the one most pages skip.
Game contribution
Slots usually count 100%. Live tables, roulette and video poker often count 10% or 20%, and some games count nothing at all. At 10% contribution, a $1,500 target means $15,000 of actual bets. If you planned to clear a welcome on blackjack, check this number before the deposit, not after.
RTP
Return to player is how the expected cost gets calculated. A 96% slot keeps about 4 cents of every dollar wagered, on average, over a long run. Push $1,500 through it and the house edge is expected to take about $60. That is why a "free" $50 bonus can be worth less than nothing once you price the turnover — and why a lower wagering multiple on a small bonus often beats a fat headline match.
Two offers, run through the calculator
| JoyCasino, small band | Casino-X, step 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | $20 | $50 |
| Match on the banner | 200% | 100% |
| Cap | $25 | $50 |
| Bonus you receive | $25 | $50 |
| Effective match | 125% | 100% |
| Wagering | ×25 | ×30 |
| Turnover on the bonus | $625 | $1,500 |
| Expected cost at 96% RTP | ~$25 | ~$60 |
The louder offer is the smaller one, and it is the only one of the two whose expected clearing cost does not exceed the bonus. Neither is a reason to deposit money you were not going to risk anyway. Both ladders are written out in full in the JoyCasino five-deposit note and why Casino-X's 400% is twelve deposits.
Questions people actually type
How do you calculate wagering requirements?
Multiply the wagering base by the multiple. 30x on a $50 bonus is $1,500. If the base is deposit plus bonus, add the deposit in first. Then divide by the game contribution: at 20%, that $1,500 target needs $7,500 of real bets.
Why is my bonus smaller than the advertised percentage?
The cap cut it. You wager whatever bonus actually arrived, never the fantasy bonus the percentage implied.
Does clearing a bonus cost money?
On average, yes — the house edge applies to every dollar of turnover. That expected cost is what the fourth box above is showing you. A bonus is worth taking when the expected cost of the turnover is comfortably under the bonus, and when you were going to play that volume regardless.
Is a lower wagering multiple always better?
No. A x15 multiple on a bonus you did not want is still turnover you have to produce. Size the offer against the bankroll you already decided to risk, then check whether the terms let you clear it on games you actually enjoy.
Related: 30x wagering, worked through by hand · JoyCasino vs Casino-X welcome · JoyCasino review · Casino-X review