What is a casino bonus really worth?

A bonus is not free money. Before it can be withdrawn it has to be staked a number of times - the wagering requirement - and every stake costs the house edge on average. This calculator shows the turnover a bonus demands, what that turnover costs on average and what is left of the bonus afterwards.

How the numbers work

turnover = wagering requirement × amount it applies to ÷ game contribution
expected cost = turnover × (1 − RTP)
what the bonus is worth = bonus − expected cost

Take a bonus of 20 with a 10x requirement on the bonus, played on a slot with 96% RTP. You must stake 200 in total. The slot keeps 4% of every stake on average, so that turnover costs 8 and the bonus is worth about 12, not 20.

The same bonus at 35x needs a turnover of 700, which costs 28 on average: the bonus is worth less than nothing, -8, and the difference comes out of your own deposit. A 35x bonus only breaks even on a game that returns 97.14% or more.

The terms that change the answer

• What the requirement applies to. "Bonus + deposit" doubles the turnover of a matched bonus compared with "bonus only".
• Game contribution. Games that count 10% toward wagering need ten times the turnover.
• Maximum bet while a bonus is active, expiry and maximum win or cash-out caps can remove what is left.
• Where you are. In Great Britain, wagering requirements have been capped at 10 times since January 2026. In Brazil, authorised operators may not offer sign-up bonuses at all; a site that does is a warning sign.

Before you accept any bonus

• Read the full terms and decide whether you would deposit anyway. A bonus that makes you play longer than you planned costs more than it gives.
• Use only operators licensed where you live - see the legal map.
• Set deposit and time limits first. Free help is on the safer play page.