Wagering is a term you’ll encounter often when playing at online casinos. It’s a condition attached to certain bonuses that specifies how many times you must gamble the bonus amount in order to be able to withdraw any winnings made.

Also known as playthrough or rollover requirements, wagering conditions are a way for casinos to prevent players from abusing their bonus offers. They typically consist of a multiplier and a time frame in which you must meet the requirements, or risk losing your bonus funds.

Despite their complicated nature, understanding wagering requirements is actually quite simple. The first step is to know which games count towards meeting them. Slots, for example, usually contribute at 100% but some tables and video poker games may only contribute 50% or even 0%. You should check out the specific terms and conditions of each casino to see how they calculate their wagering requirements.

The next thing to consider is that any money you win while working toward a wagering requirement will be stored in a ‘pending’ balance until you meet the requirement. This means you’ll have to keep betting in order to meet the requirement, otherwise you could end up with a negative balance. Some casinos will even impose a monthly dormant account fee if your cash balance is too low. As such, it’s essential to understand how wagering requirements work so you can avoid any unwanted surprises down the line.