How to Meet Bonus Wagering Requirements – The Smart Way

One of the most important differences you’ll run into is whether a bonus is sticky or non-sticky. Casinos use both types, and they don’t necessarily say whether the bonus is ‘sticky’ or ‘non-sticky’, so you’ll have to notice it yourself. This makes a big difference when you’re trying to clear wagering requirements.

In simple terms, this is how they differ:

• Non-sticky bonuses: Your deposit and the bonus are kept separate. You play with your real money or bonus money, and if you win while using your deposit, you can withdraw those winnings without clearing the bonus wagering (the bonus is forfeited if you cash out early).
• Sticky bonuses: Your deposit and bonus are merged into one balance (or ‘stuck’ together). You get one balance, and the wagering requirements apply immediately, which means that you can’t withdraw anything until they’re completed.

Let me explain how this works in practice.

With non-sticky bonuses, your deposit and bonus balance stay separate. That means you play with your own money first, then with the bonus money. If you win while using your deposit, you can withdraw those winnings immediately without clearing the bonus wagering requirements.

For example, imagine you deposit A$100 and receive a 100% non-sticky bonus. Your balance shows A$100 deposit + A$100 bonus. If you manage to turn the A$100 you deposited into A$500 and decide to withdraw, you can do so without completing the bonus wagering. The only catch is that the bonus balance will be forfeited when you cash out.

The wagering requirements will only start applying once you begin using the bonus funds.

With sticky bonuses, your deposit and bonus are combined into a single balance, and the wagering requirements apply right away. Once you claim the bonus, you usually cannot withdraw anything until the wagering requirements are completed.

These offers are usually larger, and you’ll sometimes see deposit match percentages of over 100% of your deposit. So, you’ll have a much larger balance, and the idea is that your larger balance will help you play longer and clear the WR.

Tip from Mike Waters: Personally, I prefer non-sticky bonuses whenever they’re available because they give you more flexibility. If you get lucky early, you can simply withdraw your winnings without being forced to play through the entire wagering requirement.

Another thing I always pay attention to is the RTP (Return to Player) of the game. When you’re trying to clear wagering requirements that can easily reach several thousand dollars in total bets, even a small difference in RTP can have a noticeable impact on your bankroll.

Technically speaking, games like blackjack, baccarat, poker variants, and many instant-win games usually have a higher RTP than pokies. So, you’d think they’re the best choice. The problem is that most casinos either limit their contribution to wagering requirements or exclude them completely, which makes them a bad choice when you’re playing with a bonus.

Because of that, the most realistic option is usually pokies with a high RTP. I generally look for games with 96% RTP or higher, and every extra per cent helps when trying to clear high wagering requirements.

Bet sizing is another thing to watch out for. Most casino bonuses also come with a maximum bet rule, which is typically somewhere around A$5 to A$8 per spin or round. If you exceed that limit while the bonus is active, the casino can void your winnings or simply not count those bets toward the wagering requirement, which completely defeats the purpose of playing the bonus in the first place.

Personally, I prefer keeping my bets at the maximum limit. Obviously, it depends on the bonus size, but if I’ve claimed a A$2,000 bonus, for example, I would use the maximum allowed bet limit to try and clear the bonus faster. You should adjust the bet size according to the bonus size, but never go above the max bet limit.

Let’s say that you have decided to play pokies to try to clear the WR. What types of pokies do you choose? Do you go for low or high volatility games?

Briefly said, high volatility pokies can go a long time without paying anything and then suddenly drop a massive win. Low volatility games, on the other hand, pay smaller amounts more frequently.

The main goal when trying to clear wagering requirements is for your bankroll to survive because you need your balance to last long enough to get through thousands of dollars. So the logical choice is low- or medium-volatility pokies.

They’re generally the safer choice because they produce more frequent, smaller wins. That said, many players still prefer high volatility games during bonuses because just one big win can net you thousands of dollars, which might be enough to survive the wagering.

Both options are valid, so my honest take here is: just choose games with the highest possible RTP and don’t care that much about the volatility. Pokies are games of luck anyway, so volatility alone won’t magically make clearing the wagering easier.

This is probably the most effective advice anyone can give you about wagering requirements: just pick offers with favourable T&Cs.

If you see a sticky bonus with 60x wagering requirements, just don’t take it. That’s a bad deal, and chances are that you won’t be able to clear the WR.

You need to evaluate every aspect of the bonus, like maximum amount, rollover requirements, max bet, time, and more, and decide whether that’s a good bonus or not.

Each bonus has a limit on how much you can bet, and if you bet more than that, your bets won’t count towards the wagering. This is a common mistake, so don’t get greedy by turning up the bet size to the maximum in the game. Even if the max bet in the pokie you play is A$100 per spin, if the bonus T&Cs say that the max eligible bet is A$8, you should stick to A$8.

I already spoke about how different games contribute towards the wagering. I’m well aware that blackjack and baccarat would be the best games to play when using a bonus, but unfortunately, they usually contribute just 10%-20% towards the wagering, or don’t contribute at all. Playing games with low contribution rates is a mistake because you’ll have to wager a lot more to clear the WR.

If a game contributes only 10%, for example, you would need to wager ten times as much as on a pokie that contributes 100%. That means clearing a A$4,000 wagering requirement would turn into A$40,000.

This is probably the most common mistake I see players make. Many people see a huge bonus amount and claim it immediately without thinking twice about the terms. That’s not how you do it.

How are you planning to clear 60x wagering requirements on a sticky bonus on a limited budget? Sure, you can get lucky, but the odds are heavily against you, and there’s a very good chance that not only you won’t clear the bonus, but you’ll lose your deposit, too.

The only way to avoid this mistake is to be aware of every detail and set realistic expectations. If something looks too good to be true, it usually is.