Low Wagering Casino Bonus – UK’s Top Bonuses with Low Requirements

On this page, we give a simple, yet the accurate explanation of what the wagering requirement is, and why it is essential. We also reveal the relation of the playthrough requirement to other casino terms and conditions, such as the game contribution and bonus validity. We give hints on how to select the best bonuses based on all terms combined and shortlist some of the best low wagering bonus offers available to online players. Stay tuned to find out more on each of these points in the following paragraphs.

Bonus Wagering Requirement in a Nutshell

First things first, let’s have the wagering requirement explained to you, and why it is so important. When online operators offer bonuses to new users, in most cases they also require a certain betting commitment before the player could withdraw the bonus or any earnings made from wagering the bonus money. That is the number of times you must bet the bonus amount before you can cash it out. For example, in a casino T&C, you can read that a bonus is subject to the 30x playthrough requirement. Looking at it from this angle, the lower the playthrough, the better, as this means a lesser betting commitment. You can check the low risk casino operators which are great for a begginer!

In theory, with a low wagering requirement, if you win something when betting bonus money, you’d be able to withdraw the winnings sooner. However, that is not always the case scenario because other terms also matter a lot. These terms put the balance of the offer elsewhere, and no term alone is good or bad per se. Note that it is a legal obligation of all online casinos in the UK to be transparent and display the wagering requirement and all other terms associated with the casino promotions. Nevertheless, it is the player’s responsibility to get familiar with these terms.

How Does the Low Wagering Requirement Help Players?

Let’s say you sign up with an online casino that offers a 100% bonus match to your first deposit, up to £100. If you deposit £100 and claim the bonus, you’ll have £200 available for betting in your account. Half of them will be your actual money, and the other half will be the bonus money. Depending on the wagering requirement, however, you might have to bet quite a lot before the bonus can be cashed out. With a 20x playthrough, you must bet £2000, and with a 45x requirement that amount becomes £4500. £2K is a much smaller amount and seems to be a more reasonable betting commitment. That said, it’s understandable if you prefer to keep a lid on your spending and go for a £5 minimum deposit casino.

How Relevant Is the Bonus Amount?

The way the wagering requirement is described should be self-explanatory. It essentially multiplies the bonus amount a given number of times to define the required betting amount. Keep that multiplier in mind and remember that both the amount and the multiplier affect the final number. Let’s use the example again from above. If our bonus amount is £100 and the playthrough is 45x, we must wager £4500 before a withdrawal is allowed. However, if the maximum bonus is £200 and the playthrough is 30x, the total bets required are £6000. That said, even at a lower playthrough, if the bonus amount itself is very high you might have to bet more to meet the total bet requirement.

Playthrough Requirement and Bonus Validity

Another term that must be carefully considered is the bonus validity. Some casinos can give you up to 90 days to meet the wagering requirement. At some venues it can be unlimited, i.e. there’s no time pressure involved at all. However, we’ve seen seemingly generous bonuses with 14-day validity, meaning that your average daily spend at the casino must increase if you want to meet the playthrough. Since the wagering requirement is not subject to negotiation, the only way to make the total spend reasonable is to make a smaller deposit and get a smaller bonus. The conclusion here is that you should aim at the bonus offers that allow a reasonable spend within the acceptable time frame.

The Importance of Game Contribution

Perhaps the most important term that’s closely connected to the wagering requirement is the game contribution. In the majority of the cases, different casino games contribute differently to the playthrough. Therefore, it is important to opt-in for bonuses that allow you to play your favourite games. After all, what good is a high bonus amount, if it can only be spent on games you are not interested in? As for the math, low contribution is essentially a higher playthrough in terms of absolute bet amount. For instance, if a game has a 25% contribution, you have to bet four times more compared to 100% contributing games, as each bet counts with the only ¼ of its value.

Quite often slots have 100% contribution, except for jackpots and progressive jackpots. With table and live dealer games, however, things can vary a lot per casino. Some operators offer welcome bonuses with 10% – 25% contribution of blackjack and roulette to the welcome bonus playthrough. Others have separate offers that are tailored to table and live game fans, and the contribution is 100%. Welcome bonuses are ubiquitous, and are also the most advertised ones. However, if the welcome bonus is not offering what you need, then feel free to look for other promotions – online casinos usually have more than one. For more information, we recommend checking our detailed list of the best casino bonuses list.

No Wagering Requirement – Could It Be as Low as Zero?

You are probably contemplating if it’s possible to find a bonus that has no wagering requirement attached. Such promo offers are a rarity, but there are good opportunities here and there. Cash bonuses that add bonus money on top of your deposit amount are rarely free of playthrough requirements. No wagering bonuses are usually in the form of free spins, offered either separately or in addition to a deposit bonus. The player uses the number of free spins allowed without further commitment, and winnings from the free spins can be withdrawn without restriction. PlayOJO is a good example of no wagering casino. More on this thread can be found on our page dedicated to no wagering bonuses.

Best Low Wagering Bonuses in UK Compared

As mentioned in the paragraphs above, the number of related factors doesn’t allow us to isolate the wagering requirement and rate bonuses based on this term alone. Therefore, when rating a bonus offer, we consider at least four important elements:

1. Maximum bonus amount;
2. Playthrough requirement;
3. Bonus validity;
4. Game contribution;

As you can guess, different promo offers excel in different areas, and you can hardly find a balanced bonus that scores equally well on all criteria. Some are more generous but require a more serious commitment. Others offer smaller amounts, but there aren’t too many strings attached. Furthermore, personal preferences also determine where the balance is, especially when it comes to game contribution.

The Best Low Wagering Casino Bonus Offers in UK

Based on the criteria mentioned above, we nominate the 888casino free play offer for the best low wagering bonus. Although the no deposit bonus of 88 free spins is not one of the biggest ones, it is available immediately after signing up, and there’s no deposit required. Furthermore, you can still take advantage of their £100 welcome bonus with your first deposit. The wagering requirement is not the smallest you can get, but we think 30x is quite reasonable, especially compared to the average for the online gaming industry. Moreover, the playthrough requirement for the no deposit free spins is really low – only 1x. Quite a lot of casinos require 45x playthrough and above, and some operators can go as high as 75x. Another advantage of the 888casino no deposit bonus is that it has 14 days validity, which is rather attractive given that most bonuses expire in 30 days or even sooner.

Another plus is the game contribution. It varies greatly across the board, but at least there are no excluded games. Also, the casino has a good game collection so that you can find a favourite game playable with bonus money. Besides, with all criteria summed up, the no deposit bonus at 888casino takes the lead because of the reasonable gameplay commitment. The playthrough, the bonus amount, and the bonus validity combined, result in average daily bets within the three-figure range. That is an excellent offer given that seemingly generous bonuses from other operators have terms applied that require four-figure and even five-figure bets per day to beat the playthrough. To sum it up, the reasonable overall betting commitment and the fact that there’s no deposit required to make this bonus very attractive. To learn more about 888casino, please check our review of the operator.

Final Thoughts

Many would probably ask what good is a bonus if the casino would take more than it would give? The best way to answer that is to remind that operators offer bonuses to encourage gameplay. That said, the best approach is to think of the bonus as of a free play opportunity, and not a monetary reward. It’s also a good way to test games that don’t have free demo versions in your casino. You can spend bonus money betting on a game, and if you decide it’s not among your favourites, at least, you won’t lose anything. The essential thing is to remember to check all applicable terms to make sure the bonus is worth opting in for.

Commonly Asked Questions

We hope we managed to include all the essential facts about the importance of the wagering requirement. If there’s still something that needs clarifying, check the FAQ below. There we answer the most common questions about casino bonus terms.

More Excellent Casino Promotions Available in Our Bonus Guides

We hope that our low-wagering bonus guide has helped you find the right promotion for you. Once again, we would like to remind you to gamble responsibly and to always read the promotional terms and conditions. Meanwhile, if you are looking for more details, and offers about a specific type of game, such as slots, you may also visit our best slots casinos guide. Before that though, it might be a good idea to read how to find a trusted online casino and what you should look for. You can also check which are the top PayPal casino sites since it is the payment method most gamblers preffer. We also advise you, however, to take your time to revise the bonus guides that we have selected for you: