Wagering Requirements — What Are They, and How to Beat Them

Life can’t be easy and free in the betting industry to the extent of someone having to be offered a bonus which they just cash out at once without any terms and conditions attached. Online betting games offer various kinds of bonuses for example free bet no deposit required, of which although they boost your bankroll, you have to fulfil some terms and conditions to be able to withdraw this money as cash for your personal benefit.

This article therefore walks you through important information you need to know about South Africa bonus wagering requirements. This information will help you in your next betting practice if you want to enjoy real cash from your bets.

What Are Wagering Requirements?

A wagering requirement is the number of times you must bet your bonus amount before you claim a real money payout. For example, if you claim a R1,000 bonus and it has 3x wagering requirements, you’ll need to place bets worth R3,000 before withdrawing cash.

As you can imagine, there is a lot more involved beneath the surface. For example, do you bet using the bonus money, the money you’d have deposited, or the total amount? Can you bet the entire R3,000 at one go? Can you bet on any game of your choice? Let’s answer these questions and many more, so you fully understand how wagering requirements work.

Why Do Wagering Requirements Exist?

The fact is that wagering requirements were put in place to ensure that casinos complied with anti-money laundering laws.

If there were no wagering restrictions at online sportsbooks, it would be simple for criminals to clean up their dirty money by making instant deposits and withdrawals.

Can You Avoid Wagering Requirements?

Yes and No are the responses. Yes, if you decide to forego the bonus, claim a bonus with no wagering requirements (like cashback), or play at an online casino that offers wager-free casino bonus deals like wager-free spins, wager-free deposit bonuses, or cashback.

Although most websites still have wagering requirements, you can still utilize techniques to increase your odds of cashing out even when you can’t eliminate them.

What Are Low-Wager Sportsbook Bonus Offers?

Low wagering sportsbook bonus South Africa, is a sportsbook bonus offered in South Africa with a wagering requirement below the industry standard 30x. Anything less than 30x is seen as low in South Africa so you come across a game with wagering requirement of 20x, 10x or 5x, this means it is a low wagering bonus.

You will enjoy the following benefits for using low wagering bonuses;

  • Quicker cash-outs: You will be able to collect your winnings more quickly
  • Easier to understand: High wagering bonuses are frequently accompanied by complex rules that you could find challenging to adhere to.

The following table shows wagering requirements for sports betting bonus of various sportsbooks. The table will help you compare the bonus terms of the listed casinos to find the sportsbook with better wagering bonuses.

SportsbookBonusWagering RequirementsExpiry
YesPlay100% up to R30005x at minimum odds of 1.97 days
SportingbetRisk Free First Bet up to R20001x7 days
HollywoodbetsR25 in Free Bets + 50 Free Spins1x at minimum odds of 0.524 hours
Bet.co.za100% up to R10006x at minimum odds of 1.730 days
World Sports Betting100% up to R10 000 + R50 Free Bet5x at minimum odds of 1.5 7 days
Betway100% up to R1000 as a Free BetNo requirements180 days
SupabetsDeposit Bonuses up to R5000 + R50 Free Bet & 100 Free Spins4x at minimum odds of 1.414 days
GBets100% up to R1000 + R25 Free Sports Bet4x at minimum odds of 0.548 hours

How to Calculate Bonus Wagering Requirement

Your calculation of the bonus wagering requirement will depend on whether the deposit amount is included or excluded from the wagering requirements.

Wagering Requirements Example Including Deposit Amount

We will give you a wagering requirements example as follows;

The wagering requirements in YesPlay are 5x and the sportsbook offers a bonus of R3000. You deposit R20 as the minimum deposit required to activate the bonus. Your calculation for the bonus wagering requirement will include the deposit amount of R20. It means you will first add the bonus amount R3000 to the deposit R20 and multiply with the wagering requirement 5. The mathematical expression is therefore;

R20 (Deposit) + £3000 (Bonus) x 5 (Wagering) = R15100

Wagering Requirements Example Excluding Deposit Amount

Using the same example given above, the difference here is that the deposit amount will be excluded from the calculation thus the mathematical expression becomes;

R3000 (Bonus) x 5 (Wagering) = R15000

From the two example you can see that it’s faster to cash out using the deposit amount excluded as compared to the deposit amount included.

How Do I Beat Online Sportsbook Wagering Requirements?

If you want to wager smartly in consideration of the following points, you will have mastered the art of how to beat wagering requirements and have some cash left over to withdraw

  • Choose a bonus promotion with low wagering requirement.
  • Figure out the expiry date so that you won’t miss on utilising the opportunity
  • Find all eligible games being offered by the sportbook in the expiry window period.
  • Place maximum allowed bets on each, and have fun in the process, as a cash payout is never guaranteed.

Other Terms May Affect Wagering Requirements

Although it’s key to consider the wagering requirements, take note that other issues need to be considered as well as they also affect your ability to get a real money payout.

  • Minimum odds –  Some bonuses require you to wager on odds of at least a certain number. Certainly, it would be easy to clear a bonus into withdrawable cash if you were allowed to place it on a favourable betting odd such as -500 for example.
  • Bonus money first – Check whether the casino you chose requires you to play using your own money which you deposited or the extra bonus money given to you.
  • Expiry date – Most bonuses lose their validity after a specific period of time. Often, you risk losing the bonus money if you haven’t met the wagering requirements by this time.
  • Max bet while wagering – Sadly, you cannot quickly satisfy the wagering requirements by placing large wagers. Instead, you can only wager a certain amount at a time. You need to be aware of the size of the max bet to be wagered.
  • Minimum bet size – The terms may dictate a minimum bet size in order to qualify, so make sure to keep an eye out and ensure that this minimum bet size fits within your budget and allows you to play comfortably.
  • Eligible sports/games – These are the sports or games included in the sportsbook which apply to the bonus condition. Take note to check out these sports and games so that you are aware of where to utilise your bonus.

Conclusion

In conclusion, wagering requirements are important to protect sportsbooks from breaching anti-money laundering laws and prevent criminals from abusing the system. Calculating the bonus wagering requirement reveals that it beneficial to chose a deal where the deposit amount is excluded rather included.

While it is possible to avoid wagering requirements by forgoing bonuses or playing at sportsbooks that offer wager-free deals, it’s more viable in the long run, to learn how to beat wagering requirements South Africa by closely checking the terms and conditions for eligible games, minimum odds, expiry dates, maximum bets and more in sportsbooks offered in South Africa.