Best Low Wagering Casino Bonuses

Why Low Wagering Bonuses are a Good Thing for Players

By seeking out a low wagering casino bonus, you won’t have to splash the cash like a high roller in order to claim any bonus-related winnings, and you can potentially give yourself a better chance to not only withdraw money more quickly but also make a profit on that initial bonus.

There’s greater transparency than ever before when it comes to wagering requirements, and our team is always on the hunt for low wagering casinos offering the best deals for players.

Low wagering bonuses are generally expected to offer wagering requirements of 25x or under, while the average wagering requirement across all casino bonuses is around 35x. However, some casinos with low wagering have requirements as low as 5x or 10x — or you might even find a deal with no wagering requirements — making it more likely you’ll be able to turn a bonus into withdrawable cash.

Of course, you have to win in order for that to happen, and casino games are always games of chance. While low wagering bonuses offer an easier route to withdrawing winnings than typical bonuses, they in no way make it easier to win.

How Do Wagering Requirements Work?

A wagering requirement is the number of times players must wager their bonus before they’re able to withdraw any bonus money, or any winnings resulting from that bonus. Whether players win or lose these wagers is irrelevant when it comes to fulfilling the wagering requirements — all that matters is that players stake the total amount required within the time limits.

Wagering Requirement Examples

Let’s say you sign up for an online casino that offers a bonus of 100% up to €100 on your first deposit. This means that, by depositing €100, you’ll get another €100 from the casino as a bonus. But there’s a 30x wagering requirement applied to the bonus, which means you’ll have to wager a total of €3,000 (30 x €100) before you can make a withdrawal request.

Wagering requirements will similarly apply to winnings generated by using free spins bonuses on the slots.

Typical wagering requirements are somewhere between 25x–40x the value of the bonus, but this will depend entirely on the quality of the bonus and the generosity of the casino. In some instances, wagering requirements will apply to both the value of the bonus plus the amount of the deposit, meaning players will encounter much steeper rates.

Low wagering bonuses will have requirements that sit in that sweet spot below 25x — the lower the wagering requirement, the better the bonus. 

If we continue with the above example of 100% up to €100 on an initial deposit, we can see how low and high wagering requirements compare. A bonus of this kind with a 40x wagering requirement would mean a total of €4,000 would need to be wagered; by contrast, a friendlier condition of 20x wagering would require a total of €2,000.

This illustrates just how pivotal wagering requirements are to the overall quality of a casino bonus, and why casino players need to be mindful of them if they’re interested in withdrawing any bonus-associated winnings.

Other Wagering Considerations

There are other conditions to bear in mind. For example, if there’s a time limit, players will need to meet the wagering requirements before the time runs out — depending on the casino, this could be a matter of days or weeks. 

Additionally, not all wagers on casino games will equally contribute to the requirements. As a general rule, any wagers made on the slots will often contribute 100% towards the requirements, but wagering on other games such as roulette or blackjack may only contribute a small amount, or sometimes even nothing at all.

For example, if the online casino has stipulated that blackjack contributes 10% towards the wagering requirement, a €100 wager on blackjack will only contribute €10 towards the requirements.

This is why savvy players will want to look out for low wagering casino sites which make it easier to capitalise on any cash you win with a bonus.

Low Wagering vs No Wagering Casino Bonuses

Low wagering casino sites will require you to play through the bonus money a smaller number of times than other casinos. But can you actually find bonuses that come with no wagering requirements whatsoever? Like the proverbial free lunch, it sounds too good to be true, but these kinds of “no strings attached” offers do exist — it’s just a matter of seeking them out.

Chances are, a no wagering casino bonus will be considerably smaller than a low wagering casino bonus. Depending on the casino, you may receive the no wagering bonus in different ways. Some will only provide it in the form of free spins, such as 10 or 20 no wagering free spins for example.

Others may gift you a small amount of cash in proportion to how much you deposit, such as a €5 no wagering bonus. Low wagering offers will usually reward higher bonus amounts than these no wagering offers.

Qualities to Look Out For

When seeking out the best casinos with low wagering, you’ll want to look out for:

• Wagering requirements that are around 25x or below;
• Longer timeframes for fulfilling the wagering requirements;
• Low wagering casinos which allow your favourite games to contribute to wagering requirements;
• Low wagering casinos with the highest maximum cap on winnings from bonuses;
• Low wagering casinos that accept your chosen deposit method, as e-wallet services like Skrill and Neteller can sometimes be excluded.

Games at Low Wagering Casinos

Let’s take a look at how low wagering bonuses apply to a variety of different casino games. 

Slots

Wagering requirements work a little differently on slot games. Here, the wagering requirements of a bonus will apply to the winnings gained off the back of a free spin bonus. For example, if a bonus had a 20x wagering requirement and rewarded you with 100 free spins, and those free spins generated a payout of €50, you’d need to wager a total of €1000 (20 x 50) before you can withdraw your winnings.

Playing a video slot almost always contributes 100% to the wagering requirement conditions, and if you want to get through the requirements quickly, consider playing at a slot with a high return to player (RTP) percentage. 

Table Games

Table games such as roulette and blackjack can also be subject to low wagering bonuses. However, not all online casinos accept playthrough requirements in their entirety on table games, so you may find that wagering your bonus at the roulette wheel will only contribute to a small portion of the wagering. 

Live Casino

Some casinos only allow real money wagering at live casino tables, largely due to the high cost of running these games from purpose-built studios or real casinos. For casinos that do allow bonus wagering on live tables, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to chip away at your wagering requirements on live dealer games, so be sure to check the small print of the bonus.

Low Wagering at New Online Casinos

Online gambling is an incredibly competitive market. To stand out from the crowd, and to compete for market share against some of the dominant names in the business, new online casinos will often offer new and existing players some generous bonus offers to get their foot in the door.

This competition is great news for you, as these casinos will look to shower you with generous bonuses and some of the lowest wagering requirements around.

Low Wagering Casino Bonus Considerations

While a low wagering casino bonus can certainly provide a better deal for players, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that even a low wagering requirement is still a wagering requirement, and that these bonuses cannot be considered “free money” — even if the hype can sometimes make it sound that way.

As it can be tricky to make a profit on a welcome bonus, a sensible approach is to be realistic and regard such bonuses simply as extra gambling credits that you can use to enjoy playing your favourite games, rather than cash money in the conventional sense.

Other Terms and Conditions

In the same way that low wagering bonuses aren’t the only bonus types on offer, wagering requirements aren’t the only conditions you’ll come across. Here are some of the other T&Cs to look out for. 

Time Limits

Wagering requirements often come tied to time limits, which will determine a time frame in which you must satisfy the playthrough requirements. If you don’t manage to beat the clock, your bonus will unfortunately become void.

Game Weightings

Casino sites will sometimes restrict the amount at which wagers on certain games will contribute to satisfying the wagering requirements, in a condition known as game weightings. As a general rule, wagering your bonus at online slots will almost always contribute in full to the wagering requirements, while table games may be weighted under much stricter terms, sometimes as little as 10%.  

Winning Caps

Winning caps place a concrete ceiling on certain games and certain bonuses, meaning that once you’ve reached this limit, you won’t be able to gain any further successes. Rather than seeing winning caps as a restriction to your bonus, treat it as a healthy built-in limiter — after all, if you’ve reached the cap, you’ve probably had a good day’s betting!

Payment Exclusions

There are a number of ways in which you can pay for a bet, but casino bonuses sometimes exclude some of these options as part of their T&Cs. Make sure you’re preferred payment method is eligible under the bonus.

Advantages of a Low Wagering Casino Bonus

The clear advantage of signing up with Irish casinos with low wagering is you won’t have to place as many wagers, and risk as much cash, in order to withdraw any hard-earned winnings from the welcome bonus. Simply put, you’ll have a higher probability of winning real money from the bonus.

Low wagering casino sites are particularly good for those with smaller pots to play with, as well as occasional gamblers and online casino newbies who don’t want to feel obliged to play for a long time.

By browsing our list of trustworthy casinos, all of which are licensed and regulated by governing bodies, you can compare low wagering casino sites that offer the best possible deal for you.

Disadvantages of Low Wagering Casino Bonuses

As we’ve seen, low wagering casino sites have clear perks for players. On the other hand, it’s worth noting they may not be ideal for everyone. Take seasoned gamblers and high rollers who aren’t so concerned about withdrawing bonus winnings in the shortest possible time.

These are the kinds of players who may not be so concerned about wagering requirements. If you’re a high roller, you may prefer a bonus with larger wagering requirements that rewards a large amount of bonus credits or free spins.

Indeed, if you’re a frequent online gambler looking for the biggest possible pot to play with, you may prefer to go for the larger bonus match percentages (such as a bonus of 200% of your first deposit) that tend to have higher wagering requirements attached.

As with so much in the world of gambling, it’s a very subjective thing, and the best decision will depend on your budget, the time you have for playing and what brings you the most enjoyment.

Other Bonus Types

Online casinos are always looking to entice new players to their site, and low wagering bonuses aren’t the only method they use to do this. Here are some other bonus types you might be offered. 

No Deposit Bonuses

No deposit bonuses function in the same way as matched deposits but don’t require any deposit on the casino player’s behalf. These are valuable casino bonuses, but their quality is often hindered by the wagering requirements.

Reload Bonuses

The most generous one-off casino bonuses always come following an initial deposit, but it’s the subsequent bonuses to existing customers that often bring the most value to casino players. These bonuses are known as reloads, with players ‘reloading’ their account with funds and triggering a bonus in the process.

Payment Options

Here are some of your banking options at a low wagering casino. 

Debit Cards

Debit cards such as Visa have been the most widely used method at online casinos ever since they first appeared. Accepted at almost every casino site, debit cards offer high limits on deposits and withdrawals, but are no doubt the slowest option in terms of payout speeds. Players can typically expect their winnings to appear in their account following a withdrawal request in 2-5 working days. 

e-Wallets

e-Wallets such as Neteller, Skrill, and PayPal rank as the second most popular payment option at online casinos, with high limits on both deposits and withdrawals and the ability to process fast payments. e-Wallet providers can facilitate a transfer of funds from casino operator to player within 24 hours, and in some cases, this can even be done instantly. These services also involve minimal data exchange at the point of transaction — players aren’t required to reveal any sensitive bank or card information.

Pay by Phone Bill

This payment option adds any cost you incur at an online casino to your monthly phone bill. Boku is the leader in this space, connecting online casinos to mobile network providers, with the latter paying for your bet on your behalf, before charging it back to you in your monthly phone bill.

By placing bets with just your mobile number, pay by mobile services offer great convenience and rapid speeds, but there are strict limits on deposits, and no opportunities to withdraw funds. 

Prepaid Cards

Another payment option is a prepaid card — a service that works similarly to a credit card, but can facilitate fast or even instant payouts. Paysafecard is a popular example of a prepaid card used among online casino players, with transactions authorised via a 16-digit PIN. Paysafecard also has the added benefit of an additional Mastercard, which allows users to spend their casino winnings at any outlet that accepts Mastercard payments. 

Trustly

Low wagering casinos may also make use of Trustly — an online payments system that allows users to send funds directly from one bank account to another. There’s no need to create a Trustly account, since casino players can authorise deposits by using their registered bank information.

In terms of speed, Trustly deposits are instant, but withdrawals can take anywhere up to two working days — it’s worth noting that this is still significantly faster than your average debit card payouts.