Wagering: where an offer meets the house edge
Updated: October 2026 · Rastislav Bednár
Wagering, also called playthrough or turnover, is the amount you must stake before bonus funds become real money. It is the single most important line in any offer, and it is entirely about games: what you stake, on which titles, at what contribution rate and at what house edge. The multiples Zodiac uses for its current offers are set by the operator and can change; this page explains the method that lets you evaluate any of them.
Three parts of every requirement
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Multiple | how many times the base must be staked |
| Base | bonus only, or deposit plus bonus — the latter doubles the stakes for a 100 per cent match |
| Contribution | the share of each stake that counts, by game type |
Contribution by game type
Contribution tables commonly let slots count in full, while roulette, blackjack, baccarat, video poker and live dealer games count partly or not at all. The reason is the house edge. European roulette with a single zero has a house edge of 2.70 per cent; basic-strategy blackjack can be lower still. If those games counted fully, clearing wagering would cost very little. A reduced contribution evens that out: at 10 per cent contribution, 100 units of roulette stakes count as only 10 units of wagering, which multiplies the real cost by ten. Bonus-buy features and certain jackpot slots are often excluded altogether. Always read the table — rates differ between operators and between offers.
The cost formula
Expected cost of wagering ≈ stakes needed × house edge of the game. A hypothetical example in neutral units: a requirement of 3,000 units on a slot with a 96 per cent return (house edge about 4 per cent) costs about 120 units on average. On a slot with 94 per cent, the same requirement costs about 180. On a table game counting 20 per cent, you would need 15,000 units of stakes; even with a 1.5 per cent edge, that is about 225 units. Compare the result with the bonus amount: if the cost exceeds the bonus, the offer loses money on average. The return figure of a specific slot is in its info panel, and it can differ between operators because many studios ship several return settings — see the slot guide.
Volatility and finishing the requirement
The formula gives an average; volatility decides how likely you are to get there. On a calm slot, the balance moves in small steps and usually survives long enough to finish. On a volatile slot, the balance often hits zero early, and only some sessions finish with a large win. The maximum bet rule stops you from compensating with big stakes. If you enjoy volatile titles, accept that most attempts will end before the target — or play them with cash instead.
Mistakes that void progress
- Playing excluded games or a bonus-buy feature with bonus funds.
- Exceeding the maximum bet, even once.
- Letting the deadline pass with the requirement unfinished.
- Withdrawing the deposit while a bonus is active, if the terms forfeit the bonus.
Read the general bonus terms for the clauses behind these rules and compare offers on the bonus hub. The game catalogue helps you match titles to the contribution table.