Game weighting casino bonus terms explained

What game weighting means on a casino bonus

Game weighting is a rule in bonus terms that gives each type of game a contribution rate. When you play with an active bonus, the casino multiplies each stake by that rate before adding it to your wagering requirement progress. A rate of 100% counts the full bet. A rate of 20% counts a fifth of it. A rate of 0% means the game is excluded and doesn’t help at all.

Weighting doesn’t change the game or your chances in it. It changes only how quickly the bonus moves towards being withdrawable. If you are new to the idea of playthrough, read how wagering requirements work first.

Why casinos weight games differently

The reason is the house edge. Wagering is meant to keep a bonus in play long enough for the edge to recover part of its cost. Games with a very small edge recover little. Blackjack played with basic strategy has an edge of around 0.5% on common rule sets, while many slots sit around 3% to 6%. If every game counted equally, the cheapest way through a requirement would always be a low-edge table game, so casinos reduce the weighting or exclude those games.

Rules vary between game versions, and the live figure is in each game’s help screen. Our guide to low house edge games lists more examples.

Typical game weighting in casino bonus terms

There is no standard UK weighting table; each casino writes its own. The pattern below is common across the market and is useful for planning, but treat it as an illustration and rely on the figures in the terms you are actually agreeing to.

How weighting changes the bets you need

To find the real stakes needed, divide the wagering target by the weighting as a decimal. Take a £20 bonus with 10x wagering. The target is £200.

• On a slot counting 100%: £200 ÷ 1.0 = £200 of spins.
• On roulette counting 20%: £200 ÷ 0.2 = £1,000 of bets.
• On blackjack counting 10%: £200 ÷ 0.1 = £2,000 of hands.
• On a live game show counting 0%: no amount of play completes it.

Now combine weighting with the edge. £1,000 of European roulette at 2.7% has an average cost of £27, more than the £20 bonus. £200 of a 96% slot has an average cost of about £8. So the weighting is often set so that table play is the more expensive route on average, not the cheaper one. Our step-by-step guide on how to calculate wagering requirements applies the same sums to other offers.

These are long-run averages. Any single session can finish well above or below them, and losing the whole bonus is common.

Playing more than one game with an active bonus

Progress is added bet by bet, so mixed play is simply the sum of each contribution. Suppose you need £250 of progress and spend £150 on a 100% slot and £200 on roulette at 10%. Progress is £150 + £20 = £170, leaving £80 to go. Reaching that on the slot means £80 more; on roulette it would mean £800 more. Most casinos show the running figure in the bonus area of your account, which is the easiest way to confirm that the weighting is being applied as the terms describe.

Excluded games and restricted bets

Some games are listed as excluded rather than weighted. Common reasons are a very high RTP, a progressive jackpot, or a feature that would let a bonus be cleared at low cost. Playing an excluded game can do more than fail to count: some terms say bonus winnings from excluded games can be removed. See why some games are excluded from bonuses for the wider reasons.

Terms may also restrict betting patterns, such as covering almost every number on roulette to wager with little risk. Casumo’s headline terms say game, play and payment restrictions apply, which is the sort of wording that points to these lists. Breaking them can lead to voided winnings.

How to find the weighting in casino bonus terms

1. Open the full terms from the offer, not just the summary under the banner.
2. Search the page for “contribute”, “weighting” or “count towards”.
3. Note the rate for each game type you plan to play.
4. Find the excluded games list, often a separate link or table.
5. Check whether live casino, jackpot and table games appear on it.
6. If anything is unclear, ask support in live chat and keep a copy of the answer.

Under the Gambling Commission’s licence code 5.1.1 (opens in a new tab), bonus terms must be clear, transparent, fair and readily accessible. The ASA’s guidance on promotional terms (opens in a new tab) says significant conditions must be shown in the advert itself. Our guide to reading bonus terms walks through the rest.

Game weighting at our partner casinos

Only the weighting facts published in each offer’s headline terms are listed below; for the full tables, check the terms on the casino’s site. Offers were checked on 5 October 2026.

Where there is no wagering, weighting simply doesn’t arise, which is one reason no wagering free spins are easier to judge. For full partner details, see Casumo’s bonus terms and 10bet’s bonus terms.

Live casino and table players: does a bonus make sense?

If you mainly play live casino or blackjack, a slots-weighted bonus may be poor value for you, because the weighting forces either a lot of table play or a switch to games you don’t want. Offers aimed at table players exist but are rarer; our pages on the live casino bonus and the blackjack bonus explain what to look for. Skipping the bonus and playing with your own money, within a set budget, is a perfectly sensible choice.

Game weighting casino bonus myths

Offers where game weighting is simple, checked 5 October 2026

Coral and PlayOJO are the closest match if you want to avoid weighting altogether: their spins have no wagering on the winnings. Casumo is the best example among our partners of a 10x match bonus where you will need to read the game restrictions. All three are licensed by the Gambling Commission and for new customers aged 18+; terms apply. See every current deal on our latest casino offers page, or more explainers in the guides hub.

Whatever you choose, losses are likely over time because every game has a house edge. Set limits before you play, and call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 if you need to talk.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set deposit limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.