Best Low Wagering Casino Bonuses

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.

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 in a Low Wagering Casino

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. 

Poker

You’ll find a range of poker titles at the best low wagering casinos, but bear in mind that game weightings won’t be favourable. In fact, wagers on poker games usually only contribute around 10% to the requirements.

Bingo

The wagering requirements for online bingo bonuses are often among the most player-friendly of all. While the average wagering requirements for casino bonuses stands at around 35x the bonus, when it comes to bingo bonuses, the typical rollover demand is more likely to come in at around 4x the bonus. This may apply to either the bonus amount or any winnings you land from free bingo tickets. Some of the top Irish bingo sites may even do away with playthrough requirements for bingo offers completely, which means you can cash out your bingo bonus winnings straight away. 

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.

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.

Cashback

A cashback bonus is one that promises you a percentage return on a lost bet, or a period of bets. The percentage usually only stands at 5% or 10%, but it’s nice to have something returned to your account following a loss. There will be caps on your return, and you will need to verify whether it’s withdrawable as cash. 

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 Mobile

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. 

AstroPay 

Relatively new to Irish casinos, AstroPay offers a range of digital payment solutions, including a virtual debit card, a virtual prepaid card and an e-wallet. Despite not being available at a huge range of low wagering casinos just yet, it’s certainly gaining popularity. This is largely due to its high levels of security, speedy transactions and ease of account management. Those who are wary of handing over banking details should take note — making deposits and withdrawals through this method removes the need to upload your card details. In addition, AstroPay virtual prepaid cards work in much the same way as physical prepaid cards like Paysafecard, and are a great way of managing your budget.

Responsible Gambling

At TRC we believe it’s always important to gamble responsibly. The first step is to read up on the game or betting market you’re gambling on, and indeed how real money casinos turn a profit. Then once you’re playing, here are some tips to help protect against the development of a problem gambling habit.

Tips for Gambling Responsibly at Low Wagering Casinos

Let’s take a look at our top tips when playing at online casinos:

• Create a budget that suits your own limits and stick to it. It’s important to manage your spending and not get carried away
• Time limits can be another helpful way of remaining within control of your gambling. This can also ensure betting never interferes with social or work responsibilities
• Speak to your family and close friends about your gambling. This goes for the losses as well as the wins; when losses become a secret, it can be harder for people to notice there’s something wrong
• Before accepting a bonus be sure you have read the terms and conditions thoroughly. They can be long-winded and not always entirely clear, so take note of any sticking points
• Never gamble when you’re under the influence of alcohol or drugs. You need to keep a clear head and know what you’re doing
• It’s important to never chase losses and know when your betting time is up

Safer Gambling Organisations

If you want some more information or advice on safer gambling, here are some of the top organisations you can get in touch with, all offering confidential, professional and friendly support:

• Begambleaware.org – An organisation offering free advice and support for anyone wanting more information on how to gamble safely
• GamCare – Offering a free helpline plus advice and information via the website or live chat
• GamBan – A way in which you can self exclude from gambling sites and apps