Top Low to No Wagering Casino Bonuses

Why Bonus Wagering Requirements Matter

You may still be asking yourself why wagering requirements matter that much. Let us explain it to you. Wagering requirements can affect the real money value of any bonus you receive massively. That’s because every single wager you make favors the house – the more wagers you must make, the more chance there is of your balance being depleted.

You may have also heard wagering requirements referred to as rollover requirements or playthrough requirements – they all mean the same thing: how many times you must wager your bonus and, if applicable, the associated bonus winnings before they are eligible for withdrawal. This may also apply to winnings from bonus spins. Here’s how it all works:

Deposit Bonus

You make a deposit and receive a bonus. You will have to wager the bonus amount awarded a specific number of times before you can withdraw any remaining bonus winnings. Be aware that some online casinos also extend the wagering requirement to the deposit amount.

Spins Bonus

Typically, with spins bonuses, the wagering requirement applies to any winnings generated from the bonus spins awarded. It is less usual for the wagering requirements to be extended to the deposit amount, but in rare instances, this may be the case. You often have to wager bonus spins winnings.

Wagering Requirements Examples

Let’s look at how higher and lower wagering requirements affect online casino players.

Example 1 – Online Casino A

Online casino A offers a deposit match welcome bonus of 100% up to $50. The associated wagering requirement is 30x (deposit+bonus).

You deposit $50 and receive the full bonus amount of $50 to match it, meaning you have $100 to play with.

Before withdrawing, you must complete the following wagering – 30x (50+50) = $3000.

Example 2 – Online Casino B

Online casino B also offers a deposit match welcome bonus of 100% up to $50. This time the associated wagering requirement is 5x (deposit+bonus).

Again, you deposit $50 and receive the maximum bonus of $50 to accompany it, giving you $100 to wager.

Before withdrawing at Casino B, you must complete the following wagering – 5x (50+50) = $500.

Casino B offers the bonus most favorable for players since its wagering requirement results in players wagering a 1/6th ($500) of what they would have to at Casino A ($3000) before they can withdraw, meaning that they have to risk far less.

Zero Wagering Bonuses

Zero wager online casino bonuses are pretty simple to explain: they have no wagering requirements attached to them at all. Yip – that’s right – none! Casinos know that players hate large wagering requirements, and now that the US market is opening up, they have to offer something that makes players choose their iGaming services over another operator.

Usually, online casinos will use the zero-wager casino bonus tantalizingly as their welcome bonus or at least part of their welcome bonus package for new players. Offering a zero-wagering casino bonus or bonus spins is a sure way to boost the number of new players signing up at your property. Some generous operators also see the value in retaining loyal customers, so they may occasionally offer a zero-wagering bonus to existing customers meeting specific internal criteria.

In a way, zero-wagering bonuses and low wagering casinos are good for everyone: players play under better conditions, and operators get new customers through the door who are likely to become repeat customers.

Why are Zero-wagering Bonuses Great for Players?

Players HATE wagering requirements. Period. They slow everything down. Some high-wagering bonuses take a very long time to complete, and then you have to wait while your play is checked to ensure you’ve cleared wagering before you can withdraw.

It’s much easier to work out where you are with a bonus when there is no wagering to keep track of. Bonus spins are much loved by players.

Remember – low-wager bonuses and low wagering casinos are also great for players, and some operators offer wagering requirements of 1x, 5x, or 10x on their welcome bonus for new players. This level of wagering requirement is much more acceptable to most players. It doesn’t take long to complete, and you risk losing less overall. Don’t write off low-wagering bonuses – there are some great offers out there.

Why do Casinos Offer Zero-wagering Bonuses?

Online casinos are businesses there to make money by providing players entertainment for their dollars. Adding wagering requirements to their bonus T&Cs means online casinos lower their risk of loss. As the iGaming market has grown more competitive, players have become choosier about which operators to play with, so they have been forced to reduce wagering requirements accordingly. Now it is also common to find bonus spins winnings with reduced wagering requirements.

It all started with some operators offering welcome bonuses with mid-range wagering requirements. These proved very popular, and operators running such promotions found no real damage to their bottom lines. So, it was inevitable that at some stage in the iGaming evolution, online casinos would offer low-wagering and no-wagering bonuses.

Players are mad about zero-wagering bonuses and bonus spins, and signups always increase when such promotions run, so they are a winner for online casinos too. Then they have you signed up and on their mailing list to receive offers that do require wagering to withdraw. Plus, you can bet your bottom dollar (pun intended) there will be several deposit bonuses with or without accompanying bonus spins, with wagering requirements being run simultaneously to make up for the deficit.

Online Casinos with No Wagering Requirements

Online casino operators know that players are getting wise to the benefits of no wagering requirement bonuses and bonus spins. Very soon, we expect no wagering bonuses to become more common in the US.

Until then, we’ve sourced the best low-wagering bonuses and lower wagering cashback bonuses (some with bonus spins) for you guys.

What’s the Deal with Zero Bonus Wagering Conditions?

The deal with zero wagering bonus conditions is that some conditions will still apply even if wagering requirements aren’t one of them. One of the issues that cause players the most problems when it comes to withdrawing winnings from bonus offers is the wagering requirements, so it’s good news that you’ve found a bonus offer where this isn’t an issue.

Players sometimes misinterpret what the wagering requirements applicable to a credit bonus, bonus spins, or cashback bonuses are, and often bonuses with wagering requirements attached take longer to complete and longer to cashout. If you have found the online casino equivalent of the Holy Grail: a zero-wagering bonus, rejoice!

Just be sure to deposit the right amount to qualify if a deposit is necessary, play on a game that isn’t restricted, and respect any max bet terms that are in place. Check for any wagering applied to bonus spins winnings before trying to withdraw.

No Wagering No Deposit Bonuses

There are some magnificent no deposit bonuses available in the US at the moment. Unfortunately, no online casino operator offers a combination, no wagering or deposit bonus. This doesn’t matter much, though; we have found several extremely low wager online casino sign up bonuses – a few with only 1x wagering.

Top Games for Bonus Wagering

Most online casinos offering zero wagering or low wagering bonuses confine their use to slot games – some give additional bonus spins too. Most players love slots, so it makes sense to choose this game category for promotional use. As you’ll probably know, different slots games have different Return to Player (RTP) figures. The higher the RTP, the more favorable the game is for players. We recommend only playing the games with the highest RTPs permitted so that you keep as much of your bonus as you can.

The best slots to use with your zero or low wagering bonus or bonus spins, if they are permitted for play with bonuses, are listed below:

Other Important Terms to Consider

Regarding T&Cs, zero-wagering and low-wagering bonuses are the same as other promotions; T&Cs apply, and operators will withhold winnings if they are not respected. We will cover some of the most critical T&Cs relating to no-wagering and low-wagering bonuses to ensure you’re up to speed. We want you to enjoy playing with your bonus and then be able to withdraw any winnings without any hassle.

Minimum Eligible Deposit

You may be lucky enough to find one of the rare no deposit bonus options out there – we hope so! If not, then make sure you check the minimum qualifying deposit amount to allow you to claim the bonus offer you are interested in. Pretty much all zero and low wager bonuses will require you to make a minimum deposit.

Maximum Cashouts

This term is very commonly applied to zero wagering and low wagering bonuses – especially if they are of the no deposit sort. Why? Because online casinos don’t want to give away too much and put their business at risk. It is highly likely that if you haven’t had to risk any of your cash to claim a bonus offer, you’ll be able to cash out only a limited amount in winnings. Operators will remove any amount won over this max cashout threshold from your account at the point of withdrawal.

Maximum Bets

Maximum bet terms are popular with online casinos – especially if they don’t have a maximum cashout term. The maximum bet usually refers to the amount a player can wager in a single spin or on a single round of play if playing some other game type than slots. If you fail to notice a maximum bet term in place and exceed it, your bonus and all associated winnings will be void.

Expiry Dates

Most zero-wagering or low-wagering bonuses come with a set validity period. A common one for no deposit bonuses or deposit match bonuses is seven days. It is more usual to have bonus spins expire in 24 hours to 3 days. If your bonus combines a deposit match and bonus spins, there may be two different expiry dates, so check for both.

Game Eligibility

Some online casinos limit the use of certain games when playing with a zero or low wager bonus. Often table games, video poker games, some high RTP slot games, and progressive jackpot slot games are excluded from play with a bonus. Some games may be permitted for use when playing a low wagering bonus but contribute less to the wagering requirements, so they will take longer to complete if you choose to play your low wager bonus on such a game.

EG, if a slots game contributes 100% to wagering, but a blackjack game contributes only 25%, then you’ll have to play four times as many hands to clear wagering on blackjack than on slots.