The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 prohibits offering, operating, advertising and facilitating online money games in India, and bars banks and payment systems from processing payments for them. This article explains the mathematics for education only and describes no real offer; check the law that applies to you.
What Is a Wagering Requirement?
A wagering requirement, sometimes called a playthrough or rollover requirement, is a condition attached to a promotional bonus. It specifies how much must be staked in total before bonus funds, or winnings derived from them, can be withdrawn. Until that turnover is completed, the bonus balance is usually locked.
Requirements typically sit alongside other conditions, and each one changes the true cost:
- Multiplier: How many times the bonus, or the bonus plus deposit, must be staked.
- Basis: Whether the multiplier applies to the bonus alone or to the deposit as well.
- Time limit: The period within which the turnover must be completed.
- Maximum stake: A cap on the size of each wager while the bonus is active.
- Game weighting: How much each game type counts toward the target.
The Mathematics Behind the Multiplier
The core calculation is a single multiplication, but the basis makes an enormous difference. Consider a hypothetical ₹1,000 bonus on a ₹1,000 deposit with a 30x requirement.
Bonus Only: ₹1,000 × 30 = ₹30,000 total wagering required
Bonus + Deposit: (₹1,000 + ₹1,000) × 30 = ₹60,000 total wagering required
Turnover alone does not reveal the cost. Every wager carries a house edge, so the expected loss while clearing the requirement equals the total wagered multiplied by that edge. Using the bonus-only figure, compare a hypothetical game with a 2% house edge against one at 5%.
Expected Cost at 2% Edge = ₹30,000 × 0.02 = ₹600
Expected Cost at 5% Edge = ₹30,000 × 0.05 = ₹1,500
Expected Net Value at 5% Edge = Bonus − Expected Cost = ₹1,000 − ₹1,500 = −₹500
At a 2% edge the bonus retains a theoretical value of ₹400 (₹1,000 − ₹600); at 5% its expected value is negative. Both figures are long-run averages, and actual results can swing widely in either direction.
Always convert a multiplier into rupees of turnover, then into expected cost, before forming any view of a promotion.
Game Weighting and Contribution
Game weighting, or contribution, determines how much of each stake counts toward the requirement. A game weighted at 100% counts every rupee; a game weighted at 20% counts only ₹20 of every ₹100 staked. Lower weighting multiplies the real turnover needed.
Real Stakes Needed = Wagering Requirement ÷ Weighting = ₹30,000 ÷ 0.20 = ₹1,50,000
| Weighting | Counted per ₹100 Staked | Real Stakes to Clear ₹30,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | ₹100 | ₹30,000 |
| 50% | ₹50 | ₹60,000 |
| 20% | ₹20 | ₹1,50,000 |
| 10% | ₹10 | ₹3,00,000 |
| 0% | ₹0 | Cannot be cleared |
Weighting and house edge interact. At 20% weighting with a hypothetical 2% edge, the expected cost rises to ₹1,50,000 × 0.02 = ₹3,000, three times the original ₹1,000 bonus.
Low-weighted games can turn a modest-looking requirement into turnover many times larger than the bonus itself.
How to Calculate and Clear Requirements Safely
From a mathematical standpoint, the safest course is often to decline a bonus whose expected cost exceeds its value. When you are evaluating any set of terms, a structured method keeps the analysis honest.
- Identify the bonus amount, the multiplier and whether the deposit is included.
- Calculate total turnover as the bonus, or bonus plus deposit, multiplied by the multiplier.
- Divide by the weighting of the game you would actually play.
- Multiply the real turnover by that game's house edge to estimate the expected cost.
- Compare the expected cost with the bonus, then check time limits and stake caps.
- Fix a spending limit in advance and stop when you reach it, regardless of progress toward the target.
A requirement is a contract term, not a goal to chase. Raising stakes to finish turnover faster increases risk and may breach maximum-stake rules. If tracking a requirement starts to feel stressful or compulsive, step away and read our Responsible Gaming page.