Wagering Requirements Explained: The Maths Behind Casino Credit in Ontario

How the multiplier works

The formula itself is short:

Amount to wager = amount the multiplier applies to × multiplier

The catch is the first half. “30x” means little until you know what it’s 30 times. Ontario terms use three versions:

• Credit only. This is the friendliest one. 888casino’s default and BET99’s casino first-deposit terms both apply 30x to the credit alone, so $20 of credit means $600 of bets.
• Deposit plus credit. Betano’s help centre says its usual formula is (deposit + credit) × multiplier. If the credit matches your deposit, you’ve just doubled the total without the number changing.
• Winnings from spins. When spins are credited and whatever they pay lands as restricted funds, the multiplier applies to those winnings. Betano’s own example: win $50, at 10x, and you owe $500 of bets.

BetMGM works a little differently. Its requirements can be counted in money wagered, Rewards Points or raked poker hands. Its own example is a small one: $20 of credit at 2x is $40 of bets.

One small rule catches people out at both BetMGM and Betano: only settled bets count. A bet that’s still open isn’t on the meter yet.

What a requirement costs on average

Most explanations skip the cost. A wagering requirement turns credit into a fixed amount of betting, and betting has a price: the house edge (100% minus the game’s RTP) times everything you wager. If those terms are new to you, our house edge guide and RTP guide explain where the percentages come from.

Worked example 1: $50 of credit at 30x

You have $50 of credit, 30x on the credit only, and you stick to slots that count 100%.

1. Total to wager: $50 × 30 = $1,500.
2. Expected loss at 96% RTP: $1,500 × 4% = $60.
3. On average, the $50 of credit is gone and you’re about $10 further down.

Changing only the slot’s RTP moves the result a long way.

Slot RTP	House edge	Expected loss on $1,500 of bets	Compared with $50 of credit
97%	3%	$45	$5 less than the credit
96%	4%	$60	$10 more than the credit
94%	6%	$90	$40 more than the credit
92%	8%	$120	$70 more than the credit

Four points of RTP is the difference between roughly breaking even and losing more than double the credit. The same slot can also run at different RTPs at different sites, so open the game’s help screen before you spin (AGCO Standard 4.06 says it has to be there). More on that in why the same slot can have a different RTP.

These are long-run averages, and any one session can land far above or below them. In practice, when the expected loss is bigger than the credit, the restricted balance often runs dry before you get to the finish line, and a high-volatility slot makes that swing harder still. Our volatility guide shows why.

Worked example 2: deposit plus credit

You deposit $100, get $100 of credit, and the terms say 10x. The cost depends on one word in the terms.

• 10x on the credit only: $100 × 10 = $1,000 of bets. Expected loss at 96% RTP: $40.
• 10x on deposit plus credit: $200 × 10 = $2,000 of bets. Expected loss at 96% RTP: $80.

The screen shows “10x” either way, but the second version means twice the betting and twice the expected cost.

Game weighting: why table games barely count

This matters most to blackjack players. Game weighting (or contribution) is how much of each bet counts towards the requirement. Bet $10 on a game weighted at 10% and only $1 comes off what you owe. The full $10 is still a bet, though, and it still carries the house edge.

The operators publish these weightings:

Game type	888casino	BET99	Betano (first-deposit casino credit)
Slots	100%	100%	100% (video slots)
Scratch cards, keno, arcade, dice	100%	Not listed	Not listed
Blackjack, roulette, baccarat	10%	10% (table games)	5%
Live casino	10%	10%	5%
Pai Gow, Caribbean, Three Card and poker table games	20%	10% (table games)	5%
Craps	5%	Not listed	Not listed
Video poker	10%	0%	Not listed
Crash games	Not listed	10%	Not listed
Progressive jackpot games	Excluded titles listed separately	0%	Excluded titles listed separately

BetMGM doesn’t publish one table. Instead, each item shows its valid games before you activate it, and play on anything else may not count.

Worked example 3: clearing $1,500 on blackjack

Blackjack has a tiny house edge, about 0.5% with basic strategy, so clearing the $1,500 there looks tempting at first. The numbers show otherwise.

• At 10% weighting (888casino, BET99): $1,500 ÷ 0.10 = $15,000 of bets, with an expected loss of about $75.
• At 5% weighting (Betano’s first-deposit casino terms): $1,500 ÷ 0.05 = $30,000 of bets, with an expected loss of about $150.
• On slots at 96% RTP and 100% weighting: $1,500 of bets, with an expected loss of $60.

The low edge doesn’t make up for the low weighting, and at $10 a hand, $15,000 is 1,500 hands. At 0% weighting, the requirement doesn’t move at all, however long you play.

Spreading risk doesn’t work either: 888casino says low-risk betting, such as equal bets on red and black at roulette, isn’t a valid wager for clearing a requirement.

Maximum bet while a requirement is active

This rule often only becomes clear after the fact. Some terms cap your stake per spin or hand while a requirement is running. Go over it, and the operator can remove winnings tied to the credit, sometimes after you thought you were done.

None of the five operators publishes a site-wide maximum bet, so the item’s own terms are where you’ll find it. Read them before the first spin. Three related rules are published:

• Fixed-stake spins. BET99 says the spins it credits run at a fixed bet level set in the item’s terms, and what they win is paid as cash funds.
• Winnings cap. At 888casino, winnings from casino bets placed with restricted funds only are capped at $500, or $100 before your first real-money deposit. Verified progressive jackpot wins aren’t capped.
• Your own limits. BET99’s bet transaction limit lets you cap your largest single bet yourself. Every Ontario site has to provide deposit and other limits under AGCO Standards 2.23 and 2.24.

Time matters too, not just stake. AGCO Standard 2.18 sets a minimum of 2.5 seconds per slot game cycle, and 2.19 bans quick spin. So $1,500 at $1 a spin is 1,500 spins and at least 62.5 minutes of non-stop play, so plan for an evening.

Expiry, and what happens to winnings

Every requirement comes with a clock. 888casino’s default is 30 days from when the credit lands. BET99’s and Betano’s first-deposit casino terms use 30 days as well. BetMGM and bet365 set the period item by item.

If you run out of time before you finish:

• Betano: the remaining restricted balance and anything won with it are removed. Your real-money balance isn’t touched.
• 888casino: you forfeit the credit and any winnings tied to it.
• BetMGM: the credit, or credit plus winnings, is removed at expiry. BetMGM also says there’s no maximum on how much can build up in the restricted balance.

Betano has two more details worth knowing. Credit is cancelled automatically if your real-money balance hits zero before you finish. And a “day” there is a calendar day, midnight to 23:59, not 24 hours from when you opted in. Opt in at 11 p.m. and your first day is nearly over.

Ontario operator terms compared

The general terms line up as follows as of October 2026. Individual items can override them, and at 888casino the item’s own terms win.

Operator	Default multiplier	Expiry	Withdrawing before completion
BetMGM	Per item; money wagered or Rewards Points	Per item	Deposit stays available; dropping the credit removes it and usually its winnings
888casino	30x the credit	30 days	Any withdrawal request forfeits unconverted restricted funds
bet365	Set in each item’s terms	Per item	Per item terms
Betano	Per item; usually (deposit + credit) × multiplier	30 days (first-deposit casino credit)	Credit cancelled, its winnings removed; real-money balance stays
BET99	30x the credit (casino first-deposit terms)	30 days	Credit can be cancelled from the account menu; withdrawal effect not stated

What the table can’t show is which balance each bet comes out of, and that differs more than you’d expect.

• Your money first: 888casino only touches restricted funds once your available funds hit zero, and bets with your own funds don’t count towards an immediate credit’s requirement. BET99 also uses your cash first, but there it does count.
• Credit first: BetMGM uses the restricted balance first when you take money to a valid game.
• Half and half: at Betano, half of each bet comes from the restricted balance, and winnings are split the same way.
• Not stated: bet365’s general terms don’t say.

BetMGM adds one more wrinkle: “withdrawal restricted” credit sits in your balance and can be played on valid games, while “play restricted” credit is only released after you meet the requirement, sometimes in equal parts.

Withdrawing or cancelling before you finish

You can stop partway through at any time. What you walk away with depends on the operator:

• Your own deposit is still yours. BetMGM says you always have access to your deposited funds for play or withdrawal, and Betano says your real-money balance isn’t affected.
• The credit and its winnings usually go. 888casino, Betano and BetMGM all say so, and at Betano and BetMGM cancelling can’t be undone.
• Open rounds can cost you. Betano warns that cancelling with an unfinished casino round played from the restricted balance loses whatever that round would have paid.

Check what you’d lose before you confirm. BetMGM shows the amount it will reclaim before you confirm, and Betano’s My Account area shows required, completed and remaining wagering plus the expiry date. Once you’re clear, deposits and withdrawals covers how long the payout takes.

What Ontario’s rules require

Ontario is stricter than most places about how casino credit is marketed, which works in your favour. The AGCO’s Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming say:

• Standard 2.05: no public advertising of gambling inducements or credits. They can only appear on the operator’s own site or in direct marketing you’ve actively agreed to. It’s also why you won’t find current amounts or codes on OCL.
• Standard 2.06: all material conditions have to be shown when the item is first presented, with the rest no more than one click away. And it can’t be described as costing nothing if you have to risk your own money.
• Standard 2.07: that direct marketing needs your opt-in, and you can withdraw consent at any time.
• Standard 2.04: no product that isn’t reasonably attainable without substantial losses.

If the terms weren’t shown properly, or credit was removed against them, complain to the operator first, then to the AGCO. Our complaints guide walks you through it.

Loyalty points, unwanted messages and turning marketing off

Points, tiers and reward credit work the same way. If a reward lands as restricted funds, ask the usual three questions: how much do I have to bet, on which games, and by when? A feature round or multiplier that triggers inside a slot is a different thing. It’s part of the game’s design, explained in its help screen, and has no wagering requirement attached.

If you’d rather not get the emails, note that a regulated Ontario operator can only send you marketing about credit if you opted in, and it has to let you switch that off at any time (Standard 2.07). Look in account settings or at the bottom of the message. If you’re cutting back, switching it off pairs well with deposit limits and time-outs.

Be wary of one thing. A text, email or call about casino credit from a brand you never signed up with may well come from a site outside Ontario’s regulated market, where your deposits and personal data have no Ontario protection. Don’t use the link in the message; check the brand with the Ontario casino checker or our guide to checking that a casino is regulated, and type the real site’s address yourself. You can report advertising and marketing straight to the AGCO through its iAGCO online form, no account needed.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Reading the multiplier without its base. 30x the credit and 30x deposit plus credit are very different numbers. Do the multiplication before you opt in.
• Playing excluded or 0% games. Jackpot slots, video poker at BET99 and anything on 888casino’s excluded list won’t move the meter.
• Assuming you’re done. Unsettled bets don’t count. Trust the progress bar, not your own tally.
• Hitting withdraw out of habit. At 888casino, any withdrawal request forfeits unconverted restricted funds, so finish or decide first.
• Treating credit as money you’ve already won. Clearing it can cost more than it’s worth. You can always say no, and Betano lets you decline right at deposit.

Whatever you decide, set a budget before you play and use the deposit limits and time-outs every Ontario site provides. If you’d like to talk to someone, ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) is free and confidential.