Wagering is calculated on the total amount you stake, not on what you deposit, win or lose. The formula is simple: bonus amount multiplied by the requirement.
A $25 bonus at 30x means $750 of stakes. Whether those stakes produce a profit or a loss changes nothing about the count.
The formula, with the one variable that matters
Turnover owed = base × multiplier
The multiplier is printed on the banner. The base is buried in the terms, and it takes one of two forms.
| Base named in the terms | $25 bonus, $25 deposit, 30x | Turnover owed |
|---|---|---|
| Bonus only | 25 × 30 | $750 |
| Deposit and bonus | 50 × 30 | $1,500 |
Same headline, double the work. Finding that one line is the highest-value minute you will spend on any offer.
A worked example, spin by spin
Take a $25 bonus at 30x on the bonus alone, so $750 owed, played at $0.50 a spin on a slot contributing 100%.
| After | Stakes placed | Requirement remaining | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 spins | $50 | $700 | $31.20 |
| 500 spins | $250 | $500 | $22.40 |
| 1,000 spins | $500 | $250 | $14.80 |
| 1,500 spins | $750 | $0 | $9.60 |
Two things stand out. The requirement falls in a straight line, one dollar per dollar staked. The balance does not: it drifts down, because the game keeps roughly 4% of everything staked.
That drift is the real cost of the bonus. Over $750 of turnover it averages about $30, which is more than the $25 bonus itself.
The three things that quietly change the total
Game contribution. A stake on a game contributing 20% moves the requirement by twenty cents per dollar. On that basis, $750 owed needs $3,750 of actual betting. The table lives in the terms, usually near the bottom.
| Contribution | Stake needed for $750 owed |
|---|---|
| 100% | $750 |
| 50% | $1,500 |
| 20% | $3,750 |
| 10% | $7,500 |
| 0% | Never clears |
Voided bets. A cancelled bet is subtracted from the total along with the stake. Nothing is lost, but progress you thought you had made disappears from the counter.
Maximum bet breaches. Staking above the cap while a bonus is active does not slow the count. It usually voids the bonus outright, which is covered in why a bonus gets voided.
What the counter is actually doing
Casinos run the requirement as a running total that only ever goes down. Every settled bet subtracts its stake, adjusted by the game's contribution percentage.
That is why the figure in your account is the one to watch. Your balance is a poor proxy: a big win makes it look like you are close to finished when the requirement has not moved any faster than usual.
Where wagering sits in the payout
Clearing the number is one of three gates between a bonus and a bank transfer. The other two are the payout cap, which limits how much of a win converts, and verification, which is where most delays actually happen. Both are covered in what a wager before withdrawal involves.
If the maths in the table above looks like a bad trade, it usually is. The types of wager-free bonus available skip the calculation entirely, and give up headline size in exchange.