Rollover, also called a wagering requirement, is the number of times you need to bet a bonus amount before any resulting winnings can be withdrawn as real money. It's the single most important number in any bonus offer, and the one most often skipped over.
A worked example
Say you claim a R500 bonus with a 5x rollover requirement. Before you can withdraw any winnings generated from that bonus, you need to place qualifying bets totalling R2,500 in stakes (R500 x 5). Winnings from those bets stay locked until the full amount is wagered, and if the bonus expires before you get there, it's forfeited along with any unwithdrawn winnings tied to it.
Minimum odds requirements
Sports bonuses usually only count bets placed at or above a minimum odds threshold, commonly around 1.50 to 2.00. A bet placed below that odds level typically won't count toward clearing the rollover, even though the stake was real.
Game weighting
Not every bet contributes equally. Sports bets often count at 100% of their stake toward rollover, while casino games, especially low house-edge ones like blackjack or roulette, are frequently weighted much lower, sometimes as little as 10-20%. Slots usually count at or close to 100%. Always check the weighting table in the full terms before assuming a bet counts in full.
Common traps
A few things catch out first-time bonus claimers most often:
- Letting the bonus expire before the rollover is cleared, forfeiting locked winnings.
- Betting below the minimum odds requirement without realising it doesn't count.
- Assuming casino play clears rollover at the same rate as sports betting.
- Withdrawing a deposit before the linked bonus is fully wagered, which can void it entirely.