Contribution rates determine what share of each bet actually counts toward clearing a bonus. They vary by game type, so the same stated wagering requirement can mean very different amounts of real betting depending on what you play. This page explains how those rates work across game categories, how to calculate the real bet volume a bonus will demand, and where games are excluded entirely rather than just reduced. By the end, you’ll have enough information to compare bonuses accurately and decide how to play through them.
What Game Contribution Means Within a Wagering Requirement
Game contribution is the percentage of each dollar wagered that counts toward clearing a bonus. It’s applied per game category, not uniformly across all games. A $1 slots bet and a $1 blackjack bet don’t advance the wagering requirement by the same amount. The stated wagering requirement is just the number printed in the bonus terms. The contribution rate is what determines what that number actually costs you in real bets. Operators set these rates themselves, and they can vary from one casino to the next, so the same game category can carry a different rate at two different platforms.
Why Contribution Weighting Exists at All
Operators set contribution rates based on the house edge of each game. Games with a lower house edge generate less revenue per dollar wagered, so a player clearing a bonus through those games costs the operator more. To offset that, operators assign lower contribution rates to those categories, which means you have to place a higher total volume of bets to satisfy the same stated requirement. When you see uneven contribution rates across game categories in a terms document, those differences reflect the expected revenue each game generates, not arbitrary operator preference.
Contribution Rates by Game Category
Contribution rates group by broad game category, but the range within any single category is wide enough that the category label alone won’t tell you what you’ll find at a specific operator. The figures below reflect patterns reported across multiple sources and should be treated as directional benchmarks, not fixed industry standards. The rate that applies to your account is the one in the operator’s current terms, which can be updated at any time. Use the table below to set your expectations before reading a specific operator’s contribution schedule.
Typical Contribution Ranges by Category
The table below summarizes the typical contribution range for each major game category. Because operators set these rates themselves, you need to check the specific figure in the operator’s published terms before choosing a game to clear a wagering requirement.
| Game Category | Typical Contribution Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 100% | The standard rate across operators. Most wagering requirement calculations use this as the baseline. |
| Scratch cards and instant win games | 100% | Placed in the same contribution tier as standard slots at most operators. |
| Keno | 100% | Typically treated the same as slots for contribution purposes. |
| Video poker | 0%–50% | Meaningful variability across operators. Cited ranges include 0%–10%, 10%–25%, and up to 50% depending on the platform. |
| Table games (blackjack, roulette, RNG) | 0%–20% | 10% is a commonly cited standard rate across multiple sources. Some operators extend the upper bound to 50% for table and card games. |
| Virtual blackjack / virtual roulette | 0%–10% | Consistent with RNG table game equivalents. Treated as a low-contribution category at most operators. |
| Live dealer games | 0%–10% | Some operators exclude live dealer play from bonus wagering entirely, meaning no wagered dollar counts toward clearing. |
| Sports betting wagers | 0%–10% or fully excluded | Commonly treated as a separate product not associated with casino bonus funds. Frequently excluded outright. |
| Provably fair originals (crash, mines, etc.) | 100% (crypto-focused platforms) | Cited at full contribution at crypto-focused platforms. This category is not typically addressed in standard casino contribution tables. |
Within-Category Variability and Title-Level Exceptions
Even within a single category, contribution rates can vary a lot between operators. Video poker is the clearest example: the cited range runs from 0% to 50%, meaning two operators can assign the same game type rates that are at opposite ends of that range. The category label alone won’t reliably predict the rate you’ll face at any given platform.
Exceptions also exist at the individual game title level, not just at the category level. Certain high-RTP slot titles are commonly excluded from bonus wagering entirely, getting a 0% contribution rate even though the broader slots category normally contributes 100%. You can’t assume a specific title’s contribution from its category. You need to check both the category rate and any title-level exclusions listed in the operator’s terms before you start playing.
Excluded Games and Eligibility Rules
A reduced contribution rate and a full exclusion are not the same thing. A game contributing at a reduced rate, say 10%, still counts every wagered dollar toward clearing, just at that fraction. A fully excluded game counts nothing, no matter how much you stake on it. If you treat a fully excluded game as merely low-contribution, you’ll wager real money and make zero progress toward the requirement. Operators list these two conditions separately in their terms, and you need to check both before you play.
Full-Exclusion Patterns Across Categories
Full exclusion shows up across several game categories, not just in the table-games tier where low contribution rates are most expected. Some operators exclude live dealer tables entirely from bonus wagering, even though other operators assign them a reduced but non-zero rate. Within the slots category, which typically contributes at 100%, individual high-RTP titles can be excluded at the game level, so the category rate doesn’t automatically apply to every title within it. Sports betting wagers are routinely separated from casino bonus funds, either through a 0% contribution assignment or an explicit product-level exclusion.
The following categories are where full exclusion is most commonly documented across sources.
- Live dealer games – Some operators exclude live dealer play from bonus wagering entirely, meaning no wagered dollar on those tables counts toward clearing the requirement.
- Specific high-RTP slot titles – Certain slot titles are excluded at the individual game level despite the broader slots category normally contributing 100%, so you can’t assume the category rate applies to every title within it.
- Sports betting wagers – Sports bets are commonly treated as a separate product not associated with casino bonus funds, contributing at 0% or being excluded outright from casino wagering requirements.
Operator Discretion and Jurisdictional Variation
Operators set contribution rates themselves and can update them at any time, so the same game category can carry a different rate, or a full exclusion, depending on the platform and when the terms were last revised. What one operator assigns to a category tells you nothing about what another operator will assign to the same category.
Rates also vary by jurisdiction. The UK Gambling Commission announced in March 2025 that online bonus wagering requirements would be capped at 10 times the bonus amount, and that operators would be prohibited from bundling different gambling product types into a single bonus. That rule directly affects how sports betting and casino play can be combined within one offer. These rules are scheduled to take effect from 19 December 2025. Any published contribution rate is specific to that operator, that jurisdiction, and that point in time. Verify it directly in the operator’s current terms before you play.
Calculating the Effective Wagering Requirement
The wagering requirement printed in a bonus’s terms is not the actual volume of bets you’ll need to place. The real bet volume is determined by dividing that stated figure by the contribution rate of the game you’re playing. Two players accepting the same bonus can face real bet volumes that are an order of magnitude apart if they choose games from different contribution tiers. That gap comes entirely from game selection, not from any difference in the stated requirement itself.
The Effective Wagering Formula
The formula is straightforward: Real Wagering Required = Stated Wagering Requirement divided by Contribution Percentage. The stated requirement is the number the operator publishes in the bonus terms. The contribution percentage is the rate assigned to the game category you’re playing, expressed as a decimal. At 100% contribution, the real bet volume equals the stated requirement. At any lower rate, the real bet volume is higher than the stated requirement by the inverse of that rate.
Worked Examples at Different Contribution Rates
The table below applies the formula to two stated wagering requirements across three contribution rates. The figures show how the same nominal requirement produces very different real bet volumes depending solely on which contribution tier applies to the game you choose.
| Stated Wagering Requirement | Contribution Rate | Real Bet Volume Required |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | 100% | $100 |
| $100 | 10% | $1,000 |
| $3,000 | 50% | $6,000 |
| $3,000 | 10% | $30,000 |
Factors That Compound the Real Cost of a Bonus
Contribution rates tell you how much of each wagered dollar counts toward clearing a bonus, but they work alongside several other terms that together set the real cost of accepting an offer. Reading the contribution table in isolation gives you an accurate bet-volume figure for the game you plan to play, but it leaves other conditions unexamined that can raise or lower the practical difficulty of clearing. The terms below appear in bonus documentation alongside contribution rates and interact with them in ways that change your total exposure. Read them together to get an accurate picture of what a bonus actually costs.
Adjacent Terms That Interact With Contribution
The list below identifies the conditions you need to read alongside the contribution table to accurately judge a bonus’s real cost. Each one shapes the clearing process in a way the contribution rate alone doesn’t capture.
- Bonus expiry window – A time limit compresses the window available to complete a bet-volume requirement that’s already elevated by a reduced contribution rate. If you’re using a low-contribution game, you face both a higher real wager target and less time to reach it.
- Wagering order between bonus funds and deposit funds – The rule governing which funds are drawn down first determines how much of your own deposited money is at risk during the clearing period, since bonus credit doesn’t convert to withdrawable cash until the full wagering requirement is met.
- Game payout distribution and RTP profile – The full payout distribution of the game you’re playing affects how your balance behaves during clearing in ways the contribution rate alone doesn’t reflect. Variance determines whether your balance survives long enough to complete the required bet volume.
