How betting bonuses and wagering requirements work

A betting bonus is extra money a bookmaker adds to your balance, usually a percentage of your first deposit, that you can withdraw only after betting it a set number of times.

That number is the wagering requirement: the headline percentage tells you how much bonus you get, and the wagering tells you what it costs to turn into cash.

What the wagering requirement means

A 5x requirement means bets totalling five times the bonus. Deposit KSh 2,000 at 22Bet Kenya, where the offer is 100% up to KSh 19,000, and the KSh 2,000 bonus needs KSh 10,000 of qualifying bets within 7 days. Winnings from those bets stay in the bonus balance until the target is met.

Four conditions decide whether a bet counts:

• Bet type: most sports bonuses count only accumulators of three or more selections.
• Minimum odds: 1.40 per leg is common, and Melbet sets every leg at 2.10 or more.
• Time limit: 7 days at 22Bet, 30 days at 1xBet and BetWinner.
• Excluded markets: 22Bet Ghana leaves handicap and total bets out of the count.

Miss the deadline and the bonus, plus anything won with it, is removed.

Split offers and how to compare them

Some large offers are two bonuses in one. BetWinner Ghana pays 200% up to GH₵2,500, with half wagered 5x on accumulators and half 30x in its Win Games section.

On a GH₵300 deposit, the GH₵600 bonus splits into GH₵300 for sports, needing GH₵1,500 of accas, and GH₵300 for games, needing GH₵9,000 of play. For a punter who only bets football, the sports half is the real value.

1xBet’s tiered match works the same way, and its 300% rate raises the multiples from 5x and 30x to 10x and 35x.

Comparing two offers comes down to three questions: the turnover needed, the days allowed, and whether your usual bets count. The bonus wagering calculator does the sum for any offer.

Taxes, and when to skip a bonus

Local tax rules change the value of a betting bonus. In Kenya, bonus credits paid by the operator have counted as deposits for the 5% excise duty since July 2026. In Uganda, 15% of net winnings is withheld at payout, so the expected return belongs in your sums after tax.

Skipping the bonus makes sense when you want to withdraw quickly, when you only bet singles, or when the bets that count are ones you would never place. Without a bonus, your deposit stays free to withdraw.

Current offers sit on our betting bonuses page, and the bonus terms help page explains the wording sites use.