“100% welcome bonus!” sounds like free money. It almost never is. The catch lives in one line of the terms called the wagering requirement (also called rollover or turnover). Understanding it is the difference between a fair offer and a trap.
What a wagering requirement actually means
A wagering requirement is how many times you must bet the bonus (and sometimes your deposit too) before you are allowed to withdraw anything. If you get a ₹1,000 bonus with a 20x requirement, you must place ₹20,000 in total bets before a single rupee can be cashed out.
The numbers, and what they tell you
- 20x–35x: the normal range for legitimate operators. Demanding, but achievable.
- 40x–50x: unfavourable; most players will lose the bonus before clearing it.
- 60x, 70x, 80x: a red flag. Especially when applied to deposit + bonus, this is engineered so the money is mathematically almost impossible to withdraw.
A ₹1,000 bonus at 70x on deposit-plus-bonus can mean betting well over ₹1,00,000 first. Long before you get there, the house edge has taken the money. That is the point of the number.
Other fine-print traps to check
Beyond the multiplier, look for: a short expiry (bonus voids in 24–72 hours), maximum-bet limits while wagering (break them and you forfeit everything), “sticky” bonuses that can never be withdrawn only played, and game weightings where the games you actually play count little toward the requirement.
The takeaway
Before you claim any bonus, find the wagering requirement and read it in full. If it is above roughly 35x, applied to deposit plus bonus, or buried where you cannot find it at all, treat the “free” bonus as bait designed to keep you depositing.
Get help or report a scam
If you’ve lost money to a scam app, report it at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930. If gambling is affecting your life or someone you love, you can reach the free, confidential mental-health helpline Tele MANAS at 14416. Asking for help early is a strength, not a weakness.
This article is for consumer awareness and harm prevention. It is not legal or financial advice.