You are staring at a bonus screen with a welcome offer, a deposit field and a short line about wagering, and that line is the one most players skim past. It sets how many times you must play through bonus money before any of it becomes withdrawable. Miss it and your balance can look healthy while staying locked.
How to Claim the Offer
The welcome offer follows a fixed path from sign-up to first bet, and each step has to be finished before the next one counts.
- Create your account with accurate personal details. Your name and address must match the documents you may later use to prove who you are.
- Open the cashier and make your first deposit. A deposit made before the account is confirmed can sit outside the offer.
- Enter the bonus code in the promo field if one is required. A code typed after the deposit is confirmed will not link the offer to your account.
- Confirm the bonus is active on your balance before you place any bet. A bonus that has not landed cannot be wagered and will not count.
- Read the offer page at pointsbetlogin.com before you deposit so you know which sections of the site the bonus applies to. A few minutes there saves confusion later.
- Place qualifying bets within the allowed markets and game types. Bets on excluded markets are settled normally but add nothing to your progress.
- Track how much wagering is left in your account area. Knowing the remaining figure stops you from cashing out too early and losing the bonus.
Claiming is simple once the order is right, and most problems come from doing two steps at once. Deposit first, then confirm the bonus, then bet. Keeping each step separate means you can see exactly where the offer stands. If something looks wrong, stop betting and sort it out before you place another wager.
What the Terms Mean
The table below sets out the conditions that decide how the bonus behaves once it is on your balance.
| Term | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Wagering requirement | How many times the bonus must be played through before withdrawal | Whether the figure applies to the bonus alone or to deposit plus bonus |
| Qualifying bet | A wager that counts toward the requirement | Minimum odds and which markets are accepted |
| Game weighting | The share of each stake that counts, by game type | Which games contribute fully and which contribute partly or not at all |
| Time limit | The window in which the requirement must be met | What happens to the bonus and any winnings at the end of that window |
| Maximum cashout | A ceiling on what you can withdraw from bonus play | Whether the cap covers winnings only or the bonus as well |
The term players misread most is the wagering requirement, because it is often assumed to apply to the deposit. In practice it usually applies to the bonus, or to both together, and the difference changes the total you must play. A player who thinks only the bonus counts may stop early and lose the money. Reading the exact base figure once removes that doubt.
Game weighting is the second trap, since a stake on one game may count in full while the same stake elsewhere counts for a fraction. Time limits catch players who spread small bets over weeks. Maximum cashout caps the upside even when the requirement is met. Each condition works alongside the others, so judge them together rather than one at a time.
Example Calculation
The numbers below are an illustration only and do not reflect the terms of the Pointsbet offer; they show how the arithmetic works.
Take a deposit of 30 with a bonus of 30 and a wagering requirement of 25 times the bonus. The base figure is the bonus, not the deposit. Multiply 30 by 25 to get the total playthrough needed. That total is what you must stake before withdrawal becomes possible.
Now suppose the requirement applied to deposit plus bonus instead. The base becomes 60, and the same multiplier produces a much larger total. The multiplier did not change; only the base did. This is why the base figure matters more than the headline number.
Next, add game weighting. If half your stakes go on a game that counts at half rate, only half of those stakes move you forward. The remaining progress has to come from full-weight games. A player who ignores weighting can double the real effort without noticing.
Finally, consider the maximum cashout. If your bonus winnings reach the cap, anything above it is removed at withdrawal. The requirement and the cap therefore work together. Meeting the playthrough is necessary but not sufficient, and the cap decides what you keep.
Which Games Count
Not every game contributes in the same way, and the offer terms list the categories with their shares. Slots commonly count in full, which makes them the quickest route through a requirement. Table games often count partly or not at all. A few titles are excluded entirely, even when they sit in the same section as counting games.
Excluded games still let you play, but your stakes there add nothing to progress. That creates the false comfort of a busy session with no movement on the meter. Before you settle into a favourite, find its category in the terms. If it is excluded, move to a game that counts.
Weighting applies to the stake, not to winnings, so a large win on a partly weighted game does not compensate. Only the portion of the stake that counts moves the meter. Small stakes on fully weighted games are more efficient than large stakes on partly weighted ones.
Live dealer tables sit in their own category, and their share is often low. Players who prefer live play should plan for a longer route or mix in counting games. Mixing is allowed as long as every bet is a qualifying bet. The meter reflects the mix, not your preference.
Jackpot and progressive titles sometimes carry extra rules on top of weighting. A win there may be handled differently at withdrawal. Treat any special category as a separate condition and read its line in full. The safe habit is to check a game before your first bet on it.
How Free Spins Work
Free spins usually arrive as a separate bundle from the cash bonus, with their own conditions. They are tied to set games, and a spin on another title does nothing. The bundle often lands in stages rather than all at once. Knowing the schedule stops you from expecting spins that are not due yet.
Winnings from free spins typically become bonus money rather than cash. That means the wagering requirement applies to them as well. A spin win is not withdrawable on its own. Treat it as bonus balance from the moment it lands.
Spin values are fixed, and you cannot change the stake per spin. Any cap on winnings from the bundle sits above the spins themselves. If the cap is reached, the excess is removed at withdrawal. The spins still run, but the extra value does not follow you.
Expiry applies to spins as it does to bonus money. Unused spins usually disappear at the end of their window. Using them early gives you room to meet the requirement on the winnings. Leaving them until the last day adds pressure you do not need.
On a phone browser the spins appear in the same account area as the cash bonus. There is no separate download, and nothing changes because you are on mobile. The bundle behaves the same on any device. The only difference is where you tap to start them.
Where Players Lose the Bonus
Most forfeited bonuses come from a handful of avoidable habits rather than bad luck, and each one has a simple fix.
- Betting before the bonus is confirmed. The wager settles but adds nothing to progress. Wait until the bonus shows on your balance.
- Playing excluded games for most of the session. The meter barely moves and the time limit closes in. Check each game’s category before you bet.
- Cashing out before the requirement is met. The bonus and its winnings are removed at that point. Track the remaining figure and finish the playthrough first.
- Ignoring the base of the wagering figure. Playing against the deposit when only the bonus counts wastes effort. Confirm which figure the multiplier applies to.
- Letting free spins expire unused. The winnings never appear and the bundle is gone. Start the spins soon after they land.
- Using a second bonus at the same time. Overlapping offers often cancel each other or split your progress. Finish one before starting another.
- Depositing before entering the promo code. The offer is not linked to the account. Enter the code first, then deposit.
Each of these mistakes is visible before it happens if you pause for a moment. The fix is always the same: know the condition, then act. Players who treat the terms as part of the game keep far more of what they win.
