A $10 bet does not always count as a $10 bet. Bonuses come with per-game contribution weights, and this Wagering Contribution Calculator shows you the blended progress of every game you touch (the common pitfalls are covered in our guide to Excluded Games & Contribution Traps, and the underlying mechanics in Wagering Requirements Explained). Run your numbers before you spin, not after.
Wagering Contribution Calculator
| Amount wagered | Weight % | HE % | |
|---|---|---|---|
The hidden trap of wagering weights
Casinos attach a rollover figure to most bonuses — $3,000 is a typical mid-size example — and no withdrawal happens until that number drops to zero. The obvious play is to grind it out on low-house-edge games like blackjack at roughly 0.50%. Operators know this, which is exactly why Game Weights exist: they discount certain games so the house keeps its margin.
Slots typically count at full value (100%). Table games often get 10% or less. A handful of titles sit at 0% — nothing you bet on them moves the meter. That last group is worth a second read: bets on excluded games count for nothing while still carrying real house edge against your balance.
The math: Blended weights and effective house edge
Three formulas drive everything below. Together they tell you how fast a strategy clears a requirement and what it is expected to cost in expected loss:
1. Blended Contribution Cleared
Actual progress toward requirement W sums each wager multiplied by its game’s weight:
Wagering_Cleared = Σ (Wagered_Amount_i * Contribution_Weight_i)
2. Blended House Edge
Your session-wide average edge is dollar-weighted, not a simple average across games:
Blended_House_Edge = Σ (Wagered_Amount_i * House_Edge_i) / Total_Wagered
3. The True Cost of Clearing
Expected loss to clear $100 of requirement on a single game:
Expected_Loss_per_100 = (100 / Contribution_Weight) * House_Edge
Data Sandwich: Slots vs. Roulette vs. Blackjack
Here is the same $1,000 wagering requirement attacked three ways, with hard numbers instead of guesses:
Option A: Slot Machine
- Weight: 100%
- House Edge: 4.00%
- Wagers Required: $1,000 / 1.00 = $1,000
- Expected Loss: $$1,000 times 0.04 = mathbf{$40.00}$
Option B: European Roulette
- Weight: 20%
- House Edge: 2.70%
- Wagers Required: $1,000 / 0.20 = $5,000
- Expected Loss: $$5,000 times 0.027 = mathbf{$135.00}$
Option C: Blackjack Table
- Weight: 10%
- House Edge: 0.50% (basic strategy)
- Wagers Required: $1,000 / 0.10 = $10,000
- Expected Loss: $$10,000 times 0.005 = mathbf{$50.00}$
The roulette result deserves a pause. Its edge sits between the other two, yet its 20% weight makes it by far the most expensive route — $135 in expected loss versus $40 on slots. Meanwhile blackjack’s eight-times-lower edge (0.50% vs 4.00%) still loses to **the plain slot machine** ($50 vs $40), entirely because of the 100% weight.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I play an excluded (0% weight) game?
Your rollover total doesn’t move a cent. It can get worse than wasted money: many terms treat excluded-game play during an active bonus as a violation, giving the casino grounds to void the bonus and any winnings tied to it.
How does a blended strategy work?
You split the work. Commonly that means high-weight games like slots to burn through most of the rollover, then lower-variance table games to slow the drain on what’s left of your bankroll. Enter both legs into the calculator to see the combined contribution rate and blended house edge.
Why do casinos restrict low-risk bets on roulette?
Betting Red and Black together converts wagering into a near zero-variance exercise. Terms therefore usually strip even-money outside bets and any layout covering more than 67% of the wheel from contributing toward rollover.