Game contribution rates: why 100% is rarely the whole story
If a game counted only 10% toward a wagering requirement, the offer applied a contribution rate: the share of each stake that counts. The headline multiple does not change. The amount you must actually stake does. This is the companion to what wagering requirements actually mean and to the wagering requirement calculator.
Why a bet can count as a fraction
A wagering requirement is a total amount of stakes. Contribution is the weight applied to each stake before it is added to that total. At 100%, a 10-unit bet counts as 10 units of playthrough. At 10%, the same bet counts as 1. At 0%, it counts as nothing. The offer still asks for the same headline multiple — 35× or 40× or whatever it printed — on the same qualifying base. You simply have to place more actual bets to reach that base once the weight is below 100%. That is why a 10% line on a game you already play can turn a bonus that looked small on paper into a large staking job: the multiple is honest, and the weight is the part most people skip.
Effective turnover is the number that makes this visible: gross requirement divided by the contribution rate. A 10% rate is a ten-times increase versus 100% contribution. A 20% rate is a five-times increase. That is arithmetic on the terms you type, not a forecast of a session and not a claim about any casino. Recompute it with your own numbers in the wagering requirement calculator.
The effective-turnover formula
Qualifying base
bonus, or deposit + bonus
Read which amount the multiple applies to.
Gross requirement
qualifying base × wagering multiple
Effective turnover
gross requirement ÷ contribution rate
Use the rate as a decimal: 20% is 0.20.
The game contribution calculator is the same third step in isolation. The bonus true-value calculator then applies an RTP assumption to the extra turnover — still a long-run estimate, never a profit promise.
Worked example (hypothetical)
Different numbers from the calculator pages: an 80-unit bonus, 40× on the bonus only, and a game the offer weights at 20%.
- Qualifying base
- 80 units (bonus only)
- Gross requirement
- 80 × 40 = 3,200 units
- Effective turnover
- 3,200 ÷ 0.20 = 16,000 units of actual stakes
At 100% the same offer would ask for 3,200 units of stakes. At 20% it asks for 16,000. The multiple did not move. The weight did. You can check every line with a pocket calculator, or recompute this with your own numbers.
Illustrative weights — not an operator table
Offers that use contribution usually print a table by game type. The figures below are a reading aid for the formula. They are not a survey of casinos, not “typical” rates, and not advice to prefer one game. Where an offer states a different rate, use that rate.
| If the offer states | $10 of stakes counts as | Turnover vs 100% |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | $10 | 1× the gross requirement |
| 20% | $2 | 5× |
| 10% | $1 | 10× |
| 0% / excluded | $0 | Those stakes never reduce the remaining requirement |
This site does not publish a contribution lookup by casino or game title. Enter the percentage the offer shows. The sourcing contract for every calculator is on the methodology page.
Mixed play
The formula assumes one rate for the whole requirement. Real sessions often mix weights: some stakes at 100%, some at 20%, some at 10%. You cannot honestly collapse that into a single percentage unless you know the share of stakes at each rate. A session that is half 100% and half 10% is not “55% contribution.” It is two slices with two different effective turnovers.
The calculators on this site apply one rate at a time. For mixed play, either split the remaining requirement by the games you actually intend to use, or treat the result as a range (the highest rate you will play versus the lowest). The bonus true-value calculator has the same limitation: its wagering-cost estimate is only as good as the single RTP and contribution pair you typed.
Excluded games and zero contribution
Some offers list games that do not count at all. That is 0% contribution: every unit you stake on those titles leaves the remaining requirement unchanged. It can still empty a balance. It just does not buy playthrough. Using an excluded game “to finish faster” cannot work under this definition, because the stake never applies.
If the offer also caps the bet size while wagering is active, a zero-weight game does not dodge that cap. The cap and the weight are separate lines. Read both before you treat the bonus as usable at your stakes.
How to read an offer’s table
- Find the contribution or “game weighting” table in the terms you were given.
- Note which amount the multiple applies to — bonus only, or deposit plus bonus.
- Pick the rate for the games you would actually play, not the most generous line in the table.
- Compute effective turnover, then decide whether that stake volume fits the money and time limits you already set.
If the table is missing or unclear, you do not have a number this model can use. Do not substitute a guess from another offer, a forum, or this page. A missing rate is a reason to leave the bonus unused, not a reason to assume 100%.
A safer-play note
Extra turnover is a cost disclosure, not a challenge. A low contribution rate is a reason to walk away more often than a reason to play longer. Set money and time limits before any bonus, never raise a stake to “make the contribution work,” and never chase a remaining requirement after a loss. Independent help resources are on the responsible gambling page. 18+ only.
Frequently asked questions
If a game counted 10%, did the multiple change?
No. The multiple stays what the offer printed. Contribution changes how much of each stake counts, so the turnover you actually place goes up.
Can I enter one rate if I mix games?
Not if the rates differ. The calculators apply one rate to the whole requirement. Split the session by rate, or treat mixed play as a range rather than a single figure.
What does 0% contribution mean?
Those stakes do not reduce the remaining requirement. They can still cost money. They just do not count as playthrough.
Is a 100% game a way to come out ahead?
No. A higher rate only lowers extra turnover in this model. It is not a profit, a prediction, or a reason to increase a stake.
Where do I find the rate?
In the offer’s own terms, usually in a table by game type. This site does not publish operator contribution tables. Type the figure the offer shows.
Sources
Every figure on this page is a definition or a worked arithmetic example with its formula shown — no external factual claims are made, so no external sources are cited.
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