10x Playthrough Requirement: Turnover and Expected Loss

A 10x playthrough requirement means you must place bets totalling ten times a stated base before the bonus, or anything won with it, can be withdrawn. The base decides the bill: on a bonus-only rule the turnover is 10 × the bonus, and on a deposit-plus-bonus rule it is 10 × (deposit + bonus). What that turnover is likely to cost you is the stake actually needed, after game contribution, multiplied by the house edge of the games you play.

The multiplier is the part everyone quotes. The other three inputs sit in the terms, and in the regulated US states they have to be written down. New Jersey's minimum promotion terms must state wagering requirements and limits by type of game, and the terms of each internet or mobile promotion must be filed with the Division five business days ahead of launch (as of October 2026). So the sums below can be done from the published page, not guessed.

What a playthrough requirement counts

A playthrough requirement counts turnover: the total of every stake you place, win or lose. It does not count losses, and it does not count winnings. Four terms carry the whole sum, so each is defined once here.

• Base (call it P): the amount the multiplier is applied to. Either the bonus alone, or the deposit plus the bonus.
• Required turnover (T): the multiplier times the base. For a 10x rule, T = 10 × P.
• Contribution share (c): the part of each wager that counts toward T on a given game. A game at full weighting counts every dollar; a game at a reduced weighting counts only part of each dollar; an excluded game counts nothing.
• House edge (e): the part of each dollar staked that the game's RTP does not return on average.

How a 10x playthrough requirement reads in casino terms

In casino terms, the first thing to find is the base, because it can change the turnover more than the multiplier does. Write the bonus as B and the deposit as D.

Bonus only. P = B, so T = 10 × B. The deposit is your cash and plays no part in the requirement.

Deposit plus bonus. P = D + B, so T = 10 × (D + B), which opens out to 10 × D + 10 × B. On a matched offer where the bonus equals the deposit, D = B, and the sum becomes 10 × B + 10 × B. That is the bonus-only turnover and the same amount again, for the same headline multiplier.

So two offers both advertised as 10x can ask for different turnover on the same bonus. The clause that tells you which one you have is usually a single line saying the requirement applies to "the bonus amount" or to "the deposit and bonus amount". Read for that line before anything else.

Game contribution turns turnover into stake

Game contribution is a divisor: the stake you actually have to place is the required turnover divided by the contribution share of the game you play. Written out, stake S = T ÷ c.

• At full weighting, c is the whole dollar, so S = T.
• At a reduced weighting, c is smaller than the whole dollar, so S is larger than T. A game that counts a quarter of each wager needs four dollars staked for every dollar of turnover.
• On an excluded game, c is nothing, and no amount of play reduces T.

The weighting is not left to the operator's discretion in what it publishes. Michigan's bonus rules list wagering by game as a required minimum term of any bonus offer, alongside New Jersey's matching requirement above.

RTP and expected loss on the stake

Expected loss is the stake multiplied by the house edge: L = S × e. Putting the pieces together:

L = (10 × P ÷ c) × e

Each input pulls the cost in its own direction. A larger base raises L in proportion. A lower contribution share raises it by the inverse of the share. A higher house edge raises it in proportion. A game with a high RTP lowers e and so lowers L, but only helps if that game also counts toward T; a high-RTP game at a low weighting can cost more than a lower-RTP game at full weighting, because the divisor works on the whole stake.

L is an average over many sessions, not a forecast for yours. Any single run of play can finish well above or well below it, and nothing in the terms guarantees you finish ahead. What the formula does is let you compare L with B: an offer whose expected loss on the required stake exceeds the bonus costs more, on average, than it gives.

Order of funds, cancellation and winnings

Three clauses change the sum after you start playing, and two states make them mandatory reading. New Jersey requires every promotion's terms to state the order in which funds are used for wagers. That decides whether your first bets come out of your cash or out of the bonus, and so whether early losses fall on money that was never restricted or on the bonus itself. The same rule requires the terms to state restrictions on withdrawal and cancellation rules.

Michigan goes further on the exit. Operators must give you a clear way to cancel a bonus that uses restricted credits, and when you do, the unrestricted funds left in your account must be returned under the terms. Once you have met the terms of an offer, the operator must not limit winnings earned while you were taking part in it. So in Michigan, a completed 10x requirement cannot be followed by a cap on what you won along the way.

Pennsylvania's rule is about whether you can read any of this at all. Offers must be stated in clear and unambiguous terms and be readily accessible to the registered player, and the gaming system must keep a Promotions Log of every offer issued so compliance with the terms can be audited (as of October 2026).

So in Michigan, a completed 10x requirement cannot be followed by a cap on what you won along the way.

The clauses to find before you opt in

Each input to the sum comes from a named clause. The table pairs them.

The house edge e is the one input the bonus terms do not carry. It comes from the game's own published RTP.

Questions at the counter

What does wagering money mean?

It means staking money on games. A playthrough requirement counts the total of those stakes, not what you lose, so each bet adds its full size times the game's contribution share to the running total until the required turnover is reached.

Does deposit mean I get my money back?

No. A deposit is money you put into the account to play with. In Michigan, if you cancel a bonus that uses restricted credits, the unrestricted funds still in the account must be returned under the offer's terms, which is the nearest thing to getting the deposit back.

What is the deposit amount?

It is the cash you pay in to claim the offer. On a deposit-plus-bonus rule it sits inside the base, so every dollar of it is multiplied by 10 along with the bonus. On a bonus-only rule it does not enter the turnover sum at all.

Terms and sources we read

• New Jersey Administrative Code (via Justia), N.J.A.C. 13:69O-1.12 Internet and mobile gaming promotions, accessed 19 October 2026
• Michigan Gaming Control Board rules (via Cornell LII), Mich. Admin. Code R. 432.649 Tournaments/contests and bonus and promotional wagering, accessed 19 October 2026
• Pennsylvania Code (via Justia), 58 Pa. Code 813a.5 Record retention and reports, accessed 19 October 2026