Game Contribution And How It Affects Bonuses

Game contribution is a bonus rule that tends to go under the radar of most players. 

It then – to use the colloquial phrase – comes to bite them on the ass. 

Game contribution can have a huge impact on the likelihood you win with a bonus. 

In this article, we’ll explain how.

What Is “Game Contribution”?

If you are allowed to play table games (or other high odds games) with your casino bonus, it will likely have a lower “game contribution”. 

What this means is that less of your stake will go towards the wagering requirements

Casinos implement this rule as it allows players to enjoy a wider variety of games with their bonus while also ensuring that the bonus isn’t too easy to fulfill. 

Generally, you’ll find that games with high odds will contribute somewhere between 0-25% of your bet, while all games with low to average odds will contribute 100%. 

We’ll provide you with a few examples to illustrate what we mean by this.

Top Tip

Top Tip: Not sure how to meet the wagering requirements? Check out our guide on How Wagering Requirements Work For Online Casinos to learn more about wagering requirements for bonuses.

Game Contribution: Slots vs Table Games

To reiterate: high odds games will have a low game contribution. 

Without examples, it’s difficult to understand just how significant this can be for your chances of winning real cash with a bonus. 

Let’s go over a few examples – one if you play slot games, and another if you play table games.

Example

This is straightforward.

Slots tend to contribute 100% to the wagering requirements because of their average odds.

Therefore, let’s imagine you claim a $10 no deposit bonus and decide to play slots.

As slots contribute 100% of your stake, if you wagered $50 on slots with your bonus the entire $50 would go towards the wagering requirements.

In other words: everything you wager on slots contributes to the wagering requirements.

Example #1 - Slot Games
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Example

Things get a little bit more complicated when you play table games with your casino bonus.

Table games may contribute between 0-25% of your stake to the wagering requirements, though they usually contribute somewhere between 0-10%.

Imagine, then, that you claim a $10 no deposit bonus and decide to play blackjack, which has a game contribution of 4%.

If you were to wager the same $50 using you bonus as was the case in Example #1, only $2 (4% of 50) would go towards the wagering requirements.

Example #2 - Table Games
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When you place our examples side-by-side, you will realize that rather than ‘rebalance’ the odds, a low game contribution obliterates the odds. 

The difference is just too much to overcome. 

It’s not uncommon for players of table games to have to wager between 20-25x more than slots players when trying to fulfill the wagering requirements. 

Rarely, if ever, do you get enough time to do that.

Bottom Line

The obvious conclusion is to only use your bonus on a game that contributes 100% to the wagering requirements. 

It’s almost impossible to fulfill the wagering requirements on a game that doesn’t contribute 100% of your stake. 

We recommend you stick to slot games.

FAQ

No, not usually. If you claim free spins, you can only play slot games. Occasionally, if you claim bonus credits, you can also play other games.

This is only a general rule. Please consult the eligible games list of any bonus you want to claim.

Generally, table games such as blackjack and roulette – when played strategically – provide the best odds.

A bonus’ wagering requirements stipulates the amount you have to wager using a casino bonus before you can cashout.

For example, if you claim a bonus worth $10 and the wagering requirements are 10x, you have to wager ($10 x 10) $100 using your bonus before you are eligible to withdraw.

Published on: 2022/11/22

About the Author

Hi, I'm Ian, the Chief Editor at NoDeposit.Guide - With hundreds of reviews and thousands of no deposit bonuses, NoDeposit.Guide is certainly your one-stop destination for free online gambling. Our bonuses are updated daily and we pride ourselves on providing the highest percentage of working bonus, worldwide.