What is that pokies bonus really worth?
Every casino bonus comes with a wagering requirement, and the requirement decides whether the offer is worth taking. PokieProof turns the fine print into dollars, using formulas you can read and check.
Direct answer: a A$100 deposit with a 100% bonus and 35x wagering on the bonus means A$3,500 in bets. On pokies returning 96%, you should expect to lose about A$140 doing that, which is more than the A$100 bonus. If the 35x applies to deposit plus bonus, bets double to A$7,000 and the expected loss to A$280.
Start here
Bonus value calculator
Enter deposit, bonus, wagering, game contribution and RTP. It shows the bets required, the expected cost and what is left of the bonus.
Wagering requirements, explained
Bonus-only versus deposit-plus-bonus, game weighting, bet caps and expiry, with worked examples and a table you can scan.
How pokies work
Random results, RTP, volatility and why a win on screen can still lose you money.
Pokies RTP in dollars
What 94%, 96% or 98% costs per A$100 and per 1,000 spins.
BetStop explained
What the national self-exclusion register covers, and the casinos it does not.
How we work
The formula, its assumptions and limits, what we will test with real money, and how to report a mistake.
Where this site is today
This is an early version. It contains one calculator and four guides, and nothing else yet. There are no casino reviews, no ranked lists and no links to casinos. We have not published any payout tests, so we make no claims about how fast any operator pays.
Reviews will start only after we have deposited and withdrawn real money and can show the dates. The rules we will follow are written down on the method page before the first review exists, so you can hold us to them.
A note on the law
As we understand it, the Interactive Gambling Act bans operators from offering online casino games, including pokies, to people in Australia, and the regulator (ACMA) blocks offending sites. Licensed sports and race betting is treated differently. This site is general information, not legal advice. If you are unsure about your position, ask a lawyer. The maths here applies to any bonus, wherever it is offered.
Why bonus maths matters
A pokie has a built-in house edge. Wagering requirements force you to play a multiple of the bonus through that edge before you can withdraw. The bigger the multiple, the more of the bonus is returned to the casino as expected losses. That is arithmetic, not opinion, and the calculator shows it for any offer you type in.