Game weighting explained

Game weighting explained in plain terms

Game weighting is the part of a bonus's terms that says how much each game counts toward the wagering requirement. If a bonus needs $3,000 of bets before you can withdraw, weighting decides whether a $1 bet counts as $1, as 10 cents, or as nothing at all.

Casinos weight games because some cost them far more than others to offer with a bonus. A slot with a 96% RTP keeps about $4 of every $100 wagered on average, while a well-played video poker game keeps far less. Counting both in full would make low-edge games a cheap way to clear bonuses, so casinos count them for less or exclude them.

For players, weighting is mainly a cost question. The same bonus can be cheap or expensive to clear depending on which games you play, and playing the wrong one can void your winnings. The short definition sits in our game weighting glossary entry; this guide shows the arithmetic.

Percentages and multipliers: the two weighting systems

Casinos express weighting in one of two ways. They look different but do the same job, and you can convert either into a dollar figure.

Percentage contribution

Each game gets a percentage. A $10 bet on a game weighted at 10% adds $1 to your wagering progress. Miami Club's bonus terms, for example, count slots, keno and scratch cards at 100%, video poker at 10% and blackjack at 5%. Miami Club's Terms of Use (v2.1, September 28, 2026, section 1.6) list the United States as a prohibited jurisdiction, while the casino's affiliate program confirms it accepts US players, so confirm your eligibility at sign-up; see our Miami Club review.

Higher multiple

Many RealTime Gaming casinos instead set a different wagering multiple per game group. Silver Oak's offer page (opens in a new tab) lists 30x playthrough, with 60x for blackjack and video poker, so those games need twice the turnover. A 60x rate where slots are 30x works like a 50% weighting.

How to convert a weighting rule into dollars of play

You don't need a calculator page to do this. Five steps give you the real turnover for any game and bonus.

1. Find the wagering multiple and its base. The base might be the bonus alone or the bonus plus deposit; Silver Oak's pages don't say which, while SlotoCash's welcome terms specify deposit plus bonus.
2. Multiply to get the slot requirement. A $100 bonus at 30x on the bonus alone is $3,000.
3. Find your game's weighting or its own multiple in the terms.
4. Divide the requirement by the weighting, or apply the game's own multiple. At 10%, $3,000 becomes $30,000; at 60x, $100 becomes $6,000.
5. Multiply the turnover by the game's house edge to get the expected cost of clearing the bonus with that game.

Step 5 is where weighting meets the house edge. Expected loss equals total stake multiplied by the house edge, and that's the figure to compare with the bonus amount.

Game weighting explained in dollars: what each game costs to clear

The table applies Silver Oak's published multiples to a $100 bonus, counting the bonus alone as the base. RTPs are third-party figures for RealTime Gaming titles; the house edge is 100% minus the RTP.

Two lessons come out of this. First, Silver Oak's own pages conflict on the slot multiple, 30x on the offer page and 40x in the terms, and the gap is worth $37.50 in expected cost on a $100 bonus. Check which figure applies at sign-up.

Second, a game with a lower edge can still cost less to clear even at double the multiple. The Jacks or Better figure, reported by GamesHub (opens in a new tab), assumes every hand is played correctly, which few people do. Mistakes push the edge up quickly; our video poker strategy guide explains why. None of these games turns a bonus into profit: each line still shows an expected loss, and actual results swing widely around it.

SlotoCash and Slot Madness, according to their terms or reviews, don't allow video poker with these welcome bonuses at all, so the video poker row only applies where the terms list a rate for it.

Game weighting rules at our partner casinos

Here's what each partner publishes or what third parties report. Primary terms come from the casino's own site; third-party figures come from review sites and may be out of date.

The pattern is clear: all of these bonuses are built for slots. Where blackjack or video poker counts at all, it counts at a heavier rate, and many table games are off-limits. Read each casino's full page through our Silver Oak, SlotoCash and Slot Madness reviews.

Zero-weight games and voided winnings

An excluded game is worse than a low-weighted one. A 0% game adds nothing to your progress, and some terms go further and cancel your winnings if you play it with a bonus active.

SlotoCash's bonus terms (opens in a new tab) say play on games outside the eligible list voids promotion winnings. Silver Oak's terms exclude baccarat, craps, crash games, Henferno, pai gow poker, Pontoon 21, roulette, shooting games, sic bo, War, tournaments, live dealer games and progressives. Third-party reviews report that Planet 7 voids winnings when coupon funds are played on Banana Jones or Fish Catch.

In practice, the safest approach is to treat any game not named as eligible as excluded until support confirms otherwise. Our page on what games count toward wagering covers the general rules.

Keno, scratch cards and progressive jackpots

Specialty games sit in a gray area that varies by casino. SlotoCash's welcome terms count keno and scratch cards alongside slots, and Silver Oak's terms group keno, bingo and scratch cards with slots at the standard rate.

Progressive jackpot slots are the main exception. SlotoCash's welcome terms exclude progressive jackpot slots, and Silver Oak's terms exclude progressives. A jackpot hit with bonus funds on an excluded game is exactly the kind of win that can be voided, so check before you play one; our progressive jackpots explained guide covers how those prizes work.

Arcade-style specialty titles such as Fish Catch and Banana Jones are often treated separately. Where the terms don't name them, ask.

Why casinos weight low-edge games down

A bonus is a cost to the casino, and it gets that cost back through the house edge on the wagering. On a 3.75% slot, $3,000 of wagering returns $112.50 to the casino on average. On a 0.46% video poker game, the same $3,000 returns $13.80.

If video poker counted in full, the casino would hand out a $100 bonus to collect about $14 back. Doubling the multiple to 60x lifts that to $27.60, and excluding the game removes the gap entirely. That's the reasoning behind every weighting table: the lower a game's edge, the less it counts.

Blackjack is weighted down for the same reason. RealTime Gaming's blackjack RTP isn't published in the sources we use, so we haven't put a figure on it, but basic strategy keeps the edge low. If you mainly play table games, our page on the best bonus for blackjack explains why declining the bonus is often the cleaner choice.

Common game weighting mistakes and how to avoid them

• Assuming every game counts: check the eligible list for your exact code, not just the casino's general terms.
• Reading the wrong base: 30x the bonus and 30x the bonus plus deposit differ by a factor of two on a 100% match.
• Switching games mid-wagering: one round of an excluded game can void winnings at casinos like SlotoCash.
• Playing a progressive with bonus funds: both SlotoCash and Silver Oak exclude progressives.
• Raising stakes to finish faster: bigger bets don't change the expected loss per dollar and can break a max bet rule, such as SlotoCash's $10 per spin.
• Trusting a third-party summary: where the casino's own page and a review differ, the casino's current terms win.

Many of these overlap with the rules covered in bonus abuse explained, since playing excluded games is one of the most common reasons bonus winnings are removed.

Who sets game weighting rules at offshore casinos

At the casinos on this page, the casino writes the weighting rules and can change them. Our partners are offshore and not licensed or regulated by any US state, so there's no state regulator to review a weighting dispute. Only Silver Oak publishes a license, from Anjouan.

Michigan's Gaming Control Board named Silver Oak in its April 9, 2025 cease-and-desist release (opens in a new tab), Slot Madness in its August 14, 2025 release (opens in a new tab) and SlotoCash in its October 8, 2026 release, calling them illegal offshore operators. Whether you may play depends on your state's law; our page on offshore casino legality explains the picture.

Slot bonuses via our links and their game rules

We matched these offers to this page because their game rules are published or reported in enough detail to work through. They are offshore and not licensed by any US state, so check your state's law first. We earn a commission on sign-ups and rank partners commercially. The house edge applies to every bet you make while wagering.

• Silver Oak Casino: $2,500 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). The casino's own pages advertise a different ten-deposit package with 30x playthrough on the offer page but 40x in the terms, 60x for blackjack and video poker, deposits from $30 and "no max withdrawal".
• SlotoCash Casino: $6,000 Welcome Bonus + 60 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). The casino's terms list 25x (deposit + bonus), a $20 minimum per bonus, no max cashout, a $10 max bet, and eligible games limited to slots, Real Series slots, keno and scratch cards.
• Slot Madness Casino: $2,500 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Third-party reviews report 30x (bonus + deposit) on slots, a $30 minimum deposit and no max cashout for the MAD275 code, per this listing (opens in a new tab); codes change, so confirm before depositing.

Free spins and bonus funds are slot-focused, and table games are often excluded or weighted lower. The package via our links may differ from the one on each casino's site, and the terms shown at sign-up apply. More practical explainers are in our guides hub and on the bonus game weighting page.

21+ (18+ where allowed). Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: responsible gambling tools and free help. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).