You have just filled in the sign-up form, the welcome bonus is sitting in your balance, and one line in the offer text explains why you cannot take it out yet: the playthrough requirement. That condition turns bonus money into something you must earn, because every stake you place counts toward a total you have to reach before a withdrawal of bonus winnings is allowed. Read it as a workload attached to the gift, not as a formality.
How to Claim the Sign-Up Offer
The offer is attached to your new account, so the order of your actions decides whether it reaches you at all.
- Register once with accurate details. A second account or a misspelled name can block the bonus and later withdrawal checks, so enter the same information you would use for a bank account.
- Choose the welcome offer at registration if the sign-up screen asks. Some sign-up offers are opt-in, and skipping the box can leave you with a plain account and no bonus.
- Enter a promotional code in the field when the offer requires one. Codes from other promotions do not open this welcome package, so use the one tied to the sign-up offer you picked.
- Make your first deposit through the cashier inside the account. A deposit sent before registration or outside the cashier does not trigger the welcome reward.
- Confirm that the bonus appears in your balance before you start playing. If the amount you expected is missing, stop and sort it out first, because play made before activation may not count.
- Read the eligibility line before depositing. The offer applies to new players only, and duplicate accounts or accounts in a household that already claimed it can be refused.
- Keep to the games the offer lists. Stakes on excluded games, and often the whole game type, are left out of the playthrough total, so your progress can stall without any warning.
Conditions That Decide Whether the Bonus Pays Out
The table groups the conditions players meet on this kind of sign-up offer and what each one does to their balance.
| Condition | What it means for your money | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Playthrough requirement | Bonus winnings stay locked until enough stakes have been placed | Which amount the requirement applies to: bonus only or bonus plus deposit |
| Eligible games | Some games add nothing or only a share of each stake | The list of counted games and the share each one contributes |
| Maximum bet while wagering | A larger stake can void the bonus and its winnings | The stake ceiling and whether it applies per spin or per round |
| Expiry of the bonus | Unused bonus and its winnings can disappear | How long the bonus stays active after it is credited |
| Maximum cashout from bonus winnings | Only part of a large win may be withdrawable | The cap on what bonus play can convert into cash |
The playthrough requirement is the term players misread most. Many assume it applies to the deposit, while the offer usually applies it to the bonus amount or to both, and the difference changes how much play is needed. Others treat the requirement as a target they can reach at any pace, while the bonus expiry runs from the moment it is credited. A third mistake is counting every stake, including rounds on games that add nothing to the total. Reading the precise base and the counted games keeps the target realistic. Missing either one means you can play for a long time and still withdraw nothing.
Wagering in Numbers
Worked examples make the requirement concrete, and the figures below are illustrative only, not the terms of any 888 Casino sign up offer.
Start with the formula: the amount the requirement is applied to, multiplied by the wagering multiplier, gives the total stakes needed. The bonus amount is the usual base, so a small bonus and a large multiplier can demand substantial play. Add the deposit to the base when the offer says both amounts count, and the target grows again. The multiplier applies to the whole base, not to each game round separately.
Take a labelled example: a player receives a bonus of 30 and the offer sets a multiplier of 45 on the bonus alone. The total stakes required are 30 × 45, which comes to 1350. Only eligible games count toward that figure, so play on an excluded game leaves the target where it was. The same player on a game that contributes a fraction of each stake needs far more rounds than the raw figure suggests. To see how the real conditions are worded, 888 Casino sign up publishes the offer text players are asked to accept.
Now change one variable: if the base is the deposit plus the bonus, the target uses both amounts together. A deposit of 30 plus a bonus of 30 gives a base of 60, and the same multiplier takes the required stakes higher. Excluded games do not reduce the target, they simply fail to move it forward. The pace does not matter either; only the total of counted stakes does, within the time the bonus stays active.
Finally, the winnings cap and the expiry interact with the arithmetic. A large win from bonus play can face a cashout ceiling, so reaching the playthrough does not always mean keeping every euro. Running out of time before reaching the target returns the balance to what it was before the bonus, minus any winnings from it. Plan the game mix around the counted games and the stake ceiling. Treat the final number on screen as the goal, not the size of the bonus.
Withdrawing After a Bonus
A withdrawal request made while bonus money is still locked is usually reduced or held back. The system separates real cash from bonus funds, and the locked part cannot leave the account. Finish the counted play first, then request the withdrawal.
Identity checks sit between a finished playthrough and a paid withdrawal. Documents are requested at the cashier step when you request the payout, and they confirm that the account holder matches the registered details. Send clear copies and keep the name and address exactly as they were entered at sign up. A mismatch is the most common reason a request returns to the player.
A cap on bonus winnings can apply even when the playthrough is complete. If the cap is lower than your win, the difference is removed and only the allowed part is paid out. Deposit money you added yourself is treated differently from bonus winnings. The split is visible in the account balance before you request anything.
One pending withdrawal often suspends the bonus rules from applying to further play. While a request is open, new stakes may not count, and cancelling the request can return the bonus to an active state. Choose your order: finish the requirement, then withdraw.
How Free Spins in the Package Work
Free spins arrive attached to specific games, and only those games can use them. The value of each spin and the set of eligible games are fixed by the offer. Spins on another title simply are not available. The spin balance appears separately from cash and bonus funds.
Winnings from free spins normally land as bonus money, not as cash. That means the playthrough requirement applies to them just as it does to the sign-up bonus. Some offers credit spin winnings differently, so the amount you see after the spins are done shows which treatment applied. Do not assume spins are a shortcut around wagering.
Free spins come with their own expiry, often shorter than the main bonus. Unused spins can disappear while the bonus balance is still active, so a player saving them for later can lose them. Games that cap the number of rounds also stop crediting spins once the cap is reached. Use them in the order they were credited and within their window.
The stake ceiling during wagering covers spins too, in effect. A round placed above the allowed stake can void the bonus even if the spin itself was free. Check the value of each spin against the ceiling before you take a large round. Spins used on excluded games are also left out of the playthrough total.
Traps That Cost Players Their Bonus
Most forfeited bonuses share a small number of causes, and each has a simple guard.
- Raising the stake after a big win. That round can exceed the allowed stake and void the bonus. Keep every stake at or below the ceiling until the playthrough is finished.
- Playing a title that adds nothing to the total. Progress stalls while the clock keeps running. Save excluded games for after the requirement is met.
- Depositing before activating the offer. Play made before the bonus appears may not count. Confirm the bonus in your balance before your first counted round.
- Opening a second account to claim the offer again. The rules allow one welcome reward per player and per household. A duplicate is caught at the withdrawal check, so use a single account.
- Ignoring the expiry date. Locked winnings simply vanish when the window closes. Note the date when the bonus is credited and plan the counted play around it.
- Requesting a withdrawal mid-playthrough. The locked bonus usually cancels, and counted progress is lost. Finish the requirement, then request the payout.
- Using a code taken from an unrelated promotion. The system reads it as a different offer and the welcome reward may not attach. Use the code tied to the sign-up package you chose.