- Turnover: (deposit + bonus) × rollover, or bonus × rollover, depending on the bonus.
- Expected cost: roughly turnover × bookmaker margin; with 1,000 and 5% that is 50.
- Read the fine print: minimum odds, eligible markets and deadline change the math.
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What is rollover and why does the math matter?
Rollover is how many times you have to bet an amount before you can withdraw a bonus.
It is not money you pay.
It is volume you have to wager.
That volume has a hidden cost.
Every bet pays a margin to the bookmaker.
The more you bet, the more margin you pay.
This guide teaches you to work it out step by step.
If you are after the concept, read what rollover is.
Here we go straight to the math.
All the numbers are examples with made-up data.
They do not reproduce the terms of any real bookmaker.
Always read the bonus terms before accepting it.
Betting is for adults 18 and over only.
The two variants of rollover
There are two common ways to define the volume you have to bet.
They change the result enormously.
That is why you must read which one your bonus uses.
| Variant | Formula | Example (dep. 100, bonus 100, 5x) |
|---|---|---|
| A · On deposit + bonus | turnover = (deposit + bonus) × rollover | (100 + 100) × 5 = 1,000 |
| B · On the bonus only | turnover = bonus × rollover | 100 × 5 = 500 |
With the same 5x, variant A asks for double.
That is the most common piece of fine print.
A 5x on deposit plus bonus equals a 10x on the bonus.
More on these details in bonuses: the fine print.
Here we use both variants in every example.
How to calculate turnover step by step
Worked examples (example, made-up data)
Assumed bookmaker margin: 5%.
It is a typical example value for a 1X2 market.
Every calculation was checked with code.
| Case | Variant | Turnover | Expected cost (5%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dep. 100, bonus 100, 5x | A: (100+100)×5 | 1,000 | 50 |
| Dep. 100, bonus 100, 5x | B: 100×5 | 500 | 25 |
| Dep. 50, bonus 50, 10x | A: (50+50)×10 | 1,000 | 50 |
| Dep. 50, bonus 50, 10x | B: 50×10 | 500 | 25 |
| Dep. 100, bonus 100, 35x | B: 100×35 | 3,500 | 175 |
Look at the last row.
To cash out a 100 bonus, you have to bet 3,500.
The expected cost of 175 is higher than the bonus itself.
What minimum odds are and how they affect the calculation
Minimum odds are the lowest odds that count toward the rollover.
If you bet at lower odds, that bet adds nothing.
In this example, the minimum odds are 1.80.
With low odds, you win less per bet.
With high odds, you lose more often.
The risk of running out of balance before you finish goes up.
You can estimate that risk with a simple simulation.
We used 100,000 runs, fixed odds of 1.80, a 5% margin and a fixed stake.
It is our own simulation, with example parameters.
| Case (example) | Balance | Turnover | Stake | Runs that finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dep. 50, bonus 50, B 5x | 100 | 250 | 5 | 99% |
| Dep. 100, bonus 100, A 5x | 200 | 1,000 | 10 | 92% |
| Dep. 100, bonus 100, A 10x | 200 | 2,000 | 10 | 68% |
| Dep. 100, bonus 100, B 35x | 200 | 3,500 | 10 | 41% |
"Finish" means you complete the rollover without running out of balance.
It does not account for the deadline or market restrictions.
The higher the turnover, the lower your chances of reaching the end.
Contribution by market: not all bets count the same
Some bonuses count single bets at 100%.
Others count only part of parlays, live bets or certain markets.
That raises the real turnover.
| Market (example) | Contribution | To clear 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Single bet | 100% | You bet 1,000 |
| Market that counts half | 50% | You bet 2,000 |
| Market that counts 10% | 10% | You bet 10,000 |
| Odds below the minimum | 0% | Adds nothing |
The formula is simple.
Effective turnover = turnover ÷ contribution.
With 1,000 and 50%, you get 1,000 ÷ 0.5 = 2,000.
That is why it pays to check the bonus's market table.
A low rollover with a 10% contribution can be worse than a high one with a 100% contribution.
How much it costs to clear a rollover: the expected cost
Every bet pays a margin to the bookmaker.
The expected cost is the effective turnover multiplied by that margin.
It is a long-run average.
The formula: cost ≈ turnover × margin.
If you do not know the margin, see what the bookmaker margin is.
A 1X2 with odds of 2.10, 3.40 and 3.60 adds up to 1.048, a 4.6% margin.
| Turnover (example) | 3% margin | 5% margin | 8% margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 15 | 25 | 40 |
| 1,000 | 30 | 50 | 80 |
| 2,000 | 60 | 100 | 160 |
| 3,500 | 105 | 175 | 280 |
Compare that cost with the bonus.
If the expected cost exceeds the bonus, the bonus has negative expected value.
If it is much lower, the bonus may be worth it.
The expected cost does not include variance or conditions such as deadlines, markets or withdrawal caps.
It is an approximation, not a promise.
You can lose your whole balance before you finish.
The rollover spreadsheet in Excel
This spreadsheet does everything above in a single row.
The formulas are in English-language Excel, with commas as separators.
In Spanish-language Excel, IF is written SI and the separator is a semicolon.
| Column | Input or formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| B · Deposit | Input | 100 |
| C · Bonus | Input | 100 |
| D · Rollover | Input | 5 |
| E · Variant | 1 = deposit + bonus; 2 = bonus only | 1 |
| F · Turnover | =IF(E2=1,(B2+C2)*D2,C2*D2) | 1,000 |
| G · Contribution | Input (1 = 100%) | 1 |
| H · Effective turnover | =F2/G2 | 1,000 |
| I · Expected cost | =H2*Rules!B2 | 50 |
| J · Bets | =H2/Rules!B3 | 100 (stake 10) |
| K · Per day | =H2/Rules!B4 | 33.33 (30 days) |
With a stake of 10 and a 30-day deadline, you need 100 bets.
That is about 3.3 bets per day.
If the deadline were 7 days, it would be 142.86 of turnover per day.
That per-day figure is a signal.
If it forces you to bet more than you normally would, the bonus is pushing you to gamble more.
That is a good reason not to take it.
When it is better not to take a bonus
- The turnover per day is more than you would normally bet.
- The expected cost is greater than, or close to, the value of the bonus.
- The minimum odds force you into markets you do not analyze.
- The deadline is short and rushes your decisions.
- You feel the bonus is pushing you to bet more than your limit.
A bonus is not free money.
It is an offer with a cost.
Turning it down is also a valid decision.
What to read next
To see full cases with risk and deadlines, continue with rollover bonuses: cases with numbers.
If your bonus includes a free bet, use the free bet calculator.
To understand the cost per bet, read what the bookmaker margin is.
To keep track of what you bet, use the Excel tracking template.
And set limits with the limits spreadsheet.
The background guide is AI for betting: the complete guide.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate the rollover of a bonus?
You multiply the rollover by the bonus base.
The base can be deposit plus bonus, or the bonus alone, depending on the terms.
With a 100 deposit, a 100 bonus and 5x, you get 1,000 or 500.
What is the difference between rollover on the bonus and on deposit plus bonus?
The second requires more volume.
With the same 5x, on deposit plus bonus you bet double if deposit and bonus are equal.
That is why 5x on both equals 10x on the bonus alone.
How much does it cost to clear a rollover?
Roughly the turnover multiplied by the bookmaker's margin.
With 1,000 of turnover and a 5% margin, the expected cost is 50.
It is a long-run average, not a fixed loss.
What are the minimum odds on a rollover?
They are the lowest odds that count toward clearing the rollover.
Bets at lower odds add no volume.
Picking higher minimum odds forces you to take more risk per bet.
Do all bets count the same toward the rollover?
Not always.
Some markets count only part, for example 50% or 10%.
The effective turnover is the turnover divided by that contribution.
When is it better not to take a bonus?
When the expected cost gets close to the value of the bonus or exceeds it.
Also if it forces you to bet more than usual or on markets you do not analyze.
Turning it down is a perfectly valid decision.