What is a 20x rollover?
A 20x rollover means you must wager 20 times a set amount before you can withdraw. On a $100 deposit with a $100 bonus, that is $2,000 or $4,000 in bets, depending on whether the book counts the bonus alone or the deposit plus the bonus.
Two ways to count it
There are two versions, and the terms say which one you have. If the book counts the bonus only, 20 times the $100 bonus is $2,000 in wagers. If it counts the deposit plus the bonus, 20 times $200 is $4,000.
Rollover counts the money you put through, not the money you lose. Bet $100 and win, bet $100 and lose, and you have rolled $200.
What it really costs
Every bet you make pays the vig, and on standard -110 pricing the book's cut is about 4.5 percent of the money wagered. Rolling $4,000 costs you about $180 on average. Rolling $2,000 costs you about $90.
Set that against a $100 bonus. Counted on the deposit plus the bonus, it costs more to clear than it is worth, and counted on the bonus alone it is close to a wash, which is a long way from the "100% bonus" in the advertisement. The rollover tells you what it is worth.
A 20x requirement is steep for sports. Single digits to the low teens is more usual on a sportsbook bonus, and the big multiples tend to sit on casino bonuses, where the house edge does the work faster. I'd be wary of a sportsbook that borrowed the casino's number.
The small print
- Which bets count. Many books won't count a bet on a heavy favorite, say anything shorter than -200, or bets on both sides of the same game.
- The deadline. Often 30 days. Miss it and the bonus goes, sometimes with the winnings made from it.
- Maximum bet. A cap on stake size while the bonus is live.
- Early withdrawal. Ask for a payout before the rollover is done and you usually forfeit the bonus and what it won.
- Casino play. It may count at a fraction, or not at all.
Before you take the bonus
Do the sum before you click: multiply it out, take 4.5 percent, and compare that with the bonus. I'd take a smaller bonus with a low rollover over a big one with a high rollover nearly every time.
And you can say no. No book makes you take a bonus, and a deposit with no bonus attached is yours to withdraw when you like, though most books still want the deposit itself bet through once. I'd rather keep my money free to leave than tie it up for a $100 bonus that costs $180 to clear.
A bonus is a loan with conditions. Read the conditions.
Related questions
What is the difference between cash and free play?
Cash is yours. Bet it and a winner pays your stake back plus the winnings. Free play is the book's money. A winner pays only the winnings, and the stake goes back to the book.
What is the vig?
The vig is the bookmaker's cut, built into the price. At the standard -110 you lay $110 to win $100, and that extra $10 is how the book gets paid.
How do payout limits work?
A payout limit caps what a sportsbook will pay you. It can apply to one ticket, to a day or a week of winnings, or to each withdrawal. Win more than the cap and you are paid the cap, or paid in installments.