Restricted games in bonus terms
Restricted games are the casino titles, categories or features that a bonus’s terms either bar you from playing while the bonus is active or stop from counting towards wagering. The list sits in the promotion terms, often beside the game weighting table. It decides where your bonus money can actually go, and a single spin on the wrong title can cost you the bonus and anything you won with it.
Where the restricted list hides
Operators rarely put the list on the offer page itself. You usually find it in the promotion-specific terms, with further rules in the general bonus terms and the main terms and conditions.
Restrictions can apply to a single slot, a whole category, one software provider or a feature such as bonus buys. Progressive jackpots, live casino tables and certain high-RTP slots turn up on these lists often, though practice varies from one operator to the next and there is no common standard.
Search the terms for “restricted”, “excluded” and “contribute” before you opt in.
Restricted versus zero-weighted games
This is the confusion that costs players money. A game weighted at 0% may be perfectly playable: your bets simply add nothing to the wagering total, so you are playing with your own balance while the clock on the bonus keeps running.
A restricted game in the strict sense is different, because the terms prohibit it. Where a clause says play on such a title “may result in the bonus and associated winnings being forfeited”, a win there can be voided after the fact, even if the game loaded without any warning. Some casinos block these titles outright while bonus funds are in use, which is the kinder version.
Read which word the terms use.
What each game type costs you
The table works through a €100 bonus at 35x, which is €3,500 of bets on a game counting in full. The contribution ranges are typical figures published across operators’ terms, not one casino’s rules.
| Game type | Typical contribution | Bets for €100 at 35x | Common status | Check first |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most slots | 100% | €3,500 | Allowed | Named title exclusions |
| Jackpot slots | 0–100% | €3,500 or never | Often excluded | Prohibited or uncounted |
| Roulette | 10–25% | €14,000–€35,000 | Reduced or excluded | RNG versus live rules |
| Blackjack | 0–10% | €35,000 or never | Often excluded | Ban on bonus funds |
| Live casino | 0–10% | €35,000 or never | Frequently excluded | Whole category barred |
| Bonus-buy features | Varies | Depends on terms | Often prohibited | Feature-level clause |
How the formula changes the bill
The calculation is bonus × wagering multiple ÷ contribution. On a game counting 10%, that €3,500 becomes €35,000 of bets, and at 0% the requirement can never be met on that game at all.
So a restricted list does more than close doors. It quietly sets the real price of the offer, and two bonuses with the same 35x headline can differ tenfold once you check where the money is allowed to go.
