UK Casino Bonus Rules: Wagering Caps and Mixed-Product Ban

Before this rule, the Gambling Commission noted some operators applied wagering requirements as high as 60 times the bonus amount. Under the amended SR Code 5.1.1, a licensed operator is now prohibited from applying a wagering requirement above 10 times to an incentive that requires playing through bonus funds. The Commission’s stated aim was reducing harm and making offers easier for consumers to understand and compare, following its Autumn 2023 consultation and the government’s 2023 White Paper.

A wagering requirement specifies how much qualifying play must be completed before bonus-related funds or winnings become withdrawable. The requirement can be calculated against the bonus alone, or against the deposit plus bonus combined, depending on how the specific promotion is structured. Where it is expressed as 10x the bonus, a £20 bonus would require £200 of qualifying stakes — the lower cap limits the multiplier itself, not whether a wagering condition exists at all.

Licensed operators (other than holders of gaming machine technical and software licences) are now banned from offering a single promotion that requires participation in more than one type of gambling product to unlock a reward — for example, requiring both a sports bet and a slot spin. The Commission’s reasoning was that consumers face a higher risk of harm gambling across multiple product types, and that mixed-product terms were often complex and could mislead players about what was actually required. Commission guidance published in December 2025 clarified that this ban also applies to free-to-play reward games, regardless of whether a stake is required to win.

The wagering cap limits one number, but it is not the only thing that determines whether a bonus is actually good value. Before claiming an offer, check the game contribution percentages (some games count for less than 100% of stakes toward wagering, and some count for nothing), the maximum bet allowed while a bonus is active, any cap on the maximum bonus or maximum winnings payable, the expiry window for both the bonus and any winnings from it, which games are eligible, the minimum qualifying deposit, and whether your original deposit itself must also be wagered rather than just the bonus amount. A 10x bonus with a low contribution rate and a tight expiry can end up harder to clear than it first appears.

The 10x cap applies to incentives with a wagering requirement, but different promotional formats work differently. Free spins typically convert winnings into bonus funds that are then subject to their own wagering terms, cashback is usually paid as real or bonus funds after a loss rather than requiring play-through at all, and a straightforward deposit bonus follows the structure described above. Always check the specific terms for the promotion you are looking at rather than assuming the same 10x calculation applies identically across every type of offer.

• The stated wagering requirement is 10x or lower, as required since 19 December 2025
• The promotion involves a single gambling product, not participation across more than one type
• Which games count toward the wagering requirement, and at what contribution rate
• Any maximum bet size while a bonus is active, since exceeding it can void winnings at some operators
• The expiry period for both the bonus and any winnings generated from it
• Whether the promotion is a deposit bonus, free spins, or cashback, since each carries different terms