For years the most important number in a casino bonus was printed in the smallest type. Since 19 January 2026 it has had a ceiling. A gambling business licensed by the Gambling Commission can no longer make you play a bonus through more than ten times before the money becomes withdrawable.
It’s a good rule. It is also narrower than it sounds, and several terms that decide whether a bonus is any use to you are still the casino’s to write.
What a wagering requirement actually is
The Commission’s own definition is short: a wagering requirement is where you have to make wagers totalling a particular value before funds become withdrawable. In plain English, the bonus is not yours yet. You have to bet a set amount first.
The multiple tells you how much. The Commission’s example of the old world is a £10 bonus with a 50 times requirement, which meant playing through £500 before any winnings could leave. It also noted that some operators were applying up to 60 times.
What 10x means in pounds
The cap is set against the bonus. In the Commission’s words, any wagering requirement attached to an incentive “must not exceed 10 times the incentive amount”.
So take a £20 bonus. Ten times £20 is £200, and that is the most you can now be asked to stake before the bonus funds become withdrawable. At £1 a spin, that’s 200 spins.
Note the word stake. The requirement counts the total you bet, not what you lose, so wins you put straight back on the reels count towards it too. And ten is a ceiling, not a target. A casino can ask for less, and the Commission’s guidance says a bonus you only have to bet once, with winnings you can withdraw straight away, does not count as a wagering requirement at all.
The rule covers any incentive or reward scheme, and the Commission lists free bets, free spins, sign-up offers and daily reward offers as examples.
What the mixed-product ban stops
The second rule says an incentive must not include more than one type of gambling product, and the Commission names four: betting, casino, bingo and lottery. Its reasoning is that people are more at risk of harm when they gamble on several products rather than one.
The Commission’s own examples make it concrete. “Bet £5 to get 20 free spins” is now out, because you stake on sport to be rewarded with casino play. “Bet £5 and get a £5 free bet and 20 free spins” is out too, because the prize itself is mixed. “Spend £5 on casino products and get 20 free spins” is fine.
The exception is bonus money you can spend on any product you like, provided the operator doesn’t restrict which category you choose.
What the cap does not touch
Game weighting, for one. Casinos can count only part of each stake on some games towards the requirement. The consultation response gives the example of roulette weighted at 30%, where each £1 you bet counts as 30p.
Do that sum on our £20 bonus. If you played only a game weighted at 30%, the £200 requirement would take around £667 of stakes. The Commission looked at weighting, decided it was not necessary to review the rules on it at this time, and said it could act if operators started using weighting to undo the cap.
Nor do the new rules say anything about the maximum bet you can place while wagering, or how long you get to finish. The Commission’s fair terms guidance treats time limits and maximum stake size as significant conditions that have to be shown with the headline offer. So they still exist, and they still vary from one casino to the next.
What hasn’t changed is the part that protects your own money. Your deposit balance must be withdrawable at any time, even with a bonus active, wagering requirements must not apply to play with it, and the two balances have to be shown separately.
What to check in the terms
Before you take any of the offers in our casino bonuses guide, open the terms and find these:
- The multiple, and what it multiplies. If it isn’t quoted against the bonus alone, do the sum yourself.
- Game weighting, for the games you actually play.
- The maximum bet while the bonus is active, and what happens if you go over it.
- The time limit, and whether it is long enough to finish at the stakes you actually play.
- Excluded games, especially on free spins offers tied to a single slot.
None of which turns a bonus into free money. It is still the casino’s money, lent on the casino’s terms. The cap makes the price smaller and easier to see. It doesn’t make it zero, and our safe gambling guide is the better place to start than any headline offer.
Image: “Gamble Responsibly” posters in a betting shop window, Brook Street, Tottenham, April 2014, by Alan Stanton, CC BY-SA 2.0.
18+. Gambling should be entertainment, not income. Long term the house wins. Free and confidential help is at BeGambleAware.org.
