From 19 January 2026, an operator licensed by the Gambling Commission cannot require a customer to wager more than 10 times the value of a bonus. The rule is in Social Responsibility Code provision 5.1.1 (SR 5.1.1) of the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). The LCCP are the conditions every Great Britain licence holder must meet.

A wagering requirement is the total amount a customer must stake before bonus funds, or winnings from them, can be withdrawn. It is written as a multiple of the bonus, such as 10x. It appears in the terms of sign-up offers, reload bonuses, free spins and loyalty rewards. It decides how much play stands between accepting a bonus and withdrawing from it.

The same amendment also bans a single offer from mixing different gambling products. Both rules took effect on the same date.

How the 10x cap is calculated

The rule text says licensees must not apply wagering requirements exceeding 10 times the incentive amount, as quoted by CMS Law Now. The multiple is applied to the bonus amount.

The rule applies to every Gambling Commission licence except gaming machine technical and software licences. It covers remote (online) and non-remote licences. It does not reach operators without a Gambling Commission licence.

Before the cap, there was no fixed maximum. The Commission reported that some licensees applied requirements as high as 60x the bonus amount.

A £10 bonus under the cap

Say a GB-licensed operator gives a £10 bonus with the highest wagering requirement now allowed. The second line uses the Commission's own pre-reform example of 50x.

Bonus£10
Maximum multiple from 19 January 202610x
Maximum amount to be wagered£100
Same bonus at the Commission's pre-reform example of 50x£500

The most a licensed operator can require on a £10 bonus is £100 of wagering. The figures come from the Commission's announcement of the changes.

The Commission considered four options:

  • a complete ban on wagering requirements
  • a cap of 1x
  • a cap of 5x
  • a cap of 10x

It chose 10x. Its decision page gives these reasons:

  • A full ban could push operators towards stricter cash-out restrictions.
  • Caps of 1x and 5x were likely to work as a ban in practice.
  • It found no sufficient evidence for 5x over 10x.
  • Lower caps could disadvantage smaller operators.
  • Lower caps could push customers towards the illegal market in search of larger offers.

The ban on mixed-product offers

SR 5.1.1(3)(b) says licensees must not include more than one type of gambling product within an incentive. There are four product types:

  • betting
  • casino
  • bingo
  • lottery

The qualifying activity and the reward must be in the same product type. The Commission's guidance for operators gives two examples. "Bet £5 and get £10 free bet" complies. "Bet £5 and get 20 free spins" does not, because it mixes betting with casino.

The ban applies to new and existing customer incentives. It applies wherever an incentive is shown, including websites, apps and programmatic advertising.

These are still permitted:

  • Two offers within one product type, such as a lottery scratchcard with a raffle.
  • Unrestricted credit or bonus money that the customer chooses where to spend.
  • Separate single-product offers sent in one message, if they are not linked and the customer opts in to each.

Where the rules show up

Casino sign-up and reload bonuses. If a casino bonus is £10, the stated wagering can be no more than £100.

Sports offers that unlocked casino play. An offer of the form "place a sports bet, unlock casino free spins" is banned. So is a reward of £1 bet credit plus 5 free spins given together. Bingo play cannot trigger a casino bonus either.

Daily rewards, missions and loyalty schemes. These are incentives under the rule. They are subject to the same cap and the same single-product requirement.

How the date was set

  1. April 2023
    White Paper published

    "High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age" proposed the reforms.

  2. November 2023 to 21 February 2024
    Consultation

    Caps of 1x, 5x and 10x and a full ban were consulted on.

  3. 26 March 2025
    Decision published

    The 10x cap and mixed-product ban were confirmed. The start date announced was 19 December 2025.

  4. 19 January 2026
    Rules in force

    The start date was moved back once, to this date. This is the date that applies.

What the cap does not limit

The cap controls the headline multiple only. Other bonus terms are not capped by the new rule.

Bonus term Capped by the new rule?
Headline wagering multiple Yes, at 10x the bonus
Game weighting (the share of each stake that counts) No
Time limit to complete wagering No
Maximum stake while wagering bonus funds No
Maximum withdrawal from bonus winnings No
Offers from operators without a Gambling Commission licence No

Game weighting changes the real amount staked. CMS gives the example of a game that counts 20% towards wagering. On that game, a 10x requirement takes 5 times the normal turnover. For a £10 bonus, £100 of counted wagering needs £500 of actual stakes.

Checking an offer

  • Check the multiple against the bonus amount

    If a GB-licensed offer made on or after 19 January 2026 requires more than 10 times the bonus, it does not meet SR 5.1.1.

  • Check the date of any page showing a higher multiple

    If a page shows more than 10x for a GB-licensed operator, it describes terms from before 19 January 2026.

  • Check the product of the qualifying activity and the reward

    If the qualifying activity is a bet and the reward is free spins, the offer mixes products.

  • Read the terms the cap does not cover

    Game weighting, time limit, maximum stake and maximum withdrawal can all change what the bonus is worth.

  • Check who holds the licence

    If the operator has no Gambling Commission licence, none of these rules apply to it.