UKGC Regulation Change – What It Means For Your Bonuses

Casinofy Blog

In January 2026, the UKGC introduced new legislation that impacts how bonuses work at all UK-licensed casinos. These new wagering requirement rules apply to all bonus offers, including welcome bonuses, no deposit promotions, reload bonuses, and cashback offers. In this post, we’ll break down the changes that have been made, explain how they will impact your bonuses, and much more.

📉 Introduction of 10x Wagering Requirements

As of January 19th 2026, section 5.1.1 of the UKGC Codes of Practice states that all UK-based bonuses have a mandated maximum wagering requirement limit of 10x. Previously, it was common for UK bonuses to have playthrough requirements ranging from 30x to 50x, depending on the size of the offer.

This change is seen as a positive for UK casino players, as it increases the likelihood that you will be able to convert your bonus winnings to real money. For example, let’s say a £10 bonus previously had 40x turnover requirements; you would need to play £400 worth of games to withdraw your winnings. Now, you only need to play £100 worth of games to cash out your bonus.

🚫 The Banning of Mixed Offers

Another aspect of this new legislation is the banning of mixed offers. The law states that bonuses should not “Include more than one type of gambling product (betting, casino, bingo, and lottery) within an incentive.” This means that welcome packages offering both free spins and matched deposit bonuses are now no longer permitted by the UKGC.

This is arguably the most disappointing aspect of the new legislation, as in our experience, these promotions offered good value to UK players.

🛡️ Why the UKGC Changed Their Regulations

The primary aim of this new legislation is to improve safety and reduce harm to vulnerable players. The UKGC has stated that, “evidence shows consumers are more at risk when they gamble on multiple products rather than a single product.” By banning mixed product promotions, the UKGC helps to limit a player’s exposure to this risk.

The legislation also aims to increase the simplicity of UK casino bonuses. By reducing the wagering requirements and banning mixed promotions, bonuses become easier to understand for the average player. In an article outlining the reasons for the regulation change, the UKGC said that there is a “risk that mixed product promotions cause confusion for users due to complicated terms and conditions.”

In our experience, welcome packages would often have multiple terms and conditions for each product, making it hard for beginners to understand. This legislation will make bonuses more accessible to new players and help eliminate confusion when using rewards.

📊 How This Impacts Your Bonuses

On the face of it, this may look like a win for UK casino players; after all, reducing wagering requirements from 30x to 10x triples the chance of winning real money from your bonus. However, in reality, UK casinos will adjust their promotions to account for the new regulations.

Before these rules were implemented, you could expect to receive a large matched deposit bonus and 50+ free spins from your welcome package at the best UK casinos, as the wagering requirements would diminish the real-world value of your rewards. Now that the playthrough requirements have been reduced, we expect to see the reward value significantly reduced as well.

For example, All British Casino used to offer a 100% matched deposit up to £100 with 40x wagering requirements. As of today, the site only offers a 100 free spins bonus with a spin cost of £0.10, reducing the face-value of your rewards by a factor of 10.

⚖️ What We Think of the Legislation Changes

In our opinion, there are positive and negative aspects to this regulation change. The obvious negative aspect is that UK casinos are going to reduce the value of their bonuses and promotions to adjust to the mandated wagering requirements. This reduces the amount of rewards you can expect to receive, limiting your potential play time.

However, we think that the reduction in wagering requirements can still be a net positive. While the overall value of your rewards will be lower, your chances of converting your rewards to real money are significantly higher, giving you a better chance of walking away with your bonus winnings.

Similarly, the banning of multi-product bonuses will have a mixed reception. We believe that it’s a positive step, as the protection of vulnerable players through responsible gambling measures should always be the priority of UK casino sites. However, we understand that many players will miss the value that they offer.

🌍 Will Other Regulators Follow Suit?

At the time of writing, there is no official word that the MGA, CGCB, or other gambling authorities will seek to implement the same regulations. It’s likely that these regulators are looking to see how this new legislation impacts the UK gambling industry before acting on it themselves.

However, if the regulations are a success, we wouldn’t be surprised if other licensing bodies followed suit in the near future.