10x wagering cap UK explained

What the 10x wagering cap UK rule says

The rule lives in the Gambling Commission's social responsibility code on rewards and bonuses, LCCP SR Code 5.1.1 (opens in a new tab). As rewritten from 19 January 2026, it says a bonus's wagering requirement can't require a customer to play through the bonus funds more than 10 times.

A wagering requirement is the total you must bet before bonus money, or winnings from it, can be withdrawn. Before 2026 there was no ceiling, and requirements of 35x, 40x or 50x were common. Now the multiplier can be 10x or lower, including zero.

The cap applies to every operator licensed in Great Britain, and so to every casino app those operators publish. It sits alongside the other promotion rules on our UK rules hub, and our glossary has a short definition of the wagering cap.

Why the Gambling Commission capped wagering

The 2023 white paper promised fair limits on re-wagering requirements. The Commission consulted from 29 November 2023 to 21 February 2024, and its consultation response on socially responsible incentives (opens in a new tab) set out the decision.

Its own example shows the problem. A £10 bonus with 50x wagering meant £500 of play before any winnings could be withdrawn. High multipliers kept people gambling far longer than the bonus suggested, and many players didn't realise how much play a small bonus demanded.

An outright ban on wagering requirements was considered but not adopted. The Commission announced the 10x cap on 26 March 2025, in its news story gambling promotions to be safer and simpler (opens in a new tab), and moved the start date from 19 December 2025 to 19 January 2026 in July 2025.

The 10x wagering cap in pounds: before and after

The arithmetic is simple: bonus × multiplier = total you must wager. Here's what that means for bonus sizes you'll see in UK apps.

The 50x column is there for comparison only; no licensed operator can now set it. An offer can still come with a deadline, a maximum bet and game restrictions, so a lower multiplier doesn't make every bonus simple.

Why the house edge still matters under a 10x cap

Wagering isn't free play. Every bet you place to clear it carries the game's house edge, so the expected cost of wagering equals the amount wagered multiplied by the house edge. That's standard game maths, and it applies whatever the cap.

Take a slot with a 96% RTP, used here purely as an illustration, which means a 4% house edge. Wagering £1,000 on it has an expected cost of £1,000 × 4% = £40. Under an old 50x requirement on the same £100 bonus, £5,000 × 4% = £200, twice the bonus itself.

So the cap shrinks the expected cost of clearing a bonus, but it doesn't remove it. Results swing widely either side of that average, you can lose your deposit as well as the bonus, and a bonus is never a way to make money. Check a game's RTP in its help screen; our guide on finding a game's RTP in an app shows where to look.

How the 10x wagering cap shows up in a casino app

Several older Commission rules work alongside the cap, and together they shape what you see in a bonus or promotions screen:

• Terms with the headline: significant conditions, such as the wagering multiplier, deposit and deadline, must appear with the offer on landing and sign-up pages, with full terms no more than one click away.
• Separate balances: your deposit balance and bonus balance must be shown separately and clearly, never merged into one pot.
• Your own money stays yours: you can withdraw your deposit balance at any time, even with a bonus active, and you can't be made to meet wagering requirements first.
• Clear, fair terms: incentive terms must be clear, transparent, fair and readily accessible.

The Commission's consumer guide on free offers and bonuses (opens in a new tab) says companies should let you walk away at any time and keep what's left of your deposit and its winnings. See how wagering works in casino apps for a fuller walk-through.

How partner app bonuses sit under the 10x cap

All five partner offers on our site fit within the cap. Three have no wagering at all; two use the full 10x. All are 18+, for new customers, and terms apply.

In pounds: Casumo gives a £100 bonus on a £200 deposit, which means £1,000 of wagering within 7 days at no more than £5 a bet. 10bet gives £25 on a £25 deposit, so £250 of slot wagering within 3 days. Table and live games are often excluded from bonus wagering or count for less, so check the terms.

The spin offers from Coral, Ladbrokes and PlayOJO are slot offers with no wagering, worth £10, up to £50 and £8 at face value respectively. For more apps of this kind, see no wagering casino apps.

What the 2026 bonus rules didn't change

Some summaries of the January 2026 changes go further than the rules do. Three points are often misreported:

• No time-based incentive ban: an older clause about benefits depending on how long or how often you gamble was deleted, and a proposed replacement was dropped. Offers can still run over set days, like a daily spin drop.
• The speed clause isn't new: the code says an operator mustn't increase or change an incentive because you hit the qualifying spend faster than the full offer period. That carries over an earlier rule.
• Wagering isn't banned: a full ban was consulted on and rejected, so a 10x requirement is still lawful.

The code text speaks of playing through bonus funds. Whether an operator may also attach wagering to the deposit wasn't spelled out in the code text. What is clear from Commission guidance is that you can always withdraw your deposit balance without meeting wagering first.

The mixed-product ban that arrived with the cap

On the same day, 19 January 2026, the Commission banned incentives that combine more than one type of gambling product: betting, casino, bingo or lottery. A welcome deal that asks you to place a sports bet to get casino spins is no longer allowed.

That matters most in combined apps that hold a sportsbook and a casino together, such as the iOS apps from Casumo and 10bet. Each offer now has to stick to one product. Our page on the mixed product bonus ban explains the detail, and our comparison of standalone and sportsbook casino apps shows how the apps differ.

How to check a bonus's wagering in a casino app

Before you opt in to any bonus, take two minutes to read the terms on your phone:

1. Open the offer in the app and find the significant terms shown next to the headline.
2. Note the wagering multiplier, and check it applies to the bonus and not to bonus plus deposit.
3. Work out the total: bonus × multiplier. A £50 bonus at 10x is £500 of betting.
4. Check the deadline, the maximum bet allowed while the bonus is active and which games count.
5. Check which deposit methods are excluded, since e-wallets and prepaid cards often are.
6. Compare the total wagering with the budget you've set for entertainment. If it's bigger, skip the bonus.
7. Remember you can withdraw your deposit balance at any time, even after opting in.

Our guides to reading casino app bonus terms and claiming a bonus in a casino app go step by step.

What the 10x wagering cap doesn't cover

• Unlicensed casinos: offshore sites without a Commission licence don't follow the cap, or any other UK rule, and give you no protection.
• Northern Ireland: the cap is a Gambling Commission rule, so it covers Great Britain rather than the whole UK.
• Other bonus conditions: deadlines, maximum bets, game weightings and maximum winnings are still set by each operator, within the rules on fair and clear terms.
• The odds: the cap limits how much play a bonus demands; it doesn't change any game's RTP.

10x wagering cap timeline

No-wagering casino app offers inside the 10x cap

The three offers shown here go further than the cap requires: none has a wagering requirement on spin winnings. They're from Coral and Ladbrokes, both run by LC International Limited, and PlayOJO, run by Skill On Net Limited.

18+, new customers, terms apply. Coral: deposit (some methods excluded) and bet £10 on slots for 100 free spins on selected games at 10p each; accept within 48 hours, use within 7 days, no wagering on winnings. It runs from 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027, and Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify.

Ladbrokes: deposit and spend £10 on slots for 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500, at 10p each on selected games; claim before 23:59 each day, valid 7 days, no wagering; prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits are excluded. PlayOJO: first deposit of £10 or more for 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each, no wagering, winnings paid as cash; not available in Northern Ireland, can't be combined, designated link only.

One person may not be able to open new accounts at both Coral and Ladbrokes, since they share a licence holder. Free spins are slot-only, and every spin carries the game's house edge.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.