New UKGC Bonus Rules Set To Arrive!
January 19th 2026 - New Changes!
After lengthy consultations over the last couple of years, two major changes to how new players receive welcome bonuses at new gambling sites will come into effect on 19th January 2026, in an attempt to rebalance the general unfairness of sign up offers.
Firstly, there will be a ban on "mixed product bonuses" which will put an end to bonuses that require a user to play across multiple gambling formats, with many welcome offers requiring a player to visit both the sportsbook and casino to maximise the full potential of their bonus.
And secondly, the days of 50x wagering will become a thing of the past, as from the 19th January, bonuses are legally required to have a maximum wagering requirement of 10x, which will be music to casino users ears, especially!
The ban on mixed product promotions, simply means that players will no longer be railroaded to playing across sportsbook and casino games at sites that have both options available.
This has been a tactic used by larger gambling operators to mitigate the potential for losses, by spreading the bonus thinly and by limiting the max pay out available at casinos especially.
Ultimately, this is to protect players, with the UKGC stating that their ban on mixed-product promotions follows evidence that players who gamble across several product types face higher potential risks. The UKGC also cited research from the “Patterns of Play” study, which found that multi-product play can correlate with faster and riskier gambling behaviours.
Pros & Cons
PROS
- Players get what they actually want!
- T&Cs will be much clearer
- Operators will need to innovate further
CONS
- Bonuses may be reduced in amount
- Operators may find a loophole
The wagering limitation is a straightforward change and one that see's online casinos wagering requirements limited to 10x only.
Some UK-licensed online casinos have wagering requirements of 50x, which means if you sign up and win £100 in bonus funds at a casino, you would have to wager £5,000 before being able to withdraw winnings.
This not only weighs the bonus firmly in favour of the operator, but encourages the player to "chase" so they can eventually make a withdraw
The Gambling Commission has stated that high wagering requirements “could confuse consumers and lead them to gamble for longer, and faster, than they are used to”. By capping the wagering requirement to 10x, the UKGC says it should: “decreases the likelihood of harm, reduces complexity and improves transparency while maintaining consumer choice”
Pros & Cons
PROS
- Fairer for the player
- Potential increase in "no wager" offers
- Easier terms to understand
CONS
- Offers may be watered down
- Smaller operators may exit the market
- Potential for unlicensed gambling to thrive
My Opinion
In general, these two major changes will initially benefit the player in the short-term at very least, with operators eventually adjusting and potentially finding a way to claw back potential losses.
The cross-product ban is a welcome addition, although in reality, many online operators have been moving away from this type of bonus, ever since the new came of the changes, so realistically, barring a couple of big names, players won't see the difference to that extent.
However, the 10x wagering is huge for players, with anything up to 50x required, depending on which casino you join up with. This will give players a greater chance of "winning" by being fairer, although I have a suspicion that the majority of online operators will turn to "no-wager free spins" as the default bonus, as it will cost less in the long term.
Overall, these are great steps taken by the UK Gambling Commission. Anything that protects the player is obviously a good thing, but it remains to be seen how operators adjust in response, and if that has a knock-on effect on welcome bonuses for new players in the future.
