On 19 January 2026, the UK gambling landscape will undergo its most significant shift in a decade. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is introducing strict new limits on how bonuses are structured, effectively ending the era of high-wagering, complex deposit matches.
While the reforms are designed to protect players from "harmful" incentives, they will force a complete overhaul of how casinos market themselves and may inadvertently push some players toward the unregulated crypto market.
Here is a deep dive into exactly what is changing, the loopholes operators will use to survive, and the wider impact on the UK industry.
The reforms are binding updates to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), specifically Social Responsibility (SR) Code Provision 5.1.1. These rules were finalized in the commission's [Autumn 2023 Consultation Response] (published March 2025).
The UKGC is capping the maximum required "playthrough" at 10 times the bonus amount. This is down from the historical standard of 35x–60x. A £100 bonus will require a maximum of £1,000 in bets.
Operators cannot link promotions across different gambling verticals. Offers like "Bet on Football to get Casino Free Spins" are now prohibited to prevent pushing players into higher-risk products.
The new 10x cap breaks the traditional mathematical model of the online casino. Because a 10x wagering requirement is statistically very easy for a player to beat, operators will pivot their strategies to protect their financial exposure.
While the UKGC capped the multiplier at 10x, they have not banned the practice of "Game Weighting." This is the percentage of a bet that counts toward clearing the bonus, and it is the critical loophole players must monitor.
This allows operators to technically comply with the LCCP while maintaining the old difficulty level for high-RTP games.
A new online slots studio named "Sneaky Slots" is set to enter the iGaming market, and it appears to be a major strategic play by the Evolution Group. The studio has confirmed a partnership with renowned developer Nolimit City, and a company representative has all but confirmed its ownership by Evolution.
