A wagering requirement is the number of times you must bet a bonus before it turns into money you can withdraw. If a casino gives you 20 pounds of bonus funds with 10x wagering, you have to place 200 pounds of bets before whatever is left becomes cash. Since 19 January 2026, ten times is the most any casino licensed in Britain is allowed to ask.
A worked example in pounds
Say you deposit 20 pounds and the casino matches it with a 20 pound bonus at 10x wagering.
| Your deposit | 20 pounds (cash) |
|---|---|
| Bonus | 20 pounds (bonus funds) |
| Wagering requirement | 10 x 20 pounds = 200 pounds of bets |
| At 1 pound a spin | 200 spins to clear |
The 200 pounds is turnover. Most of each bet comes back as winnings that you stake again. On a slot that returns around 96% over the long run, 200 pounds of spins costs about 8 pounds on average. So on average that 20 pound bonus is worth roughly 12 pounds, give or take a great deal of luck in either direction.
Now run the same bonus at the old 40x. That is 800 pounds of bets and an average cost of about 32 pounds, more than the bonus was worth. Most people ran out of balance long before the end. That was the point of high wagering, and it is why the regulator stepped in.
The averages hide a lot. Slots are volatile, and plenty of players will bust the bonus before finishing even 10x, while a few will finish well ahead. A bonus gives you more play for your money. It does not tilt the game in your favour.
The 10x cap and why it arrived
The Gambling Commission's updated rules on rewards and bonuses took effect on 19 January 2026. Operators can now require bonus funds to be re-staked a maximum of ten times before withdrawal. The Commission's own example of what it wanted to end was a ten pound bonus with 50x wagering, which needed 500 pounds of play.
The same rule change banned promotions that make you use two or more gambling products, so "bet on the racing to unlock casino spins" has gone too. Both changes came out of the 2023 gambling white paper.
What you see in practice: smaller headline bonuses, far more offers with no wagering at all, and terms short enough to read. We think the trade is a good one. Our bonus comparison shows which type of offer each casino runs now.
The cap binds only casinos licensed by the Gambling Commission. A site offering UK players 35x or 60x wagering in 2026 is telling you it is not licensed here, with everything that follows from that.
What the multiple applies to
The same "10x" can mean different amounts of play. With bonus cash, the multiple normally applies to the bonus amount, as in the example above. With free spins, there is no bonus amount up front, so the wagering applies to whatever the spins win: win 8 pounds from your spins at 10x and you need 80 pounds of bets to convert it. Before the cap, some offers applied the multiple to deposit and bonus added together, which doubled the real requirement. If you see wording you cannot follow, ask live chat to confirm the total in pounds before you opt in. A decent casino will tell you straight away.
Game weighting: not every bet counts in full
Casinos set a contribution rate for each type of game. Slots usually count 100%. Table games and live casino commonly count for much less, sometimes 10% or 20%, sometimes nothing. A few slots with unusually high returns are often excluded outright.
The effect is bigger than it looks. If blackjack contributes 10%, a 10 pound hand moves your wagering on by 1 pound, so clearing 200 pounds of wagering would take 2,000 pounds of blackjack bets. That is why slot-led welcome offers are poor value for table players, and why some blackjack and live casino regulars are better off declining the bonus and playing with cash.
The weighting table lives in the full bonus terms, usually under a heading like "game contributions". It takes a minute to find and saves a lot of wasted play.
Maximum bets, expiry and win caps
Three more terms sit alongside the wagering figure, and any one of them can cost you the bonus.
Maximum bet. Many offers limit how much you can stake per spin or hand while bonus funds are in play. Go over it and the casino can void the bonus winnings. Separately, the law already limits online slot stakes to 5 pounds a spin if you are 25 or over and 2 pounds if you are 18 to 24, so on slots the legal limit will often bite first.
Expiry. You get a fixed window to finish wagering, and it varies widely between offers. If the window closes with wagering unfinished, the bonus balance and its winnings are removed. Work out before you start whether the requirement fits the amount you would normally play in that time. If it would take more play than you are comfortable with, the offer is not for you.
Maximum win. Some offers cap how much can be converted from bonus to cash. Others, particularly free spins, cap total winnings. Know the figure before you celebrate anything.
No-wagering offers
The simplest way to deal with wagering requirements is to pick an offer that has none. Winnings from no-wagering spins are credited as cash. You can withdraw them, subject to the site's normal minimum withdrawal, or carry on playing.
Among the casinos we review, MrQ and PlayOJO both state that none of their bonuses have wagering requirements. We read through the terms of each on the MrQ bonus and PlayOJO bonus pages.
No wagering does not mean no terms. There is still a minimum deposit, an expiry date on the spins, a named game and sometimes excluded payment methods. And the offers are smaller, because the casino expects to pay out on them.
Three checks before you opt in
- Turn the requirement into pounds. Multiply it out and ask whether you would place that much in bets anyway within the time allowed.
- Check that the games you play count. If your game contributes 10%, multiply the total by ten.
- Find the win cap and the maximum bet, and set a deposit limit in your account before you start. Chasing a wagering target is one of the easier ways to spend more than you meant to.
If the sums do not work, decline the bonus. Every licensed site will let you deposit without one, and money you win with your own cash has no strings on it. Not sure about the other kind of free offer? Our no deposit bonus guide covers that.
Questions people ask
What does 10x wagering mean?
You must place bets worth ten times the bonus amount before the bonus and its winnings become withdrawable cash. A 20 pound bonus at 10x needs 200 pounds of bets in total.
Is 10x wagering the legal maximum in the UK?
Yes. Since 19 January 2026 the Gambling Commission has capped wagering requirements at ten times for all licensed operators. Casinos can set lower requirements or none.
Can I withdraw my own deposit before finishing wagering?
The Gambling Commission expects operators to let you withdraw your deposit balance at any time, but doing so normally forfeits the bonus and any winnings from it. Check the offer terms before you cash out.
Do all games count towards wagering?
No. Slots usually count in full, while table games and live casino often count at a reduced rate or not at all. The weighting table is in the bonus terms.
Which UK casinos have no wagering requirements?
MrQ and PlayOJO both state that their bonuses carry no wagering requirements. Other sites run individual no-wagering promotions.