Gambling Commission Imposes Restrictions on Mixed Product Bonuses

Effective January 19, 2026, the gambling industry in Great Britain will experience significant changes in promotional guidelines due to new social responsibility rules. The UK Gambling Commission has released an updated framework demanding operators to redesign incentives. The cornerstone of these reforms is the prohibition against blending multiple gambling products within a single promotional offer unless unrestricted player discretion in bonus use is preserved.

Specific Changes to Incentive Structures

The fresh updates to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice distinctly outlaw offers that combine different categories of gambling products. It means operators cannot bundle betting, casino games, bingo, and lotteries within a single promotional structure when the activity requirement and the offered reward span multiple categories. The previous rules covered a broad spectrum of promotions— including free bets, spins, sign-up bonuses, and daily deals. The updated covenant primarily refines the approach to constructing incentives. Promotions necessitating participation in a distinct product must now ensure that the corresponding rewards come from the identical category. Permissible incentives include a ‘Bet £5 to receive a free £5 wager,’ or casino-specific offers like free spins in exchange for playtime. However, any offer demanding betting activities to unlock casino rewards or merging free bets and spins will contravene these new provisions.

Emphasizing Player Autonomy and Compliance Examples

A significant exception lies in promotions offering players total autonomy to decide how to employ bonus funds across all licensed products. In such scenarios, operators can request customers complete a qualifying activity as long as the bonus is utilisable without restrictions across varying categories. This differentiates a promotion granting £5 in bonus funds usable across betting, bingo, casino, or lottery products, provided it lacks category exclusions. While operators can exclude particular games within a category, such exclusions must be transparently communicated through lucid terms and conditions. To aid operator compliance, the Commission has illustrated permissible and impermissible promotion structures. Incentives focused on a single product type are acceptable, whereas cross-category promotions are not. The same compliance logic applies to free-to-play applications. Previously permissible, free reward games offering mixed prizes will no longer be allowed, as explained by Pradeep Rajania, a senior policy manager at the Commission. Rajania underscored, 'The important point to note is that the customer must have full freedom of choice in which product category to use their credits or bonus money—it must not be restricted in any way by the operator.’ The promotion's advertising must meet existing standards, focusing more on design than marketing. Source: “Socially responsible incentives: what operators need to know”, gamblingcommission.gov.uk. December 12, 2025. By GamesAndCasino