In what has been a particularly eventful few months for the UK gambling industry, the latest reports indicate that as of January 19, 2026 new regulations will be enforced for all UKGC-licensed operators that specifically targets Social Responsibility (SR) Code 5.1.1 regarding rewards and bonuses.
More specifically, this relates to a ban on mixed product promotion, which prohibits licencees from including more than one type of gambling product (sports, casino, bingo or lottery) within a single incentive.
In addition, operators will be banned from offering bonuses that apply wagering requirements of more than 10 times (10x) the bonus amount.
It is understood that the UKGC is taking action because it has found that players who gamble across multiple products are at a much higher risk of experiencing gambling-related harm.
In addition, the UKGC understands that high wagering requirements are ‘traps’ for less savvy players who do not read the smallprint and are not fully aware about the consequences, often leading to frustration and spending more than they planned in order to unlock funds.
As a result, the regulator wants to move away from this opaque marketing style in order to provide more clarity in terms of a ‘what you see is what you get’ style of advertising. This ban will also stop operators from using a ‘safe’ product such as a small sports bet as a gateway to unlocking higher intensity products such as slots.
Expected Effects Across The Industry
Still reeling from a recent tax hike that took it to 40 percent, UK-licensed operators are sure to be wondering “what’s next?” and they might be right to pose this question. Especially with the UK government now understood to be under pressure to clamp down further on gambling advertising.
UK ministers face increased pressure to restrict gambling ads
— The Guardian (@theguardian.com) 1 January 2026 at 11:55
In order to compete in this landscape effectively, we may see some brands bringing back the ‘no-wagering’ offers that are based around cash-back or ‘wager-free spins’, which would see them completely move away from traditional bonus structures.
Furthermore, it could see an operator’s marketing spend redefined, instead focusing more on brand loyalty and user experience, rather than aggressive acquisition offers, while some critics suggest that it could push players towards the unregulated ‘black market’ where unregulated brands offer higher but riskier acquisition offers geared towards high rollers.
Could The UK Market Shrink?
Following the introduction of the new UK gambling tax that is set to come into force as of April 2026, this latest regulation could be the final push for some operators that might have already been contemplating leaving the UK gambling market.
It will also be interesting to see how much effect this will have on players and to what degree it decreases their gambling spend. One school of thought is that due to them not being able to sign up to mixed promotions, they might be tempted to sign up to a sports bonus and then a casino bonus at the same operator. In this case, it means that the ban would effectively be redundant, if they still gamble across multiple products.
Meanwhile, if some operators do jump ship and leave the UK because of this latest ruling, we may see loyal customers follow them, which would decrease the size of the UK market further.