Wagering requirements explained

What a wagering requirement is

The Gambling Commission in Great Britain defines a wagering requirement as a condition where a customer must make wagers totalling a particular value before funds become withdrawable¹.

In practice, a bonus arrives with a number attached, such as "10x". That number tells you how many times the relevant amount must be bet before any bonus funds, or winnings from them, can be withdrawn.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority lists wagering requirements among the significant conditions of a promotion, alongside time limits, qualification rules, maximum stake size and exclusions².

How to calculate a wagering requirement

The basic formula is simple:

Amount to wager = amount the requirement applies to × multiple

The difficulty lies in the details: what the multiple applies to and which bets count.

Example 1 (hypothetical): requirement on the bonus

A bonus of £20 carries a 10x wagering requirement on the bonus amount.

• £20 × 10 = £200 in bets before bonus funds become withdrawable.

Example 2 (hypothetical): requirement on deposit and bonus

Suppose instead the terms apply the same 10x multiple to a £20 deposit plus a £20 bonus.

• (£20 + £20) × 10 = £400 in bets.

The headline multiple is identical, but the amount to wager has doubled. The terms, not the headline, decide which calculation applies.

Example 3 (hypothetical): game contributions

The CMA expects promotions to explain, for example, that some games do not qualify for a bonus or that contributions to wagering vary between games². The Gambling Commission also refers to game contribution restrictions, which control how quickly a customer can play through a requirement³.

If a game counts at 10% towards the £200 requirement in Example 1:

• £200 ÷ 10% = £2,000 in bets on that game.

What meeting a requirement costs on average

Every bet placed to meet a requirement carries the game's house edge. That gives a way to estimate the average cost of play:

Expected loss while wagering = total amount bet × house edge

The table below uses a hypothetical £20 bonus and a hypothetical slot with a 96% RTP, which means a 4% house edge. It is calculated directly from those figures.

The higher multiples are included only to illustrate the arithmetic. They exceed the maximum now allowed for businesses licensed in Great Britain.

Game contributions change the picture further. In Example 3, £2,000 of bets on a game with a 2.70% house edge, such as single-zero roulette, has an expected loss of £54. That is more than twice the value of the £20 bonus.

These are averages. In a real session the balance can run out long before the requirement is met, and a bonus never changes the house edge of the games played. See house edge explained.

Terms that work alongside wagering

A wagering requirement rarely stands alone. The CMA's list of significant conditions is a useful checklist of what else to look for²:

• Time limits – how long you have to meet the requirement before the bonus expires
• Maximum stake size – a cap on each bet while bonus funds are active
• Qualification – what you must do to receive the bonus in the first place
• Exclusions – who cannot take part
• Game restrictions – which games count and how much each one contributes

Terms may also list types of play that are not allowed during a promotion. The Gambling Commission's guidance says these restrictions must be specified clearly, rather than left to the operator's discretion, and that a customer denied winnings for breaching one should receive a full explanation⁸.

Your own money and bonus money

Bonus funds and your own deposit are not the same thing, and good terms keep them separate.

The CMA advises gambling firms to make the distinction between bonus funds and customers' own money clear, and to let customers exit a promotion at any time with their remaining deposit⁷. The Gambling Commission's guidance says players must be allowed to withdraw their deposit balance without restriction, even when a bonus is active⁶.

Terms that stop you withdrawing your own deposit until a requirement has been met are a warning sign.

How the rules changed in Great Britain

From 19 January 2026, businesses licensed by the Gambling Commission must apply wagering requirements over a maximum of 10 times¹. The rule applies to all licences except gaming machine technical and software licences¹.

At the same time, the Commission banned promotions that require consumers to take part in two or more types of gambling, such as betting and slots, to receive an offer⁴. Announcing the changes, it said they would better protect consumers from gambling harm and give them much better clarity on, and certainty of, offers⁴.

Transparency rules also apply. Significant conditions must be presented in a clear, prominent and non-misleading way, and the Commission states that simply including them in website terms and conditions is not sufficient⁵.

These rules apply to businesses licensed in Great Britain. They do not describe the position in other countries. For the Maldives, see the legal position on casinos in the Maldives.

Checklist: questions to ask about bonus terms

If the terms cannot answer these questions clearly, that tells you something about the offer.

Bonuses and risk

A bonus is a marketing tool, not a discount on gambling. Meeting a wagering requirement means placing more bets, each with its usual risk of loss.

If you notice yourself gambling longer or staking more to clear a bonus, that is a good moment to stop. Our responsible gambling page explains limits and where to find support.