Bonuses

December 19th is going to be a landmark day for UK casino players, as the 10x cap on wagering comes into play.

This full-scale overhaul means that online casinos holding a UKGC licence can no longer provide bonuses with wagering amounts of over 10 times your bonus, which is quite a bit lower than we've grown used to.

The domino effects are guaranteed to alter the landscape of the entire bonus scene, changing the way we play our favourite casino promotions.

Background

The new regulations come after years of big changes to the Gambling Act White Papers, including stake limits for slots and financial risk checks, among many. The main aim was, and still is, to safeguard vulnerable players better.

On the 26th March this year, the UK Gambling Commission announced two more changes commencing 19th December:

• Mixed product promotions are banned. For example, a welcome offer with free spins for slot machines and a free bet in the sportsbook.
• Max wagering requirement cap of 10x. Offers with higher wagering requirements are not allowed in the UK market.

The first guideline is likely to have a minimal impact on the market since mixed product promotions are relatively uncommon.

🫣 However, the wagering requirement cap will make waves.

Is it good or bad news to the players?

At first sight, more agreeable wagering terms are certainly welcome news, aren't they? Well, not necessarily in the view of Andrew Elliot Brooks, who has been tracking the casino action for casimonka.com for years.

He surmises that accessing the best UK casino bonuses may become increasingly challenging in the future.

Though a better, more transparent casino bonus system is to be wholeheartedly encouraged, [Andrew states], creating a blanket 10x top cap does look rather heavy-handed. It is dramatically restrictive to operators, which will inevitably translate to a very bland set of casino bonuses and increasingly complex terms and conditions to wade through.

👉 Andrew's prediction is one of uniformity throughout the bonus area—and not the kind you would want.

The promotional bonuses are completely central to getting new players in, and new operators will be hard hit. They simply can't afford to offer those triple-figure bonuses when it will be so much easier to make them withdrawable with very low playthroughs.

The industry response has been firmly polarised. Consumer interest groups are overwhelmingly welcoming these changes, but industry members are contending at length with Andrew's objection about unintended side effects.

Operators are concerned about whether they can sustain their competitive advantage when operating in a market that's increasingly regulated, with margins already razor-thin.

The smaller operators will be most hit by these restrictions, and it could potentially push more companies out of the UK market altogether, leaving only the high street brands remaining.

This consolidation could well be at the cost of the wonderfully diverse range of online casinos we presently have.

Other conditions may stricten

No wagering bonuses won't be experiencing a tremendous surge, [Andrew continues], and I think a lot of operators simply won't provide wagering requirements at all as a means of acquiring new players.

Zero-playthrough requirement bonuses are a fad now. Some operators, like PlayOJO, have based their entire promotional strategy on this no-wagering concept.

🧐 But when competition becomes tighter in this niche, they'll need to find new innovative ways to differentiate.

Andrew also cautions that, though gambling lingo may become friendlier, other terms and conditions can become significantly tighter to balance things out. He has pinpointed three specific areas of concern:

Small max win caps

No online casino in the UK—let alone the world—can afford to give out a surge of free money without anything in return. I expect the potential bonus returns to be much lower than they currently are, possibly as low as just a few pounds. This alone may result in players forfeiting large wins if it were to happen whilst playing with a bonus.

Stricter game restrictions

The list of excluded slots and games to play with a bonus is already long, but expect this to be longer. Any high-RTP game is likely to be excluded (like they currently are), but I expect medium-high RTP games to be included, too.

Lower game weighting

At the moment, all non-excluded slots typically contribute 100% towards the wagering requirement. However, this is unlikely to continue. Most likely, they will lower the contribution to 50% or less to offset the low wagering requirement. Not only can this make it more complicated for players to understand the conditions, but it ultimately bypasses the purpose behind the wagering cap.

Conclusion

There is little question that the 19th of December will be a watershed moment for the UK bonus scene—benefiting the good, as well as bringing new challenges.

👌 A 10x wagering requirement does look extremely appealing on paper and will undoubtedly bring some genuine benefits for players.

But it may not always be doing exactly what the UK Gambling Commission would want it to do.

As things stand currently, these reforms will continue to make an already competitive market even harder to penetrate, and there are loopholes that still need to be closed before the players can enjoy the full benefits that these reforms are meant to offer.

How it all plays out remains to be seen, but one thing's for sure. It's going to ruffle some feathers pretty significantly in the months ahead.

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