Close to two years after the release of the White Paper following the review of the Gambling Act 2005, the Gambling Commission, the UK’s gambling regulator, continues to change the market rules with a goal of reducing harm and ensuring the regulations fit the digital age. In one such effort, new rules for gambling promotions will seek to make them simpler and safer.

Changes to the Regulations to Better Protect Consumers, Ensure Clarity

Announced Wednesday, the new rules outlined by the Commission will affect the wording of bonuses and rewards within the License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). Limitations to bonus wagering requirements are also part of the changes, as well as the prohibition of promotions that encourage the users to engage with multiple products, such as sports betting and slots.

Notably, the changes are expected to make the market safer, ensuring that promotions are easier to understand. At the same time, the Commission’s actions aim to decrease potential at-risk and problem gambling. Per the gambling watchdog’s recent announcement, the changes are expected to come into force effectively from December 19, 2025.

Tim Miller, the Gambling Commission’s executive director for research and policy, highlighted the importance of the changes. “These changes will better protect consumers from gambling harm and give consumers much better clarity on, and certainty of, offers before they decide to sign up,” he explained.

The New Rules Aim to Increase Fairness and Openness

The changes to the LCCP’s Rewards and Bonuses section would affect the wording of Social Responsibility Code 5.1.1. As explained by the Commission, the rewording will seek to “ensure increased clarity.”

The gambling regulator explained: “We proposed to restructure it to set out what licensees must and must not do where they make such incentives available. We proposed to make minor changes relating to the tense and order of words, and to make the requirements regarding terms and conditions clearer.”

As noted, the latest overhaul of the gambling regulations is also going to include a ban on mixed product promotions. Gambling companies often offer promotions that encompass more than one product, such as online slots and betting.

However, amid evidence that consumers face a higher risk of harm if they are engaged in multiple products, the Commission would ban such promotions. Besides harm, the gambling regulator acknowledged that some customers are confused by such promotions and complex terms and conditions. Ultimately, with the ban, the Commission aims not only to decrease gambling-related harm but increase openness and fairness.

Last but not least, the upcoming changes will affect promotional bonuses that require the re-staking of winnings from bonuses. As an example, the gambling watchdog pointed to a £10 bonus with 50 times wagering requirement that would demand the consumer to play through £500 before having the ability to withdraw the winnings.

This practice is going to change with the enforcement of a limit of ten re-stakes per bonus. Not only is the measure expected to improve transparency and decrease complexity, but it will also curb the likelihood of gambling-related harm.