GB bonus rules 2026: what affiliate content must now say

Since 19 January 2026, gambling operators licensed in Great Britain cannot apply wagering requirements of more than 10 times to bonus funds, and cannot combine more than one type of gambling product in a single incentive. Both changes came in through an amended Social Responsibility code 5.1.1. Affiliate content written before that date can still describe offers made under the old rules. Where it does, it is now wrong, and under the rules both sides work to, it is both sides' problem.

What changed, exactly

The Gambling Commission amended SR code 5.1.1 (Rewards and bonuses). From 19 January 2026, licensees must not:

• apply wagering requirements of more than 10 times to bonus funds, or
• include more than one type of gambling product in a single incentive. The product types are betting, casino, bingo and lottery.

The Commission first announced the date as 19 December 2025. A correction dated 24 July 2025 moved it to 19 January 2026. If you read about the changes in mid-2025, check which date your notes carry.

These are licence conditions on operators. They do not stop an affiliate writing about bonuses. They change which bonuses exist for GB customers, and so what an accurate page about them can say.

Why this lands on affiliate pages

Two existing rules carry the change through to affiliate content.

SR code 1.1.2 makes licensees responsible for third parties they contract with, and requires those contracts to bind the affiliate to act as if subject to the same licence conditions and codes. An affiliate page promoting a GB offer is held to the operator's conditions, including 5.1.1.

SR code 5.1.9 requires the significant conditions of a marketing incentive to be shown transparently and prominently, at the point of sale and on any advert for the incentive. Where space doesn't allow it, the ad must say significant conditions apply, with the full significant conditions no more than one click away online. The terms must stay available for the whole promotion. The ASA treats content with an affiliate link or code as advertising, so an affiliate's offer listing is an advert for the incentive.

Put together: a page showing a GB welcome offer at 35x wagering is describing an offer a licensee is no longer allowed to run. Either the offer has changed and the page is out of date, or the page was never right.

What affiliates should check

Start with the pages that earn, then work through the archive.

Offer listings and comparison tables

• Any GB offer showing wagering above 10x on bonus funds
• Wagering figures that were correct in 2025 and never updated
• Table columns or filters that rank by wagering using old figures

Combined offers

• Any single offer spanning two product types, for example a sports bet that comes with casino free spins, or a bingo deposit that adds a lottery entry
• Category pages that present a sportsbook and casino welcome package as one deal

Reviews and evergreen pages

• Brand reviews quoting the welcome offer in the body copy, not just the offer box
• "Best bonus" and "how wagering works" explainers that use pre-2026 examples
• Screenshots and creative that show old offer terms

Disclosure

• Significant terms next to every offer, not only on a separate T&Cs page
• Full terms one click away, and still live for the length of the promotion
• The affiliate page labelled as advertising, with "Ad" or "#ad" upfront, as the ASA recommends

Affiliate view

The hard part isn't the rule, it's the inventory. Offer text is scattered across reviews, tables, banners and social posts, often written years apart. Pull every offer mention into one list with the brand, the page and the date it was last checked. Then ask each operator to confirm its current GB terms in writing. Where an operator never told you an offer changed, keep that email.

What operators should tell their affiliates

The operator's licence carries the risk, so the operator has the most reason to make the update easy. In practice that means:

1. Send a current GB offer sheet to every active affiliate, with wagering, product type and significant terms in copy-ready wording.
2. List withdrawn offers by name, so affiliates know what to remove, not just what to add.
3. Say which old creative is retired, and replace it.
4. Set a deadline for updates and say how you will check.
5. Check the high-traffic pages yourself. Pages that rank well keep sending players to old wording long after a newsletter goes out.
6. Record what you sent and when. If a page is later found to be wrong, your records show what the affiliate was told.

Operator view

Most out-of-date bonus copy isn't bad faith. It's an offer box written in 2024 that nobody revisited. A clear offer sheet and a named contact fixes more pages than a warning email does. Where an affiliate won't update after being told, the contract SR code 1.1.2 requires gives us the right to terminate, and we should use it.

What this doesn't change

The changes cap wagering and ban mixed-product incentives. They do not, on the sources we read, ban welcome offers or change the CAP Code rules on under-18s, labelling or significant terms, which apply as before. Offers for customers outside Great Britain are governed by the rules where those customers are; see affiliate marketing rules by market.

Where to read the rule

This is analysis, not legal advice. Read the Commission's own text of SR code 5.1.1 and its announcement, gambling promotions to be safer and simpler. For the wider duties, see your responsibility for affiliates and staying compliant as an affiliate.