Why were wager-free bonuses introduced?

If you've found your way here, it's likely you're already well aware what wager-free bonuses are. And you know that utilising these generous welcome offers will give you the best opportunity to walk away from a casino with a nice chunk of cash in your account. 

Wager-free bonuses can sometimes seem so generous that we're slightly baffled as to why casinos are so keen to hand them out to new players. But trust us when we say there is a method to this seeming madness!

But before we delve into the nitty-gritty of wager-free bonuses and why they were introduced, we must first look at wagering requirements as a whole. After all, without wagering requirements we'd have never had wager-free bonuses.

What are wagering requirements and how do they work?

Wagering requirements are a restriction casinos place upon their offers that forces players to play through a bonus a set amount of times before they can withdraw any winnings. Imposing these restrictions protects the casino from bonus abuse, where players create fake accounts to claim multiple bonuses and profit from them, without any intention of playing for real.

Essentially, adding wagering requirements to a bonus means it can't just be treated as 'free money'.

How wagering requirements work

The most common wagering requirement is 10x the value of the bonus. As an example, if you were to receive a £100 bonus with 10x wagering requirement you would need to wager a total of £1,000 worth of bets before you could withdraw any winnings won from the bonus – doable depending on how much you won, but unlikely.

For further examples of how wagering requirements work, and a calculator, you might want to check out our guide to calculating wagering requirements.

Why did casinos start offering wager-free bonuses?

As mentioned, casinos began imposing wagering requirements to stop players from running away en masse with what was essentially free cash. So how did we end up with wager-free bonuses again?

As wagering requirements crept higher and higher throughout the noughties and early 2010s, it became apparent that casinos weren't being entirely fair or honest with new players. They were offering huge bonuses to keen players who thought they were getting the deal of the century, only to discover prohibitive wagering requirements – 50x and sometimes higher – hidden out of sight, deep within the terms and conditions.   

Of course, this dodgy, unfair practice was picked up on by players, regulatory bodies, the press and lawmakers alike, leading to enforcement action and heavy penalties. This gave casinos no choice but to be more transparent with players as far as the terms and conditions of bonuses and welcome offers.

Casinos competing for new players

Because they had to display their wagering requirements clearly, a battle emerged amongst online casinos to see who could offer players the best welcome bonuses without killing themselves financially. As time went on wagering requirements edged further and further down, until eventually a small handful of casinos scrapped wagering requirements altogether, becoming a no wagering casino in the process.

Players and casinos have both seen the benefits of wager-free bonuses in recent years –  a whole host of reputable casinos offer them, and there are thousands upon thousands of players snapping them up. These offers represent great value in terms of both time and money, compared to taking a larger bonus burdened by wagering requirements. 

Should wager-free bonuses be the norm?

As a site that champions no wagering bonuses, of course, we're always going to argue that wager-free bonuses should be the norm because they're by far the fairest way of rewarding players for their custom. 

That being said, whether or not they'll ever become the norm remains to be seen. Casinos need to protect their own interests and keep their shareholders happy. So whilst we think no wagering bonuses should undoubtedly be the norm it seems unlikely that everyone will get on board the no wagering revolution.

What about the 10x cap?

In January 2026 the Gambling Commission (UKGC) introduced a 10x cap on wagering requirements. This means that huge bonuses crippled with high wagering requirements are no longer possible. It's simply not commercially viable to offer large bonuses anymore.

It also means that all bonuses in the UK are now fairer. It's still not ideal to have to wager your winnings 10 times over, but it does make withdrawing your winnings a little more feasible.

However, a very welcome side effect has been to push even more casinos down the wager-free route. Win-win for players and music to our ears!

Clearly some casinos will have to work out how to claw back the ‘missing’ margin – especially those who relied on high wagering requirements to ensure profit. Just how they do this remains to be seen, and we expect some exciting new developments up ahead!

In the meantime, enjoy some wager-free bonuses at our favourite no wagering casinos: