Gambling advertising rules in the UK

Gambling advertising rules in the UK: who sets them

Two regulators share the job. The Committee of Advertising Practice writes the codes, and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rules on complaints. The CAP Code's gambling section (opens in a new tab), section 16, covers online ads, social media, emails, websites and print; section 17 of the BCAP Code covers TV and radio. Section 8 of the CAP Code adds the rules for promotions such as bonuses and free spins.

The Gambling Commission then ties those codes to the licence. LCCP 5.1.6 requires operators to comply with the advertising codes, so a serious or repeated breach is a licensing matter, not just an ASA ruling. The Commission adds its own marketing rules too, notably on promotions and direct marketing consent. All of this sits within the wider LCCP and the framework on our UK rules hub.

Affiliate sites that promote casinos are marketing too, so pages like this one are written to the same codes. That is why you will see 18+ and terms apply next to every offer on this site, and why we never describe gambling as a way to make money.

Protecting under-18s: the strong appeal test

Since 1 October 2022, CAP rule 16.3.12 has said gambling ads must not be of strong appeal to under-18s. It replaced the older and looser test of ‘particular appeal’, which only asked whether an ad appealed more to children than to adults. The strong appeal test catches anything likely to grab young people's attention strongly, even if adults like it too.

In practice that typically rules out content built on things with big youth followings, such as certain sports stars, influencers, video-game styles and cartoon characters. CAP's advice on betting and gaming appeal to children (opens in a new tab) and its guidance on protecting under-18s, updated on 14 October 2025, give the detail. Slot themes are covered as well: a game advert built around a cartoon look aimed at children would fall foul of the rule.

Where an ad appears matters as well as what it shows; the CAP guidance covers placement too. For the safer-gambling side, see gambling and young people.

The 25-and-over rule for people shown in gambling ads

Rule 16.3.14 says nobody who is, or seems to be, under 25 may be shown gambling or play a significant role in a gambling ad. The ‘seems to be’ part matters: a 27-year-old who looks younger can still breach the rule.

There is one narrow exception. People aged 18 to 24 may appear in ads on an operator's own website where a bet can be placed, for example a page showing a specific sports event. For casino content the practical effect is that presenters, actors and models in ads are 25 or over and look it.

The age line echoes other rules aimed at younger adults, such as the £2 slot limit for 18 to 24-year-olds under the slot stake limits.

How ‘free’ casino offers must be worded

CAP rule 3.23 says a product can't be called free if the consumer has to pay anything other than the unavoidable cost of responding. Rule 3.24 says the ad must make clear the extent of the commitment needed to get a ‘free’ offer. CAP's guidance on free bets and bonuses (opens in a new tab) applies that to gambling: an offer shouldn't be described as free if you must risk your own money to qualify, unless the qualifying condition is clear.

That is why compliant offers read like ‘Bet £10, get 100 free spins’ rather than just ‘100 free spins’. Claims that a bet carries no risk at all should be avoided unless the customer's own money is genuinely never at stake. See how the conditions work in practice in our guide to free spins.

Why the wording matters in pounds

Take a typical spin offer: 100 spins at 10p each have a face value of £10. On a slot with a 96% RTP, their average return is about £9.60, and you had to stake £10 of your own money on slots first. The headline is not dishonest, but the qualifying stake, spin value and game are what tell you the offer's real size, which is why the rules insist on them.

Significant conditions: what must be in the ad itself

CAP rule 8.17 requires significant conditions to be stated where leaving them out would mislead. The Commission's LCCP 5.1.9 goes further for licensed operators: all significant conditions of an incentive must be given transparently and prominently in the ad and at the point of sale. If space is short, the ad must say conditions apply, include as many as possible, and online, put the full terms no more than one click away. The text of LCCP 5.1.9 (opens in a new tab) also requires terms to stay available for the whole promotion.

Full terms must be reachable through a clear, prominent link, not hidden in a footer or small print. Our guide to casino bonus terms explains each condition in more depth.

ASA rulings on casino and bonus ads

ASA rulings show how the codes are applied. Several recent cases turned on conditions that were left out or hidden.

In the Apollo Entertainment ruling (opens in a new tab), the ASA also said the email should have said terms ‘apply’, not ‘may apply’. The maths shows why the hidden term mattered: 60 times a £1,500 bonus is £90,000 of wagering. At a 4% average edge, that much play costs about £3,600 on average, more than twice the bonus. Under today's 10x cap the same bonus would need £15,000 of wagering, costing about £600 on average. The cap is covered in our UK casino bonus rules.

Emails and texts: the direct marketing consent rules

Since 1 May 2025, LCCP 5.1.12 has required remote casino, bingo and betting operators to let customers opt in to marketing product by product and channel by channel at sign-up, with everything off by default. The text of LCCP 5.1.12 (opens in a new tab) sets this out. Existing customers were asked to confirm their choices at their first log-in after the rule started.

So you can agree to casino emails without getting betting texts, or refuse all marketing entirely. Post was dropped from the channel list, and land-based gambling and lotteries are outside this rule for now. Since 19 January 2026, a single promotion can't mix products either, so a casino offer can't be tied to a sports bet; our mixed-product ban page explains.

Some situations switch marketing off regardless of your preferences. Operators must stop marketing to customers showing strong indicators of harm under the customer interaction rules, and self-excluded customers must be removed from marketing within two days, as our GAMSTOP guide explains.

What gambling ads must never suggest

Beyond offers, section 16 sets out the content gambling marketing must avoid. Ads must be socially responsible, with particular regard to protecting under-18s and vulnerable people. That means they must not:

• suggest gambling can solve money problems or is an alternative to work;
• link gambling to social, sexual or personal success, or to toughness;
• suggest gambling can be an escape from personal, work or study problems;
• portray gambling in a way that condones or encourages irresponsible behaviour;
• present gambling as indispensable or as taking priority in life.

This matters for strategy content too. A site can explain that blackjack basic strategy reduces the house edge, but presenting a betting system as a way to overcome the house edge would mislead. Our page on whether you can make money from casino games explains why the edge wins over time.

How to read a casino ad in six checks

1. Find the qualifying action: how much must you deposit or stake, and on which games?
2. Work out the real value: number of spins times spin value, or bonus amount, not the headline number.
3. Look for wagering. Since 19 January 2026 it can't exceed 10 times the bonus; ‘no wagering’ means winnings are paid as cash.
4. Note every time limit: to claim, to accept and to use.
5. Check exclusions: payment methods, games and regions such as Northern Ireland.
6. Open the full terms, which should be one click away, and confirm the operator holds a Commission licence using our guide to checking a licence.

What UK gambling ad rules don't cover

• Voluntary industry codes. Some restrictions on sports sponsorship and TV timing come from industry agreements rather than law or the codes above. The Premier League, for example, agreed to remove front-of-shirt gambling logos from the 2026/27 season.
• Unlicensed sites. Since 1 November 2014, anyone advertising remote gambling to British consumers needs a Commission licence, wherever they are based. Unlicensed operators are outside every protection here, which is why we never name or link them.
• Northern Ireland. The Commission's licence conditions cover Great Britain; see our page on gambling law in Northern Ireland.

Timeline of UK gambling advertising rules

How our partner offers meet the advertising rules

We show each partner's significant conditions next to its offer, as the codes require. The three below are slot offers from Commission-licensed casinos. 18+ and terms apply.

• Coral (LC International Limited, 54743): new players, 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027. Deposit and bet £10 or more on slots to get 100 free spins on selected games, 10p each; accept within 48 hours, use within 7 days, no wagering on winnings. Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify.
• PlayOJO (Skill On Net Limited, 39326): new UK customers, not Northern Ireland. First deposit of £10 or more for 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each; no wagering, winnings paid in cash. Can't be combined; designated offer link only.
• Ladbrokes (LC International Limited, 54743): new customers. Deposit and spend £10 or more on slots for 50 free spins a day for 10 days, maximum 500, at 10p each on selected games. Claim before 23:59 each day; valid 7 days; no wagering. Prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits don't qualify.

Coral and Ladbrokes share an operator, so new accounts at both may not be possible. See our Coral casino review for the full picture.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.