UK CMA undertakings of 2018

What the UK CMA undertakings of 2018 were

An undertaking is a formal, written commitment a business gives a regulator to change how it operates, often as an alternative to formal enforcement. In 2018 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s consumer and competition watchdog, secured undertakings from six online gambling businesses after investigating whether their promotions broke consumer protection law. The CMA’s online gambling case page (opens in a new tab) records each step.

The promises were narrow in one sense: legally, each undertaking bound only the company that gave it. In practice they reshaped the whole market, because the CMA published guidance for every operator and the Gambling Commission told all licensees to meet the same standard. That is why most UK bonus terms you read today show the same basic protections, whichever casino you look at. This page is part of our UK casino bonus rules hub.

Why the CMA investigated UK casino bonuses

The CMA opened its investigation on 21 October 2016. Judging by what the firms later promised, its concerns centred on three things that will be familiar to anyone who claimed a bonus before 2018:

• Locked deposits: some terms stopped players withdrawing their own money once they had accepted a bonus, until they had played through a large wagering requirement.
• Hidden or unclear terms: important restrictions sat deep in long documents instead of beside the offer.
• One-sided discretion: terms that let a firm change a promotion, confiscate funds or decide what counted as a breach after the event.

On 1 February 2018 the CMA announced its first outcome. The same day, the Gambling Commission warned online firms to take immediate steps to comply with consumer law or face enforcement action, and to remove promotions until they could. The Commission’s February 2018 news release (opens in a new tab) set out that message.

Who gave CMA undertakings in 2018 and what they promised

Ladbrokes, one of the brands featured on this site today, was among the first three firms. Its casino is now run by LC International Limited (part of Entain, UKGC account 54743), which also runs Coral.

The February 2018 undertakings and their deadlines

The first undertakings came with two deadlines. Most of the practices had to be amended by 28 February 2018. A separate change, prompting customers when they were playing with restricted funds so they knew their money was tied to a bonus, had to be in place by 31 July 2018.

The central change was simple to state and big in effect: a player’s own deposit should stay their own. If you deposited £50 and accepted a bonus, you could still take back whatever remained of that £50 without completing the wagering. You might lose the bonus by doing so, but not your money.

The other strand was transparency. Significant terms such as wagering, game restrictions and time limits had to be shown up front with the offer, not discovered later. That idea now runs through the Commission’s guidance and the advertising codes; see UK bonus terms must be clear and our significant terms glossary entry.

The BGO, Jumpman Gaming and Progress Play undertakings

The later undertakings went further into how withdrawals and accounts work.

BGO (23 March 2018)

BGO agreed to flag significant restrictions clearly, to stop requiring players to play their deposits through repeatedly before withdrawing, to drop minimum withdrawal amounts that stopped people taking out their full balance, and not to change promotions unfairly once a player had opted in. The last point lives on in today’s rule against varying a promotion after opt-in; see can bonus terms change after I opt in.

Jumpman Gaming and Progress Play (29 August 2018)

These firms agreed not to impose maximum withdrawal limits, not to confiscate players’ money, and not to charge disproportionate fees on dormant accounts. Progress Play also agreed not to remove funds from players who failed identity checks. Each point matches a current Commission guidance page, on withdrawal limits, confiscation of un-staked deposits, account inactivity and identity verification. The CMA’s ‘dos and don’ts’ guidance for operators was updated on the same day.

Before and after the CMA undertakings: a worked example

To see what changed, compare a hypothetical pre-2018 style offer with the same deposit under today’s rules. The older structure below is an illustration of the kind of term the CMA targeted, not a quote from any one firm.

The cost figures are long-run averages: the amount staked multiplied by the house edge. With £4,000 to wager, the average loss (about £160) was more than three times the £50 bonus, so the offer was worth less than nothing on average, and your own deposit was trapped while you found out. Today the bonus side still has a cost, but your deposit is never held hostage. Our wagering calculator runs the same sums for any offer.

How the 2018 undertakings became the UK standard

Three things turned six private promises into market-wide rules. First, the CMA published online gambling promotions: dos and don’ts (opens in a new tab) for every firm on 1 February 2018, updating it on 29 August 2018. GOV.UK now notes that the guidance predates the unfair commercial practices provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which took effect on 6 April 2025.

Second, the Gambling Commission made it clear it expected the whole sector to meet the undertakings. When the CMA closed its case on 29 April 2019, the two regulators wrote jointly to the industry: the CMA would take no further action and the Commission would lead on compliance, with operators told to audit their terms and check their affiliates.

Third, the Commission built the principles into its own guidance and licence conditions. Its fair and transparent terms guide (opens in a new tab) says operators must follow the CMA’s principles on promotions, practices and withdrawals to show they meet their licence conditions, including LCCP 7.1.1, which ties gambling terms to the Consumer Rights Act 2015. See UK CMA bonus principles for the principles in their current form.

What the CMA undertakings mean for a bonus in 2026

The practical legacy is a set of protections you can check on any UK offer:

• Your deposit balance is withdrawable at any time, even with a bonus active. The Commission’s guidance on withdrawing deposits (opens in a new tab) says no wagering can apply to it.
• Deposit and bonus balances must be shown separately, never as one pot.
• Significant terms must be beside the offer, with full terms one click away.
• No caps on withdrawing your deposit balance, and no confiscating un-staked deposits.
• No changing a promotion once you’ve opted in, except to prevent fraud or similar unlawful behaviour.
• Banned types of play must be spelled out in advance, not decided afterwards.

Combined with the 10x wagering cap from 19 January 2026, these rules make a modern UK deposit bonus far easier to understand than its pre-2018 equivalent. They don’t make it free of cost: the house edge still applies to every bet placed while wagering. Our bonus withdrawal rules page covers the cash-out side in detail.

How to check an offer against the CMA principles

1. Open the full terms from the offer page; they should be one click away.
2. Find the clause on withdrawals. It should say you can withdraw your deposit balance at any time, even if the bonus is then removed.
3. Check what the wagering applies to. Since 19 January 2026 it must be no more than 10x the bonus.
4. Look for words like ‘sole discretion’ or ‘reserves the right to void winnings’. The Commission treats them as signs of an unfair term.
5. Check the list of prohibited play. Max bet, excluded games and similar limits should be specific.
6. If something looks wrong, ask the casino in writing and keep the reply. Our guide on how to spot unfair bonus terms has more examples.

What the 2018 CMA undertakings don’t cover

• Firms that didn’t sign them: legally, each undertaking bound only its signatory. Other casinos are held to the same standard through consumer law and Commission licence conditions instead.
• Wagering limits: the undertakings tackled how wagering applied to your own money, not its size. The 10x cap came from the Commission in 2026.
• Free spins in particular: the CMA case page doesn’t mention free spins specifically; the general principles still apply to their terms.
• Mixed-product offers: the ban on promotions that combine casino and betting came in with the mixed-product promotion ban on 19 January 2026.
• Individual complaints: the CMA doesn’t resolve personal disputes. You complain to the casino, then to an approved ADR service such as IBAS.

CMA online gambling case timeline

For the wider sequence of changes, see the UK bonus rules timeline and our history of UK bonuses.

The CMA undertakings and our partner offers

The offers we feature are no-wagering spin offers, which sit comfortably with the CMA principles: there is no bonus balance to lock up, and spin winnings are paid as cash. All are 18+, terms apply, and were last checked on 5 October 2026.

• Coral: bet £10 on slots, get 100 free spins at 10p each (£10 of spins). Accept within 48 hours; spins last 7 days; no wagering on winnings. Some payment methods (Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid and certain debit cards) don’t qualify. Read the Coral bonus terms.
• Ladbrokes: play £10 on slots, get 50 free spins a day for the first 10 days, up to 500 at 10p (up to £50 of spins), with no wagering. Claim before 23:59 each day; spins valid 7 days. PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill, Moneybookers and prepaid card deposits don’t qualify. See the Ladbrokes bonus terms.
• PlayOJO: deposit at least £10 for 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza (10p each, £8 of spins), winnings paid in cash. New UK customers only, excluding Northern Ireland. See the PlayOJO bonus terms.

Spins return less than their face value on average, so treat them as a small extra to entertainment you’ve already budgeted for, not a way to make money.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: set a budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.