Median wagering requirements across 44 operators in seven regulated markets. Six markets sit above the 25 times break-even. The UK does not.
We track the wagering requirements attached to welcome bonuses across 74 operator listings in seven regulated markets, covering 44 distinct operators. An operator licensed in more than one market appears once per market, and 13 of them are. Of the 44, 43 publish a wagering multiple.
The numbers below are the benchmark, and one market in it does not look like the others.
At 96 percent return, a wagering requirement of 25 times is break-even. Below it a bonus is worth something, above it the expected losses from clearing it exceed the bonus.
Measured against that line, six of the seven markets have a median bonus with negative expected value. On a 100 bonus at 96 percent return, the median offer is worth about minus 40 in Malta and Sweden, minus 20 in Denmark, Spain and Germany, and minus 10 in the Netherlands.
The United Kingdom's median of 1 time is worth about plus 96 on the same basis.
Two things separate it in this data.
Its median is 1 time, against 27.5 to 35 everywhere else. And it is the only market where not every tracked operator offers a bonus at all, at 12 of 13.
We can show you that. We did not find a source establishing the cause, so this page does not attribute it to any particular rule or change. The gap is in the data. The explanation is not ours to assert.
The relationship between them says something the headline number does not.
In six of the seven markets the mean sits below the median. That is what you see when most offers cluster at a standard figure like 35 times and a minority of zero-wagering offers pull the average down. The typical offer is the median one, and there are a few genuinely good ones in the tail.
The United Kingdom is the reverse, with a mean of 12.7 against a median of 1. Most offers sit at or near the bottom and a few high ones, up to 50 times, pull the average up. The typical offer is good and the outliers are the ones to watch for.
So in most markets you are looking for the exception. In the United Kingdom you are avoiding it.
Malta and the United Kingdom both reach 50 times, the worst figure in the data.
A 100 bonus at 50 times requires 5,000 of staking. At 96 percent return that is an expected loss of 200 against a 100 bonus, an expected value of minus 100. You would be better off declining it and keeping the 100 you never had.
Wagering is one term among several, and it is the one we have measured across the market.
Game weighting, maximum bet while wagering, time limits, maximum cashout and whether the deposit must be turned over alongside the bonus all change the real cost. We hold no comparable dataset on those, so they are not in the table. Each of them moves the value down rather than up, so treat the figures here as the best case.
How the 25 times line is derived is in what a no deposit bonus is actually worth. How it applies to free spins is in free spins with no deposit, the terms that decide the value.
GamblersGPT wagering requirement benchmark 2026, public/data/wagering-requirement-benchmark-2026.csv. Expected values computed at 96 percent RTP, which the page states as an assumption.
| Market | Regulator | Operators | Offering a bonus | Median | Mean | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malta | Malta Gaming Authority | 13 | 13 | 35x | 30.8x | 0x | 50x |
| Sweden | Spelinspektionen | 13 | 13 | 35x | 24.2x | 0x | 40x |
| Denmark | Spillemyndigheden | 11 | 11 | 30x | 23.7x | 0x | 35x |
| Spain | Direccion General de Ordenacion del Juego | 9 | 9 | 30x | 22x | 1x | 35x |
| Germany | Gemeinsame Glucksspielbehorde der Lander | 7 | 7 | 30x | 24.6x | 1x | 35x |
| Netherlands | Kansspelautoriteit | 8 | 8 | 27.5x | 19x | 0x | 35x |
| United Kingdom | UK Gambling Commission | 13 | 12 | 1x | 12.7x | 0x | 50x |
On wagering alone, the United Kingdom, by a wide margin: a median of 1 time against 27.5 to 35 elsewhere. Wagering is one term among several, and it is the one this benchmark measures.
Not on expected value at 96 percent return, where it is worth about minus 40 per 100. People take them anyway for the extra playing time, which is a legitimate reason as long as you know you are buying time rather than value.
It is the 2026 benchmark across the 44 operators we track. Bonus terms change often, so check the specific offer's terms before acting on a market-level figure.
All figures are from the GamblersGPT wagering benchmark 2026 CSV. Expected values assume 96 percent RTP. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.