Casino VIP scheme rules

What the casino VIP scheme rules say

VIP schemes, which the Commission calls high-value customer schemes, give selected players tailored bonuses, gifts, hospitality or a personal account manager to keep or grow their spending. Since 31 October 2020 a licensed operator must do four things before treating anyone as a VIP:

1. Establish that the customer’s spending is affordable and sustainable as part of their leisure spending.
2. Assess whether there is evidence of gambling harm or a heightened risk linked to vulnerability.
3. Hold up-to-date evidence of the customer’s identity, occupation and source of funds.
4. Keep verifying that information and run ongoing harm checks for as long as the customer stays in the scheme.

On top of that, each scheme must be overseen by a senior executive holding a personal management licence (opens in a new tab), so a named individual is personally accountable. The rules were set out in the Commission’s announcement of 30 September 2020 (opens in a new tab) and its accompanying industry guidance.

Where the VIP rules sit in the licence conditions

The legal hook is social responsibility code 5.1.1 (opens in a new tab) of the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, which covers incentives and rewards. It requires high-value incentive schemes to be consistent with the licensing objectives and to take account of the Commission’s guidance on high-value customers. Because it is a social responsibility code, breaching it is a breach of the operator’s licence.

Why the Commission cracked down on VIP schemes

VIP treatment had featured in a long run of enforcement cases in which operators lavished incentives on customers who were later found to be gambling with money they couldn’t afford or that wasn’t theirs. The Commission challenged the industry in 2019 to clean up the schemes through a code of conduct, and by the time the rules were announced it said the number of customers in VIP schemes had fallen by 70%.

Its chief executive at the time, Neil McArthur, described the new rules as the final opportunity for operators to show they could run such schemes appropriately, and warned that the schemes would be banned if significant improvements were not made. As of October 2026 no ban has been introduced; the rules from 2020 remain the framework. Recent cases are tracked on our Gambling Commission fines page.

What the VIP rules mean for you in practice

If a casino invites you into a VIP or high-value programme, expect questions first. Because the operator needs evidence of your occupation and source of funds, it may ask for payslips, bank statements, a pension statement or proof of an inheritance or property sale. Our answers on why a casino wants payslips and why casinos ask for bank statements explain what is usually accepted.

Worked example: a player deposits £2,500 over a month and is offered an account manager and birthday hospitality. Before any of that, the operator should know what the player does for a living, where the money comes from and whether £2,500 a month fits comfortably within their leisure spending. If the documents show the money is borrowed, or the player’s pattern of play suggests harm, the invitation should not go ahead, and under the customer interaction rules marketing and new bonuses must stop where there are strong indicators of harm.

Separately from VIP status, every licensed operator has had to run a public-record financial vulnerability check once a customer’s net deposits pass £150 in a rolling 30 days, since 28 February 2025. Credit-reference “financial risk assessments” were piloted but are not live; our affordability checks page sets out what is and isn’t in force.

VIP bonuses and the 10x wagering cap

A VIP reload, cashback or bespoke bonus is still an incentive, so the same rules apply as to a welcome offer. Since 19 January 2026 the 10x wagering cap limits how many times any bonus must be played through, and the mixed-product promotions ban stops an incentive combining casino with betting or bingo. The Commission also removed the provision that let a benefit’s value be tied to gambling for a set length of time or at a set frequency, so an incentive can’t change its value based on how long you keep playing.

The cap limits play-through, not losses. At a 4% house edge, £2,500 of wagering still carries an expected cost of about £100, so even a capped bonus is a cost-reducing perk at best, never a way to make money. The wagering calculator shows the figures for any amount.

What the VIP scheme rules do not do

• They don’t ban VIP schemes; they set conditions on who can be offered one.
• They don’t entitle you to VIP status, however much you play.
• They don’t set a single spending threshold: each operator decides who it treats as high value, then applies the checks.
• They don’t override other rules: stake limits, the 10x cap and self-exclusion apply to VIPs exactly as to anyone else.
• They don’t cover unlicensed offshore sites, where VIP programmes face none of these checks.

Ordinary loyalty points schemes open to all players are a different thing from a tailored high-value programme, although both are incentives that must follow the rules on fair terms.

How to decline or leave a VIP scheme

1. Tell your account manager, or customer services, in writing that you don’t want VIP treatment.
2. Withdraw consent for casino marketing by email, SMS and phone in your account settings.
3. Set or lower a deposit limit; decreases take effect immediately.
4. If you want a break, take a time-out, or self-exclude through the operator or GAMSTOP.
5. Keep copies of what you sent and any reply.

Since 1 May 2025 casinos have needed your opt-in for marketing per product and per channel, explained on our marketing consent rules page. Our guide to setting deposit limits walks through the limit screens.

If you think a VIP scheme broke the rules

If you were given VIP perks without any checks, or kept receiving bonuses while showing clear signs of harm, raise it with the operator through its complaints procedure. It has eight weeks to respond before you can go to its approved dispute service, which is free. You can also tell the Commission, which doesn’t settle individual disputes but uses reports to decide on regulatory action. Our casino complaints and ADR page sets out the process.

Casino VIP scheme rules timeline

Our 2020 to 2024 timeline and the UK casino rules index place these alongside other changes.

Where to play: standard offers at licensed casinos

We don’t promote VIP schemes. Both partners below hold Gambling Commission licences, so any high-value programme they run has to follow the rules on this page; ask them directly or check their promotions pages for details. Our pages on Coral and PlayOJO set out who runs each site and what has changed recently.

The welcome offers below are for new players aged 18+ and terms apply. Coral: deposit and bet £10 on slots to get 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games, valid for 7 days, with no wagering on winnings and some payment methods excluded. PlayOJO: 80 free spins at 10p each on Big Bass Bonanza with a first deposit of £10 or more, winnings paid as cash with no wagering, not available in Northern Ireland. Set a budget before you play; losses are likely over time.

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