From 1 September, gambling advertising may no longer describe an offer as “risk free”, call bonus funds “cash”, or present a free bet without stating the qualifying odds and the expiry in the same size as the headline. The advertising regulator’s updated code closes three of the four wording gaps we have complained about in this column since the site launched.
Thirteen of the fifteen operators in our guide have already rewritten their offer pages. The two that have not, both small, told us they intend to comply by the deadline. Marlin’s “Bet £10, get £30 in free bets” survives unchanged — it never claimed to be risk-free and has printed the 1/2 minimum odds beside the headline since 2024. NovaBet’s matched deposit now says “bonus funds, 4x wagering” on the banner rather than in the footnote.
The fourth gap, expiry stated as “7 days” without saying from when, is not addressed; the code requires the period but not the trigger. Our offer cards have always printed both, and the promotions score marks operators down where the two are ambiguous.
