How to Set Limits at Gambling Sites

What it Means to Set Limits 

One of the licensing requirements set by the UKGC is that operators must provide customers with the ability to self exclude from their site via schemes such as GAMSTOP. While this is a quick and easy way to halt all gambling activity, there’s no middle ground if you’d rather restrict your gambling to a certain level. Thankfully, licensed online casinos also provide the ability to set time and spending limits within your account.

You’ll often be prompted to do so during the registration process. Most sites allow you to set an upper threshold on how much you deposit across a period of time — this can be decided even before making your first deposit. Limiters are also available for losses, with sites allowing gamblers to set a maximum amount they can lose within a certain period of time. With either of these, once you’ve hit the ceiling, you’re no longer able to place bets until the time period has elapsed.

In our view, limiters are incredibly important tools to employ and a great way to keep track of your daily or weekly gambling activity. We strongly recommend all gamblers decide on a budget before they play, and these limiter tools make it even easier to stick within your limits.

Where to Find These Settings at Gambling Sites

The location of settings varies between gambling sites, but you can generally find limiters in the banking or safer gambling areas at your preferred site. Taking Rainbow Riches Casino as an example, you can set and adjust your limits by clicking on ‘My Account’ and then ‘Play Responsibly’. Under this subheading, you’ll find your deposit limits, session reminders, and the ability to self exclude. 

You can also usually set limits during the registration process, and you’ll be prompted to input your desired deposit and loss limits. This is a great way of controlling your spending from your very first deposit, and we highly recommend players take advantage of this tool. These limits can always be amended later on, so we suggest starting out with a conservative number.

Work Out Your Budget

Some gambling sites offer tools to help you work out your own personal gambling budget, however we’ve often found these may still suggest a rather high number. It’s always better to err on the side of caution — starting out with a lower limit is a good idea, especially if you’re new to gambling. 

Before making your first deposit, you may find it helpful to track your overall spending to find out exactly what your outgoings total. Be honest with what you can afford to spend on gambling, and once you’ve decided on your budget, be sure to stick to it. It’s also helpful to include a time limit on your spending, as this will inevitably lessen your frequency of deposits. 

Another helpful tip is to maintain a record of your gambling spending — GamCare offers useful spending diaries to help you keep track.

If you think you may want to block gambling transactions entirely, it’s worth checking if your bank offers this service. You’ll find a full list of banks with support for this feature at BeGambleAware. These gambling blocks are applied on a per-card basis, so if you have several cards then you’ll need to block each one. This can also be helpful if you’d like to keep one account solely for gambling funds, making it less likely you’ll spend money needed for other things like bills. The majority of banks allow the block to be added via your app under the section titled ‘card control’ in settings. 

Keep Control of Your Time On-Site

It’s easy to get drawn into a game and lose track of time, and many casino games are specifically designed to do just that. While the uncertainty of a win is what’s often so exciting about gambling, landing a payout results in a rush of dopamine. It’s this feeling of excitement and anticipation that can keep you playing for longer than you originally intended. 

Alongside spending limits, we also recommend setting a time limit as well. Licensed casinos deliver automated pop-ups and reminders — usually called ‘reality checks’ — of how long you’ve been on the site, asking you if you’d like to continue or log off for the day. These reminders are a great way to keep tabs on your session duration. 

Rainbow Riches Casino provides these reality checks each hour by default, but this can be shortened to 30 minutes if you’d prefer. To change the settings, simply go into the responsible gaming section of the site — that’s the same place you’ll find deposit limits, links to self exclusion tools, and timers. 

How to Update Your Limit Settings

GAMSTOP and How to Use It

GAMSTOP is a free self-exclusion register that all UKGC-licensed online casinos must abide by. It’s completely free to use. Once you sign up, you won’t be able to access any licensed gambling site or app for the time period selected — between six months and five years. 

To register, simply go to the GAMSTOP website and provide the required personal details, including name, address, date of birth, email, and mobile number. At the end of your exclusion period, you’ll need to contact GAMSTOP in order to have the ban lifted, otherwise it remains in place. 

You’ll find links to GAMSTOP in the safer gambling section of your chosen online casino, but a link to the GAMSTOP site will also be available in the homepage footer alongside other safer gambling resources and licensing details. The below image shows the footer of the Duelz homepage as an example.