Responsible Gambling
Setting Limits
A limit is a decision you make in advance, while you're calm, so you don't have to make it in the moment.
Three kinds of limits
Money
An amount per week or month you could lose entirely without consequences.
Time
A timer and a fixed stopping point, with breaks every 30–60 minutes.
State of mind
Don't play tired, upset, after drinking, or to lift your mood.
Working out a money limit
- Take your monthly income and subtract essentials: housing, food, transport, debt repayments, savings.
- From what's left, decide on a budget for entertainment overall.
- Gambling is only part of that budget — not all of it.
- Treat it as the price of entertainment, not an investment: it doesn't come back.
Tools on licensed platforms
- Deposit, wager and loss limits per day, week or month.
- Session-time reminders ("reality checks").
- Time-outs from 24 hours to several weeks.
Lowering a limit usually takes effect immediately; raising one comes with a cooling-off delay to protect against impulsive decisions.
Rules that help
- Never raise a limit during a session.
- A win is not a reason to keep playing.
- Never gamble on credit.
More in this section
Warning Signs
Behavioural, financial and emotional signals that control is slipping.
Read →Self-Assessment
Nine questions about the last 12 months. Anonymous, runs in your browser.
Read →Self-Exclusion
Registers, blocking software and bank blocks: how they work.
Read →For Family & Friends
How to talk about it, protect yourself and find support.
Read →