The tool
A deposit limit caps how much you can add to an account over a day, a week or a month. Every gambling site licensed in Great Britain must offer one. Lowering a limit takes effect straight away; raising it only takes effect after a cooling-off period, so a bad evening cannot undo a decision made on a good one.
Pick the number before you pick the site
Start from your budget, not from the offer. Decide what you can afford to lose in a month without touching bills, savings or money owed to anyone, and divide it down. Our spend planner on the home page does the arithmetic. Then use the weekly figure as your limit.
Limits work per site. If you hold accounts at several sites, the same weekly figure at each multiplies your real limit. Fewer accounts make the plan easier to keep.
The other tools, and when to use them
Reality checks show how long you have been playing at intervals you choose.
Time-outs lock an account for a short spell, from a day up to six weeks.
Self-exclusion closes an account for six months or more. GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab) does the same across every site licensed in Great Britain with one free sign-up, for six months, one year or five years.
Blocking software stops gambling sites loading on your devices, and many banks let you block gambling payments on your card from their app.
Signs it is time for more than a limit
Spending more than you planned, borrowing to gamble, hiding it from people close to you or gambling to win back losses are all reasons to pause and talk. GamCare (opens in a new tab) answers the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, free and at any hour.