Responsible gambling tools let you take control of your hobby to make sure that it stays safe, fun, and affordable. We’ll take a look at the kinds of tools you can make use of and the rules surrounding responsible gambling at online casinos.
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Responsible gambling is what we all should be aiming for! But in all seriousness, responsible gambling at its core, is being able to gamble within your means while experiencing no negative emotions. You should be gambling for fun and not as a way to make money.
The vast majority of us have a healthy relationship with gambling, in the UK for example, around 0.6% of adults are thought to have a gambling problem, while globally estimates are as high as 1.2%. It’s a small proportion of people, but knowing the signs of irresponsible gambling are important.
One key distinction between responsible and irresponsible gambling is being the right age to gamble legally. Even if a person under the age of 18 gambles within their means and experiences no negative emotions because of gambling, it is not considered responsible.
This is why online casinos must ensure that nobody under the age of 18 can access casino games or online sports betting on their platform. This is a legal requirement - and in some countries (notably the US) the age extends right up to 21.
Responsible gambling tools are a great way to ensure that your relationship with gambling stays healthy. Below I’ll guide you through some of the responsible gambling tools that are likely to be on offer at your favourite casinos.
Tip: Remember that just because you have a totally healthy relationship with gambling, doesn’t mean you can’t make great use of these tools!
Deposit limits, loss limits, and wagering limits are some of the most helpful and widely used responsible gambling tools around. Let’s look at what they do:
Below is a quick example of how deposit, loss, and wagering limits work so that you can anticipate when they will kick in and choose the one that makes the most sense for you.
You sign up and set a deposit limit of €100 per week. On your first day at the casino you take the welcome bonus, depositing €100 to get an additional €100 in bonus funds. Your balance rises to €300 before falling back down to €0 after a bit of a losing streak.
It’s the final day of your first week and you try to deposit an additional €10 but your deposit limit kicks in and you need to wait until the first day of the next week to deposit again.
You sign up to a casino and set a loss limit of €100 per week. You take the welcome bonus to the tune of €100 deposited cash, earning you €100 in bonus cash for a total balance of €200.
Option A: You make some big wins early on, letting your balance rise to €400 (a €200 increase). You then take some heavy losses, dropping your balance down to €200. You’re allowed to continue playing because your net loss is €0:
€200 (winnings) - €200 (losses) = €0
Option B: You make a big loss early on dropping your total down to €120. You keep playing and claw back €50 bringing your bankroll back up to €170, but then you hit another losing streak and your balance hits €90. Your loss limit kicks in as your net loss is €110.
You take the welcome bonus for €100 so your total balance is €200. You set a weekly wagering limit of €100. You wager €50 on the first day and win €200. You wager €50 on the next day, also winning, but when you try to make your next bet, your wager limit kicks in and you have to wait until the next week.
Tip: It might sound like limits are an annoyance, but they’re an incredibly effective bankroll management tool. As well as this, most casinos will let you change them with a 24 hour period for them to take effect.
It’s very easy to start a playing session and not realise quite how long you’ve been gambling. Some games are just too immersive and it’s easy to lose a couple of hours - we’ve all been there! Time reminders and session limits are the perfect tool if you’re prone to losing a whole afternoon to online slots. Here’s how they work:
If you think you need a bit more of a ‘hard reset’ then breaks and exclusions might be the way to go. Below is how this usually works:
Tip: Some casinos will let you set breaks and exclusions yourself, others will require a message to live chat or email support staff.
As well as gambling tools that are provided directly by the casino, there are some other tools you can use to help you gamble more responsibly. Below are two of the most widely used external responsible gaming tools:
Some casinos have additional responsible gambling tools to help you make sure your hobby stays fun. Self assessment tests are the most common, letting you check yes or no, to see if you gamble healthily.
Deposit limits are one of the most widely used casino responsible gambling tools. Setting them up is a great way of managing your bankroll and making sure that your relationship to gambling stays fun and safe. .
The first step to setting a deposit limit is choosing a safe and reputable casino, then signing up to register your account.
All casinos should have a page dedicated to responsible gambling. On this page you’ll find out all kinds of things about responsible gambling, including the tools that are available on the site.
Some sites will let you set automatic deposit limits in your account settings, others may need you to contact support to put a limit in place. Find out in the policy what your options are at your chosen casino.
Set a limit according to your bankroll that makes sense. Most sites will let you set a daily, weekly, or monthly limit. You can either set a limit in your account settings, or contact support.
With your deposit limit set, you can enjoy all the casino games a site has to offer, whilst knowing your casino spend won’t exceed your limits.
The tools that are required by law varies enormously from country to country, but there are some that are common to all casinos:
Taxing: In the US, all casinos are required to make customers aware of gambling taxes, while in the EU most countries do not tax gambling winnings.
Age restrictions: All casinos must ensure that people who are under the legal gambling age cannot access casino games or sports betting products.
Self exclusion: All casinos must allow players to self exclude from their site if it is asked for by the player.
Want a five-minute explainer on what the most common responsible gambling tools do? Below you’ll find a selection of tools that you’ll find at many European casinos. Next to their name you’ll find how they function and the availability of these responsible online gambling tools at casinos in the EU.
Responsible Gambling Tool | Function | Availability |
|---|---|---|
Deposit limit | Control how much you can deposit by day/week/month | High |
Loss limit | Control how much you can lose by day/week/month | Medium |
Wager limit | Control how much you can wager by day/week/month | Low |
Time reminder | Set a reminder when you’ve been playing for a specified amount of time | Medium |
Session limit | Close the session automatically when you’ve been playing for a specified amount of time | Low |
Take a break | Take a short break from being able to access the casino (24 hours+) | High |
Self exclusion | Take a long break from using the casino (6 months+) | High |
