What changed, and when?
The Commission brought the rules in two phases:
| From | What operators must do |
|---|---|
| 31 October 2025 | Prompt you to set a financial limit before your first deposit |
| 31 October 2025 | Remind you every six months to review your account and transactions |
| 31 October 2025 | Accept limits typed as free text, with the tools one link away from the home and deposit pages |
| 31 October 2025 | Apply any request to lower a limit immediately |
| 30 September 2026 | Offer gross deposit limits, call only them «deposit limits» and show them at least as prominently as any other limit |
| 30 September 2026 | Run deposit limits over fixed time frames only |
The second phase was due on 30 June 2026; on 26 May the Commission gave operators until the end of September.
Deposit limit, loss limit, net limit: what is the difference?
A deposit limit now counts only the money you pay in during the period; withdrawals do not free up room under it. Casinos may still offer other kinds, such as loss limits or limits that take withdrawals into account, and those may run over rolling or fixed periods. What they may not do is label them «deposit limit». The Commission's stated aim is consistency and clarity for customers who choose to set one. Limits are the step before stronger tools such as GAMSTOP.
Which other tools do licensed casinos offer?
- A time-out that blocks you from gambling for up to six weeks.
- Product exclusion: blocking one particular casino game while keeping the account.
- Full account history: when you gambled, how much and on what.
- Self-exclusion from that one operator.
Outside the casino, banks and blocking software add another layer, covered on blocking tools. Heavy deposits can also lead to an operator's financial risk assessment.
