Set a loss limit and a session time limit
This guide shows you how to put two hard ceilings on your gambling account: one on how much you can lose, and one on how long you can play. It is written for anyone in Ireland holding an account with an online bookmaker or casino who wants those controls in place before the next session rather than after it. We explain where the settings usually sit, what the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 says about them, and why a cut to a limit and a rise in one are not treated the same way.
What the two limits actually stop
A loss limit caps the net amount you can lose over a period you choose, usually a day, a week or a month. It counts what you staked minus what you won back, so it is a different measure from a deposit limit, which only counts money going in.
Here is the difference in euro. Say you set a weekly deposit limit of €100 and a weekly loss limit of €50. You deposit €100, lose €50 and the loss limit locks play for the rest of the week, even though €50 is still sitting in your balance. Without the loss limit, that remaining €50 goes back into play, and so does any winnings you recycle.
A session time limit works on the clock instead of the wallet.
Once the time you set runs out, the operator logs you out or blocks further bets until a new session is allowed. It sits alongside the reality check, a pop-up at fixed intervals that tells you how long you have been playing and what you have won or lost. A reality check only informs you; a session limit ends the session. If you only pick one, pick the one that actually stops play. On many sites the two live on the same settings page, and the wording varies from brand to brand, so read the label on each toggle before you save it rather than assuming a reminder is a cut-off.
Setting both limits on your account
Most operators put these controls in the account area under a heading such as Safer Gambling or Responsible Gambling. Menu names differ, but the sequence below holds on the sites we checked against their published help pages.
- Step 1
Log in and open account settings
Sign in on the website or app and open your account menu. Look for a section named Safer Gambling, Responsible Gambling or Player Protection. If you cannot find it, the help centre search usually points straight to it. - Step 2
Choose the loss limit option
Select loss limit rather than deposit limit. If the site offers only deposit limits, note that, because a deposit cap alone does not stop you replaying winnings already in your balance. - Step 3
Pick a period and an amount
Choose daily, weekly or monthly, then enter a figure in euro. Work from what you can lose without touching rent or bills, not from what you hope to win back. - Step 4
Set the session time limit
Open the time or session limit setting and enter a maximum duration per session, for example sixty minutes. Check whether the site logs you out or only warns you when time runs out. - Step 5
Switch on reality check reminders
Turn on reality checks at an interval shorter than your session limit, such as every twenty minutes. The pop-up shows elapsed time and your net result, so the cut-off is never a surprise. - Step 6
Save and confirm the changes
Save each setting and look for an on-screen or email confirmation. Then reopen the page to see the new limits displayed. A reduction should apply at once; note any stated waiting period for later increases.
What Irish law says about limits
The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 set up the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, the GRAI, and provides for spending limits as part of a wider set of player protections. We verified that the GRAI began issuing remote betting licences on 1 July 2026, and that it reported having issued 41 licences covering most of the online betting market.
Casino gaming sits on a separate, later track. Remote gaming licences are a later phase of the rollout, so until those licences are issued, an online casino serving Irish players does not hold a GRAI licence. That matters here, because the statutory protections bind licensees. A betting account with a GRAI-licensed operator and a casino account elsewhere can offer very different tools, and you should check each one separately rather than assuming the same rules travel with you.
Credit cards are banned for gambling with licensed operators under the Act.
Industry guidance we read describes the standard expectation plainly: a reduction in a limit takes effect immediately, while an increase only applies after a cooling-off period. That asymmetry is the whole point. You set limits when you are calm, and the delay protects that decision from the version of you who is chasing a loss at midnight. The exact cooling-off length is set by each operator’s terms and is typically between twenty-four hours and seven days; we could not confirm a single statutory figure, so read the clause on your own account.
How the main limit types compare
| Limit type | What it caps | When it stops play |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit limit | Money paid in per period | When the cap on deposits is reached |
| Loss limit | Net losses per period | When stakes minus returns hit the cap |
| Session time limit | Length of one session | When the set duration runs out |
| Reality check | Nothing; it reminds | Never; it shows time and result |
Loss limit or deposit limit first
If an operator offers both, you do not have to choose. Set both, with the loss limit lower than the deposit limit, so one catches what the other misses.
Where only one is available, the trade-off is real. A deposit limit is offered more widely and is easy to understand, because it maps directly onto your bank statement. A loss limit is the tighter control, since it counts winnings you replay, which a deposit cap ignores completely. Take a monthly deposit cap of €200: win €300 early in the month and you could stake the whole lot back without breaching it.
Neither limit follows you between brands.
Each account carries its own settings, so three accounts with a €50 weekly limit each add up to €150 of exposure a week. If that is your situation, a bank-level gambling block is the control that covers every site at once. Several Irish banks and e-money providers offer one in their app, including Bank of Ireland, AIB, PTSB and Revolut, according to responsible gambling resources we read.
Loss limit against deposit limit
The rows below set the two money limits side by side on the points that decide which one does more for you.
Loss limit | Deposit limit |
|---|---|
| Counts winnings you stake again | Ignores winnings already in your balance |
| Offered by fewer operators | Offered on most accounts |
| Reduction applies at once, increase waits | Reduction applies at once, increase waits |
| Harder to match to a bank statement | Matches money leaving your bank directly |
When limits are not enough
Limits work for people who want to keep gambling within bounds. If you keep raising them, or opening new accounts to get around them, that pattern is the signal to step up to a time-out or self-exclusion.
Self-exclusion with an individual operator is done through account settings, live chat or email, and it should stay in force for the full period you select. The 2024 Act also provides for a National Gambling Exclusion Register run by the GRAI, so that one request covers every licensed operator. Its coverage is being extended in stages and applies to licensed operators only, so check grai.ie for what it currently reaches before relying on it alone.
For free, confidential support, call the GamblingCare.ie National Helpline on 1800 936 725, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Talking to someone costs nothing.
Related Terms
Questions about loss and session limits
Can I remove a loss limit straight away?
Usually not. Lowering a limit applies at once, but raising or removing one normally triggers a cooling-off period set out in the operator’s terms. Read that clause before you choose a figure.
Does a session time limit carry across devices?
It is attached to your account, not your phone or laptop, so logging in elsewhere does not reset it. Check your operator’s help page if the site describes it differently.
Is a loss limit the same as a deposit limit?
No. A deposit limit caps money paid in. A loss limit caps net losses, which means it also stops you staking winnings again once you have lost the set amount.
Do limits on one site apply to my other accounts?
No. Each operator holds its own settings. To cover every site at once, use a gambling block from your bank or e-money provider, or self-exclusion where it is available.
Where can I get help in Ireland if limits are not working?
Call the GamblingCare.ie National Helpline on 1800 936 725. It is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
More about online casinos
What we check first is step two. Plenty of accounts offer deposit limits prominently and bury loss limits, or skip them entirely. If yours only caps deposits, set that cap lower than you would set a loss limit, because nothing stops winnings going straight back into play.