Table 1 European policy approaches to pre-commitment in online gambling (N = 30)
From: Limit-setting in online gambling: a comparative policy review of European approaches
Country | Loss limits | Deposit limits | Wagering limits | Temporal limits | Maximum Stake | Other limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austria | Varying state-level practices for betting. | Varying state-level practices for betting. For online casino products, mandatory maximum €400 (weekly) for over 26-year-olds, and €250 (weekly) for under 26-year-olds. | Varying state-level practices for betting. | Varying state-level practices for betting. | €500 (online gambling; state laws) | Higher deposit limits for online casino products with application for over 26-year-olds. |
Belgium | None | Operator-based mandatory maximum €200 (weekly) | None | None | None | None |
Bulgaria | None | None | None | None | Operator-based | None |
Croatia | Operator-based option | None | None | None | None | None |
Cyprus | Operator-based option | Operator-based option | None | None | Operator-based | None |
Czech Republic | Operator-based option (daily and monthly) | Card tournaments maximum CZK 1,000 (€39.86) per 24 h | Operator-based option (daily and monthly) | Operator-based option (logins and time spent monthly) | CZK 500 (€19.93) (online gambling) | None |
Denmark | None | Mandatory (daily, weekly, monthly) | None | None | None | None |
Estonia | Operator-based option (weekly and monthly) | None | None | None | None | None |
Finland | Mandatory maximum €500 (daily) and €2,000 (monthly) (all fast-paced products) | Mandatory (daily and monthly) | None | None, but time reminder every 60 min | Product-specific limits for online EGMs and casino products. | No deposits between midnight and 6am; Maximum amount on gambling account €20,000 |
France | No | Mandatory (weekly) | Mandatory (weekly) | Mandatory (poker only) with warnings | None | Withdrawal threshold (mandatory) |
Germany | Operator-based option (daily, weekly, monthly) | Mandatory maximum €1,000 (monthly, cross-provider online); Additional optional operator-based option (daily, weekly, monthly) | Operator-based option (daily, weekly, monthly) | None, but mandatory 5-min breaks every 60 min (online EGMs) | €1 (online EGMs) | None |
Great Britain | Operator-based optional (daily, weekly, monthly) | Operator-based optional (daily, weekly, monthly) | Operator-based optional (daily, weekly, monthly) | None | £2 (€2.38) for 18–24-year-olds; £5 (€5.96) for over 25-year-olds. (online EGMs) | Requirement to provide facilities to assist customers in sticking to their personal budgets |
Greece | None | Operator-based option (daily, weekly, monthly) | None | Mandatory (daily, weekly, monthly) | €20 (online products ‘conducted using random number generators’ (RNG) | None |
Hungary | Operator-based option | Operator-based option | Operator-based option | Operator-based option | None | None |
Ireland (Republic of) | None | None | None | None | None | None |
Italy | Operator-based option/mandatory | Operator-based mandatory (weekly) | None | Operator-based option | Operator-based | Limitations based on consumer profile |
Latvia | None | None | Operator-based option for maximum total bets (daily) | None | Operator-based | Additional limits provided in industry code of conduct |
Lithuania | None | None | Operator-based option for maximum total bets (time period or session) | None | Operator-based | None |
Luxembourg | None | None | None | None | None | None |
Malta | Operator-based option | Operator-based option | Operator-based option | Operator-based option (time and session limits) | None | None |
Netherlands | Operator-based mandatory (daily, weekly, monthly) | Operator-based mandatory maximum. Existing customers: €700 per month for over 25-year-olds, €300 per month for 18–25-year-olds; New customers: €350 for over 25-year-olds and €150 for 18–25-year-olds | Weekly wager limit €100 for under 24-year-olds, €1,000 over 24-year-olds (betting offered by TOTO) | Operator-based mandatory (daily, weekly, monthly); limit reminders every 30 min | Horse racing maximum stake €250 single bets or €1,000 combined bets | If set deposit limit is over €350 (or €150 for 18–25-year-olds), displayed warning text and helpline number |
Norway | Mandatory maximum NOK 20,000 (€1,703.83) (Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto); Online casino mandatory maximum NOK 4,000 (€340.77) (daily) and NOK 7,500 (€638.94) (monthly) | Lower monthly limits for 18-20 year-old at Norsk Tipping | Mandatory wager limit NOK 20,000 (€1,703.83) (daily and monthly) | Online casino mandatory time limit; 15-min mandatory break after 1 h of gambling | EGMs maximum NOK 100 (€8.52) (or ten times speed in seconds); Table games maximum NOK 500 (€42.60) but first bet maximum NOK 100 (€8.52) | None |
Poland | None | None | None | None | None | General requirement for online gambling operators to provide mechanisms allowing customers to control their gambling |
Portugal | None | Operator-based optional (daily, weekly, monthly) | Operator-based optional (daily, weekly, monthly) | None | Operator-based | None |
Romania | None | Operator-based optional (daily, weekly, monthly); Maximum €200 deposits upon first registration | None | No, but reminder after every 60 min | None | None |
Slovakia | Operator-based optional (monthly upon every login) | None | Operator-based optional (monthly upon every login) | None | None | None |
Slovenia | None | None | Operator-based optional (session, period of time, or gambling product-specific) | None | None | None |
Spain | None | Operator-based mandatory for online casino-type products (session-specific) | None | Mandatory for online casino-type products (session-specific); Reminders every 60 min | None | ‘Intensive players’ prevented from using credit cards |
Sweden | Operator-based mandatory (daily, weekly, monthly | Operator-based mandatory (daily, weekly, monthly) | None | Operator-based optional | None | None |
Switzerland | Operator-based mandatory (daily, weekly, monthly) | None | Operator-based mandatory (daily, weekly, monthly) | None | None | For ‘large-scale’ gambling, limits can be waived |