Limits, timeouts and self-exclusion

This page is an instruction sheet, not an appeal. It sets out what to configure, in what order, and what to expect when you later try to loosen a limit. The context and the places to seek help are on the responsible gambling page.

How to set a deposit limit

A deposit cap is the simplest and most effective tool, because it acts where money enters the system. It is set in the account panel, usually under responsible gambling or account settings. You pick a period — daily, weekly or monthly — and an amount in zloty. Good practice: the number you enter should be an amount you could lose entirely without consequences for the household budget, not an amount you hope to win.

An asymmetry rule applies here, common to every serious platform: lowering a limit takes effect immediately, while raising it only applies after a cooling period. A limit therefore cannot be raised mid-session, and that is the only reason the tool works at all.

Loss limit and session limit

A loss limit watches the result rather than the payments in: once a set net loss is reached within a period, play stops even if funds remain. A session limit watches time and ends play after a chosen number of minutes. Both are worth pairing with a deposit cap, because they close different gaps — a daily deposit cap can be lost in half an hour, and an evening can disappear without exceeding any amount at all.

Reality check

The cheapest and most underrated tool. At a chosen interval a reminder appears on screen showing session length and current result. It blocks nothing — it merely interrupts the state in which time stops existing. For many players it is the only tool they will ever need, and configuring it takes seconds.

Taking a break: the timeout

A timeout is a temporary lockout, typically from a day to a few weeks. The balance stays untouched but play and deposits are unavailable. A cooling-off period makes sense when sessions are getting longer and more frequent and stopping is getting harder. It cannot be shortened on request — operator support has no discretion here and should not be asked, because that is precisely the protective mechanism.

How to self-exclude

1. Open the responsible gambling section of the account panel.
2. Choose self-exclusion and a period, from several months to indefinite.
3. Confirm; an additional email confirmation is usually required.
4. Withdraw any remaining balance before the period starts, if the platform requires it.
5. Keep the confirmation of self-exclusion — it is a document that proves useful later.

Self-exclusion normally also blocks opening a new account on the same details and removes you from marketing communications. Before triggering it, complete any pending withdrawal under the rules on the withdrawal page.

Scope of self-exclusion: the key point in Poland

Self-exclusion at a foreign operator applies to that one platform only. The national self-exclusion register operates at Total Casino, the Polish-licensed casino run by Totalizator Sportowy, and an operator outside the Polish permit system is not part of it. That is a practical consequence of holding no Polish licence, and worth knowing before treating a single click as the whole solution.

Barriers outside the gaming account

Because platform tools have limited reach, it is worth building your own. All of these are free and work independently of any operator.

• A daily BLIK limit in the banking app — capping deposits at source.
• Blocking gambling transactions on the card, where the bank offers it.
• Removing saved cards and stored logins from the browser.
• Site-blocking software configured with a password held by someone you trust.
• A conversation with someone close to you — the one tool that cannot be switched off with a click.

When limits are not enough

That is information, not failure. Help in Poland is free and available: the National Centre for Addiction Prevention (KCPU), the uzaleznieniabehawioralne.pl portal, Gamblers Anonymous, and addiction clinics within the public health service. Current contact details and clinic directories are on those organisations own sites — we do not publish phone numbers, to avoid printing a stale one. The full picture is on the responsible gambling page.