Deposit limits on UK casino sites used to mean different things depending on where you played. Some sites counted every pound you paid in, others quietly subtracted withdrawals before doing the maths. Since 30 September 2026, the Gambling Commission has standardised it: on any UK-licensed site, a deposit limit now always means a gross limit, a cap on the total raw amount paid into your account over a fixed period.
That distinction sounds pedantic until you see it with real numbers. It changes how much you can actually spend, and for some players it changes it a lot.
What a gross limit actually counts
A gross deposit limit tracks inflows only. Every pound you deposit counts toward the cap, whether you later withdraw it, lose it or turn it into a jackpot. Withdrawals, winnings and refunds never free up room. A net limit works the other way, measuring deposits minus withdrawals, so cashing out restores spending capacity.
Say you set a £300 weekly limit. On Monday you deposit £200, have a good session and withdraw £150. On Wednesday you try to deposit another £150. Under the new gross rules, you've used £200 of your £300, so only £100 goes through and the rest is blocked until the period resets. Under an old net-style calculation, that £150 withdrawal would have freed room and the full deposit would have cleared.
Gross deposit limit | Net deposit limit | |
|---|---|---|
What counts | Every pound paid in | Deposits minus withdrawals |
Effect of a withdrawal | None, the cap stays used | Frees up room under the cap |
Allowed periods | Fixed only: 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month | Fixed or rolling |
Permitted label | Can be called a "deposit limit" | Must use a different name |
Why the stricter definition? The Commission's consultation found players genuinely didn't understand how much room they had left. A cap that expands when money leaves the account doesn't behave the way most people expect a budget to behave, and that gap between expectation and reality is exactly what the reform targets.
How it works in practice
Every UKGC-licensed operator must now offer gross limits for three fixed periods: 24 hours, 7 days and 1 month. Fixed means calendar-based, so a weekly limit resets at the same point each week rather than rolling back 7 days from whenever you happen to check. Once you hit the cap, deposits are blocked automatically until the reset, and the site has to show a clear tracker of what's left.
The rules around changing limits are worth knowing. Lowering a limit takes effect immediately. Raising one triggers a 24-hour cooling-off period, and larger increases can prompt affordability checks. Gross limits also have to appear with equal or greater prominence than any other financial tool, and only the gross version can carry the deposit limit name. Sites that had previously removed gross limits were required to reinstate them.
This sits on top of Phase 1 changes from October 2025, which made sites prompt new players to set a financial limit before their first deposit and send reminders every six months to review account activity. If you're comparing operators, our guide to low minimum deposit betting sites covers how these caps interact with smaller budgets.
Who feels the difference most? Players who move money in and out frequently. Poker players are the obvious example: deposit £500, cash out £400 mid-session, and a gross limit treats that as £500 used even though your net outlay is £100. If that's your pattern, the practical fix is pairing the gross limit with a clearly labelled net or loss tool, or requesting a higher gross limit and accepting the checks that come with it.
Everyone else should do one simple thing: check your existing limits. If your old setting was net-based, the same number is now effectively stricter, because withdrawals no longer buy back room. That's not a bug, it's the point, but it's better to adjust deliberately than discover it mid-deposit.
Our view is that gross is the honest default, because it matches what actually leaves your bank account, which is what most people mean when they set a budget. The friction lands on players who churn deposits, and for them the answer is choosing the right combination of tools rather than hoping a withdrawal resets the clock. With UK gambling yield heavily driven by slots, as we covered in our look at the UK's £17.5bn gambling yield, regulators are likely to keep tightening financial tools, so knowing exactly what each limit measures is only going to matter more.