Casinoextra gives players practical controls for setting deposit limits, limiting losses, taking a break and closing an account. This page explains how those tools work, how to recognise gambling that has become difficult to manage, and where to obtain free, confidential support in the UK. We also include steps you can take to protect children and anyone sharing a device with a minor.
Gambling as entertainment, not income
Gambling can provide entertainment, but it should never be treated as a way to earn money or solve a financial problem. The amount you choose to spend should come from money set aside for leisure, never from savings, household bills or borrowed funds.
A session has a clear end when you set one in advance. Leaving a balance for another day because a game is close to a feature, paying back a loss or chasing a promotion can make it harder to stop. If those patterns feel familiar, a cooling-off period can interrupt them before they become established habits.
When gambling stops feeling like entertainment
Warning signs usually appear as changes in behaviour, routine or finances. Look for:
- staked amounts rising without a planned limit;
- time spent gambling increasing beyond the session you intended to take;
- borrowing, using essential funds or hiding gambling activity;
- anxieties about balances, withdrawals or returning to a game;
- repeated cancellation of self-imposed limits;
- gambling interfering with work, family life or sleep;
- chasing losses or viewing a win as money that must be recovered.
One sign does not establish a diagnosis. It does mean that reducing access and speaking to someone you trust can be sensible. A break of 24 hours, seven days or one month gives you time to reassess before deciding whether to return.
A short check of your own habits
Answer these questions honestly; they are prompts rather than a clinical assessment:
- Have you spent more than the amount you planned?
- Have you hidden gambling activity or losses from other people?
- Have you used essential money to continue playing?
- Do you feel unable to stop after a planned session ends?
- Has gambling become harder to postpone or abandon?
- Have the losses affected your work, relationships or wellbeing?
- Do you gamble to escape distress or to think about another problem?
If several answers are yes, contact our support team and consider using a cooling-off period or self-exclusion. You can also speak confidentially with an adviser through the National Gambling Helpline.
Casinoextra’s player control tools
Deposit and loss limits
Our account controls allow you to set a deposit limit by day, week or month. This gives you a fixed boundary before play starts rather than relying on a decision after a losing session. Loss limits can also be imposed when your net deposits exceed the limit you set, preventing further deposits until the position changes.
A limit is most useful when it is specific. Choose the period and amount that fit your planned spending, then treat the setting as a boundary rather than a target to reach.
Cooling-off periods
You can take a break for 24 hours, seven days or one month. The period blocks access for its full duration, so it is useful when you know that an immediate return to the lobby would make your next decision harder.
Self-exclusion and account closure
Self-exclusion is available through the “My Profile” section. If you want a temporary or permanent closure, contact our support team and explain which option you need. Permanent closure ends your access rather than placing your account on a short pause.
Practical limits that make control easier
- Set a deposit limit before selecting a game.
- Use a timer for the full session, including time spent choosing a game.
- Keep gambling payments separate from money needed for bills or savings.
- Remove gambling shortcuts from the home screen and close the site after a session.
- Ask someone trusted to hold your access to the account during a difficult period.
- Review your account activity regularly and reduce your limits if your play changes.
Support tools work best when the people around you know how they are being used. A cooling-off period is easier to maintain when another person can help check that you are not returning through a second account.
Where to get help in the UK
You do not need to reach a financial crisis before asking for help. The National Gambling Helpline offers free, confidential support, 24 hours a day, on 0808 8020 133. GamCare provides further information and support for people affected by gambling.
BeGambleAware.org explains the risks of gambling and offers free, confidential help if your own gambling or someone else’s is causing harm. GamStop provides a free national self-exclusion service for sites licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, so check its coverage before relying on it to block a particular account.
Gordon Moody provides residential and online treatment for gambling harm. For practical support with blocking access, Gamban and BetBlocker are blocking tools; BetBlocker is free and works across supported platforms.
Blocking software
Blocking software can prevent access to gambling sites independently of an in-account limit. Install it on every device you use and protect the settings with a password known only to you or someone you trust. If you use a shared device, ask the household administrator to install and configure blocking software such as Gamban, BetBlocker, Net Nanny or Qustodio.
Protecting children and shared devices
Our minimum age is 18+, and players aged 21 or over are required in Estonia. A device shared with a minor needs separate protection: enable parental controls, keep the operating system and browser current, and use a separate browser profile with site restrictions for adult gambling activity.
Do not leave an adult session active on a shared device. Close the browser, sign out of the account and clear the site history when you finish. Keeping the login details and payment methods out of view reduces the chance of accidental access.
Questions about account controls can be sent to [email protected]. Our team can explain how to set a limit, apply a cooling-off period or begin account closure. For confidential help with gambling itself, use the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
This site is for players aged 18 and over (18+) only. If gambling is affecting your life, free and confidential support is available through BeGambleAware.org and the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.