Big Blow to Online Gamblers: UK to Slap £5 Limit on Casino Bets

The UK government has implemented a new limit on how much online gamblers can bet, according to sources from The Guardian. The limit, which has been in effect since last Friday, caps bets at £5 ($6.3) per spin for players 25 and older, and £2 ($2.5) for those under 25.

The government has been debating the maximum betting limit for online games for a long time. At first, they considered a range from £2 to £15, and in April 2023, they suggested a “middle ground” of £8.50.

But with the new £5 and £2 limits, the UK iGaming market could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, based on early estimates.

Some major gambling companies in the country have already put limits on online game bets, but enforcing such a low mandatory limit is a whole different story.

Insiders who tipped off The Guardian about the government’s plan say they would be shocked if their information is wrong. The official announcement is expected to come on Friday from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (the Department did not respond to the publication’s request for comment).

The new limit is similar to one that has been in place for several years for British Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs), which are land-based gaming machines in bookmaker shops. Before, the maximum bet on these machines was £100, but since 2019, it has been cut down to £2, no matter the age.