Why Do Online Casinos Set Betting Limits?

Each casino sets its own maximum betting limits. Their size may vary for different games. This is due to two reasons. The first is to protect from financial problems in case of big wins. The second is to prevent players from using progressive betting strategies.

Economic reasons

The richer and larger the casino, the more likely it has higher betting limits. Small operators do not have enough funds to pay big money at a time. Therefore, they cannot allow the winnings to reach dangerous sizes for them. Solving the problem is easy – just set a maximum betting limit.

The limits will depend on the specific game. For example, the limits for blackjack are traditionally lower than for roulette, since the player can make decisions that will influence the result. This means that blackjack remains a game of skill to some extent, even in online casinos.

The limits are usually even lower for slots, since they allow for a huge multiplication of the original bet. A player bets $1,000 on roulette and can win no more than $35,000 at a time (by betting on a single number), but in a slot machine the same bet can result in several million in winnings. Therefore, slots usually do not offer high limits.

Different slots will have different limits based on what percentage of profits they offer and risks they offer (volatility).

Using progressive strategies

The progressive roulette betting strategies are the most popular. For example, a player places bets on equal chances, according to Martingale. After losing, they bet again and double the amount of the lost bet. As a result, even after a series of failures, you can end up with a win that will cover all losses and yield a small win.

To prevent players from abusing such strategies, the casino sets betting limits. If the minimum bet is $1, and the maximum is $100, you can only double 7 times, after which the limit won’t allow to continue and the player will be at a loss.

VIP players

Custom limits can be set for individual players. Usually VIP players are assisted by personal managers, who they can approach with the request of increasing the maximum bets.

Maximum bet when wagering bonuses

Special conditions apply to maximum wagering requirements for bonuses. There is a standard maximum that is applied in almost all casinos – €/$5. Casinos do not want to enable the players to easily wager the bonuses in one successful bet, because the wagered bonuses are expenses of the casino. That is why the maximum bet is so low. It forces the player to place as many bets as possible, and the longer the game lasts, the better the chances that the theoretical advantage of the casino is achieved.

The casino distributes the bonuses in such a way that even by receiving supposedly free money, the players bring them profit. Wagering conditions are created for this very benefit, including the maximum bet.

Operators generally treat bonus wagering with care, so don’t be lazy to find out the maximum bets and games that cannot be played. With an active bonus, you need to follow the wagering rules even if you spend your own money before the bonus funds. This means not betting more than is required, and not playing prohibited games.

What happens if you win too much?

Casinos surely don’t like when players win much and often. Big winnings are possible, but frequent wins are quite unlikely. One-time big wins can happen, but if a person is lucky for a long time, this can be considered a miracle.

However, this happens with bookmakers, because skill matters there. Successful players can have their maximum bet cut in order to force them to go play on another website. At the physical casino, you will be watched, then asked to leave. This usually happens to blackjack players who count cards and win consistently.

Apparently, online casinos deal shortly with the players as well. This becomes clear when taking a look at their Terms and Conditions. “We can close any account at any time without any explanation.” This means that if they don’t like something, they are free to do what they want.

You can find excerpts from VideoSlots and ArgoCasino below. The content is the same, the only difference is that VideoSlots clearly states that the money fairly won by the player will be paid out, while ArgoCasino does not specify this point.

However, there are casinos that do not establish such unfair (in my opinion) conditions. For example, SlotsMillion does not state that it can close an account at any time without explanation. Instead, they state they have the right to do so if the casino’s Terms and Conditions have been breached.