How do responsible gambling limits reset and can I change them whenever I want?

Tightening a limit is instant; loosening one is not — and that asymmetry is the whole point of how Ontario's system works.

Every licensed Ontario online casino must give you an easy and obvious way to set gaming limits — deposit, loss, and time-based — both at registration and at any point afterward. The time periods operators are required to offer are 24 hours, 7 days, and one month. So if you're playing on a regulated Ottawa-accessible site and want to cap your weekly deposits or daily losses, you can do that from your account settings at any time.

The direction of the change matters enormously

Making a limit stricter — lowering your deposit cap, reducing your loss limit, setting a shorter session timer — takes effect immediately. No delay, no waiting period. The system enforces it the moment you save the change.

Going the other way is a different story. Where a gaming limit has been previously established by a player, a request to relax or eliminate that limit shall only be implemented after a cooling-off period of at least 24 hours. That rule comes directly from the AGCO's Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming and applies to every registered operator in the province. The operator must not relax or eliminate a gaming limit without a request from the player and only after the expiry of the cooling-off period. In other words, the site can't bump your limit up on its own — you have to ask, and then wait.

That 24-hour window isn't just a technicality. The AGCO has actually penalized an operator for failing to enforce the required 24-hour cooling-off period when a player cancelled their deposit limit, making clear that compliance is an enforcement priority. Real teeth behind the rule.

How the reset cycle works in practice

Most limits are period-based rather than one-time caps. A weekly deposit limit, for example, refreshes at the start of each new 7-day window. Where a player sets simultaneous periods — say, a daily and a weekly deposit limit — the lowest limit applies. That stacking rule matters if you're layering multiple controls: the most restrictive one always wins.

When a limit period expires and you haven't changed anything, the limit typically rolls over automatically at the same level — your controls don't disappear just because the clock reset. Check your account settings at your specific operator to confirm exactly how their system handles rollovers, since the AGCO sets the floor but individual sites may handle the mechanics slightly differently.

If you want to step back entirely

Limits are a great day-to-day tool, but if you ever feel you need a more definitive break, Ontario now has a centralized option. iGaming Ontario has launched BetGuard, a centralized self-exclusion program that allows players to register to take a break from all regulated online gambling websites in Ontario. A single registration through BetGuard covers every licensed operator — you don't have to contact each site individually. Term options include 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, or a custom length. You can spot a fully registered Ontario site by looking for both the iGaming Ontario logo and the BetGuard logo — their presence confirms the site is managed by iGaming Ontario and regulated by the AGCO.

Ontario's legal gambling age is 19+. If you ever want to talk through your play with someone, ConnexOntario is available at 1-866-531-2600.