Stake Budget Calculator - How Much to Gamble?
Stake online budget calculator and responsible gambling tips
While using Stake, it’s important to stay in control of your finances and bet responsibly. Whether you’re playing at Stake Casino or betting on live and upcoming events at Stake Sportsbook, you should always bet within your means.
Our online budget calculator can help you stay in control and stick to a budget. Before you start betting, take a look at our responsible gambling tips.
What does it mean to gamble responsibly?
Gambling responsibly means staying in control and not betting more than you can afford to lose. You should balance the time you spend on gambling and ensure it doesn’t become a problem.
Although playing real money casino games and betting on sports can be fun, it comes with risks, and it’s not a way to make income. Gambling should be viewed as a form of entertainment, and you should only ever gamble with money you can afford to lose. Avoid common gambling myths and fallacies that might affect your behaviour.
To gamble responsibly, you need to practice self-control; Stake offers tools and resources to make it easier. You can use our budget calculator to create a responsible gambling budget.
How do you set a gambling budget?
There’s no fixed amount to gamble. Only gamble a portion of your disposable income. That is, it should only ever be money you can afford to lose. Think carefully before setting your budget, and don’t select an amount that would put you in financial difficulty if you lost it.
A budget makes it much easier to stay in control of your spending. Use the budget calculator to take all the necessary spending and income into account. Then, set deposit, loss and time limits and stay within your budget.
How do you use the online budget calculator?
Use the budget calculator by following these steps:
Open the online budget calculator
Enter your monthly income, including wages after deductions, plus any pensions, benefits or other income.
Provide your monthly expenses, including your rent/mortgage, utility bills, loans/credit and other expenses.
The budget calculator then subtracts your total monthly expenses from your total income to calculate your disposable income.
Choose a gambling budget that’s a portion of your disposable income, then set your limits to match.
Note that the information you provide is confidential and isn’t saved or visible to Stake. Learn how to play popular games and bet on sports safely and responsibly with our how-to guides.
What responsible gambling tools does Stake.com offer?
The online budget calculator is just one of the responsible gambling tools available to use at Stake. You can stay Stake Smart with the following:
| Tool | Description | How to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Assessment | An NOD self-assessment that asks 10 questions to better understand your gambling habits | Start the self-assessment from the Responsible Gambling page and complete the questions. It takes approximately 3 minutes. |
| Loss Limits | Sets a limit on how much you can lose each day, week or month. It applies to your net losses, so profits made during the period won’t count toward the limit. | On the responsible gambling page, open the gambling limits option, then choose Loss as the limit type. Enter the amount and choose a daily, weekly or monthly period. |
| Wager Limits | Sets a limit on how much you can wager within a specific time period. Your limit will apply immediately, and there’s a 24-hour cool-off period before making a change. | Open the gambling limits option on the responsible gambling page, then choose Wager as the limit type. Enter the amount and choose a daily, weekly or monthly period. |
| Deposit Limits | Allows you to control how much you can add to your account within a set time period. Depositing more than your limit will withhold the money. The extra amount will only be released when your limit resets. | Select Deposit limits on the Responsible Gambling page, then choose a daily limit. |
| Break In Play | This gives you a short time-out period of up to 30 days. Once activated, you won’t be able to use your account to place bets, although you can still log in to make withdrawals. | Open the Self-exclusion option on the responsible gambling page. Request a break in play and select a period of 24 hours, 48 hours, seven days or 30 days. |
| Product Exclusion | This prevents you from placing bets in either the Sportsbook or Casino for a selected period of time. You can choose a temporary or indefinite exclusion. | Open the responsible gambling page and select the self-exclusion option. Request a product exclusion and select either Casino or Sportsbook and choose the duration. |
| Self-exclusion | If you’re currently dealing with a gambling problem or at risk of developing one, you can use the self-exclusion option to close your account for an indefinite amount of time. | Select the self-exclusion option on the responsible gambling page. Request a self-exclusion and select the indefinite duration. |
How can you manage your money while gambling?
To manage your money, stay in control of your spending, and avoid betting more than you can afford to lose, follow these tips. More tips are available in our Stake Smart guidelines:
Monthly Budget
Once you know your total monthly income and spending, you can set a budget. When creating your budget, be realistic and ensure you’ve accounted for all possible expenses. Bear in mind that you may need to update your budget regularly based on changes to income or expenditure.
Deposit Limits
Setting a budget will give you an idea of how much you can realistically afford to spend on gambling, but deposit limits will help you stick to it. From the responsible gambling page, you can add a deposit limit that affects how much you can add to your account within a set time period. For example, you can set a daily limit of $100, which means you can’t deposit more than $100. To increase or remove your limit, a 24-hour waiting period applies.
Limit Bet Sizes
While you’re betting, limit your bet sizes to avoid overspending. If you’re careful, even small budgets can last a long time. One of the best forms of bankroll management is to limit your bet size to a set percentage of your total bankroll. That way, your bets will decrease as your bankroll decreases, and increase as it increases. You can set wager limits from the responsible gambling page. This will limit the total amount you bet each day, week or month.
What are the signs of problem gambling?
While many people can enjoy online gambling responsibly and without issue, others may develop harmful habits.
Here are some problem gambling signs that suggest it might be time to get some help:
You go chasing your losses and don’t stick to your budget.
You get angry or overly anxious while gambling at online casinos or placing sports bets.
You spend more time than you would like at online gambling sites.
You worry or think about gambling when you’re doing other things.
Your gambling habit is affecting your relationships or your performance at work.
You have got yourself into debt because of gambling.
Where can you get help with problem gambling?
If you’re noticing signs of problem gambling in your behaviour, don’t be afraid to get help. Speak to a loved one about your gambling problem and look to responsible gambling helplines and support groups. Organisations such as Gamblers Anonymous and Gambling Therapy provide confidential support and assistance to those who need it. Many resources are available to help, so don’t suffer in silence. The sooner you act, the sooner you can change your situation.