Maximum stake on a slot machine

What is the maximum stake on a slot machine? Quick answer

There is no single figure, because Great Britain sets stake limits separately for online slots and for each category of land-based gaming machine. The quick version is in the table below; the sections that follow explain how each limit works, when it started and what it does and does not cover. More answers to common questions are on the slot machine questions hub.

The online slot maximum stake: £5 and £2

Every remote casino licence in Great Britain now carries a condition capping the stake on online slots. The Gambling Commission's online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab) sets it at £5 per game cycle for adults aged 25 and over from 9 April 2025, and £2 per game cycle for adults aged 18 to 24 from 21 May 2025. The government announced the lower figure for young adults in its £2 maximum stake announcement (opens in a new tab).

The limit applies to online slots, which the rules describe as reel-based casino games played online. Roulette, blackjack and other table games are not covered by it. Casinos must know your age to apply the right cap, which they already do through the age and identity checks completed before you can play. The online slot stake limits page has the legal detail, and the £2 limit for 18–24s page covers the younger age band.

How the limit is counted: the game cycle

The cap is not just on the button you press. It applies to the whole game cycle, which runs from the start of a game until all stakes are lost or all winnings are paid. Any extra stake taken inside that cycle counts towards the limit. That is why UK versions of slots strip out features that would let you add money mid-game above the cap, and why options such as an ante bet must keep the total within £5 or £2.

1. Open the stake or bet menu in the game.
2. Check the total bet shown, not just the line bet or coin value.
3. Confirm the total is at or below your limit (£5 at 25+, £2 at 18–24); the game will not let you go above it.
4. If the game offers an extra-cost option, check the combined total stays within the cap.
5. Set a deposit limit in your account so the stake cap is not your only control.

Free spins from an offer have a fixed value set by the casino (10p each on our partners' current offers), so they sit well under either cap.

Maximum stake on land-based slot machines by category

Machines in pubs, arcades, bingo halls, betting shops and casinos are sorted into categories by the Gambling Act 2005 and its regulations. Each category has its own maximum stake and maximum prize, and each type of venue can host only certain categories. The Commission's gaming machine categories table (opens in a new tab) is the official reference; our UK slot machine categories guide explains it in plain English.

In a pub, then, the maximum stake you will meet is £1, on a Category C fruit machine. The highest stake on any land-based machine you can currently play in Britain is £5, on a casino B1. For the prize side of the table, see what is the maximum prize on a pub fruit machine?

The £100 to £2 FOBT stake cut

The biggest change to a land-based stake limit in recent years hit Category B2 machines, the fixed-odds betting terminals found in betting shops. Until 2019 they could take up to £100 per spin. The 2018 regulations on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab) cut the maximum to £2 from 1 April 2019, putting B2 in line with the other B categories outside casinos. The Category B2 FOBT rules page tells the full story.

No other category's stake or prize limit has changed since then. In May 2024 the government confirmed that existing land-based stake and prize limits would stay as they are, while it worked on other machine rules covered on our gaming machine technical standards page.

What the maximum stake means for cost per hour

A stake cap limits each spin, but spins add up quickly. Online slots in Britain must take at least 2.5 seconds per game cycle, so the theoretical maximum is 1,440 spins an hour. Real play is slower, with pauses and features, but the arithmetic shows why a per-spin limit is not a spending limit.

Those are averages; any hour can go far better or far worse, and high-volatility games swing hardest. Our page on how much a slot costs per hour works through more examples, and the slot session limits guide shows how to cap time as well as money.

Should you play at the maximum stake?

Playing at the top of the range rarely changes a game's RTP; on most modern slots the percentage is the same at 10p and at £5, so a higher stake just means bigger swings and a bigger average cost. A few older or land-based games pay a better rate at maximum stake, and the paytable will say so. Read should you bet max on slots? before assuming bigger is better, and the high stakes slots guide for what changes at the top end.

Maximum stake rules on slot bonuses

Casino bonus terms can set their own lower stake cap while a bonus is active. Casumo, for example, limits bets to £5 while its welcome bonus is running. Breaking a bonus max-bet rule can cost you the bonus winnings, so check the terms before you raise the stake. Since 19 January 2026 bonus wagering in Britain is also capped at 10 times. Our page on slot bonus max bet rules explains how these terms interact with the legal limit.

Maximum slot stakes outside Great Britain

The £5 and £2 online limits and the category system apply in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own gambling law, and other countries set their own machine limits, so a slot abroad can take much higher stakes. If you are travelling, our guide to playing slot machines abroad explains what to check.

Where to play online slots within the UK stake limits

All of our partner casinos are licensed by the Gambling Commission and apply the £5 and £2 caps automatically. Offers are for adults aged 18 and over, and terms apply. Coral: bet £10 on slots and receive 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games, valid 7 days, no wagering on winnings. Ladbrokes: play £10 on slots for 50 free spins a day for 10 days, at 10p each, up to 500 in total, with no wagering. PlayOJO: deposit £10 or more for 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each, winnings paid in cash.

Some payment methods, such as certain e-wallets and prepaid cards, are excluded from these offers. Game lists change, so search each lobby for the slots you want. The Ladbrokes casino page has more on its daily spins, and the offers hub compares the rest.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.