How the limits are calculated
Loss limit per session = monthly budget ÷ gambling days. Weekly deposit limit = monthly budget × 12 ÷ 52, so the weeks of a year never add up to more than twelve monthly budgets. Staked per hour = stake × spins per hour; expected loss per hour = staked per hour × (100% - RTP).
Average time per session = loss limit ÷ expected loss per hour. It is how long the money lasts on average. A bad run can empty the session budget in minutes, which is why the loss limit, not the clock, decides when to stop.
Example with real numbers
Budget 100 a month, 4 gambling days, 0.50 per spin, 500 spins per hour, slot at 96% RTP. Loss limit per session: 25. Weekly deposit limit: 23.08. You stake 250 per hour and lose 10 per hour on average, so the 25 lasts about 2.5 hours.
Raise the stake to 1 per spin and the same 25 lasts about 1.25 hours on average. A bigger stake does not change the cost per unit staked, it only spends the budget twice as fast.
The lower-risk benchmark
If you enter your household income, the planner compares your budget with Canada's Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines (CCSA, 2021): no more than 1% of household income before tax per month and no more than 4 gambling days per month. With a yearly income of 70,000 the monthly ceiling is about 58.
It is a public-health benchmark from one country, not a rule of your local regulator, but it is one of the few gambling limits built on research data rather than on a casino's terms.
Why there are no casino picks here
This planner is about limits, so it recommends no casino. Set the weekly deposit limit and a session reminder in your account before you deposit; licensed casinos usually offer both in the account settings.