Set limits before the first game
Choose an amount you can afford to lose after essential spending and savings. Treat it as an entertainment cost, not money that needs to come back. Decide when the session ends before it begins. Stop at either limit, even if you feel close to a win.
Never use borrowed money, rent, bills or emergency funds to gamble. Avoid play when tired, upset, intoxicated or trying to escape a stressful event. The outcome of the next game does not repair the result of the previous one.
Use the account tools
Look for deposit limits, reminders, time-outs and self-exclusion in the operator’s responsible gambling section. Availability and details vary. Read when a limit takes effect and whether an increase requires a waiting period. A time-out creates a break; self-exclusion is intended for a longer period away.
If you exclude yourself, do not open another account to get around it. Consider blocking gambling sites and payment routes too. Ask your bank whether it offers gambling transaction controls and talk to someone you trust about the steps you want to take.
Recognise a change in your play
Warning signs can include chasing losses, spending more than planned, hiding activity, borrowing to continue or neglecting work and relationships. You do not need to wait for a crisis to ask for support. A concern about your behaviour is enough reason to pause.
If you are worried about someone else, speak calmly about specific changes you have noticed. Avoid offering money to cover gambling losses. Independent support services can help you decide how to protect your own finances and wellbeing as well.
Find independent support
Gambling Therapy provides an international starting point for gambling support. Gamblers Anonymous offers a route to peer support. Check each service for the languages, locations and formats it supports.
If you feel at immediate risk of harming yourself or someone else, contact local emergency services now. This guide is not an emergency or counselling service. Casino support can help apply account restrictions; independent services can help with the wider impact of gambling.