Responsible gambling

Last updated: 2026-11-02T18:35:20+00:00

Gambling will cost money over time. Think of the house edge as arithmetic that pays for the operation, not a warning, since no bonus or strategy can shift it. The sections below proceed from that.

Decide before you start

Before you deposit for the first time, settle on what you are prepared to lose, not afterward during a losing run. Whether a limit sticks depends on when it was set: calmly, it holds; while chasing, it doesn't. Your spending is entertainment money, not capital you have put in expecting it to be returned.

The tools in your account

• Deposit limit — a payment-in ceiling applied on a daily, weekly or monthly cycle.
• Loss limit — the maximum net loss allowed within a set period.
• Session reminder — alerts you to the length of time you have spent playing.
• Time-out — blocks account access for a length of time you pick.
• Self-exclusion — puts the account out of action for an extended stretch.

Should you lower a limit, it applies immediately. It is no accident that raising a limit takes a while: this stops you cancelling it in a moment of weakness.

Warning signs

Three behaviours deserve early attention: using money set aside for other needs, chasing lost money, and playing down to others how much is truly being spent in time or cash. A single pattern by itself does not carry much weight. Jointly, the three have meaning.

Where to get help

We have no link to any of these organisations.

• BeGambleAware — a free, confidential helpline on 0808 8020 133, open round the clock.
• GamCare — support and treatment cost nothing here, via the shared national helpline.
• Gamban — a blocking tool that stops gambling websites reaching any of your devices.

Under-age gambling

Holding an account here means being 18 years of age or more. Where more than one person uses a device, parental control software should be installed and login details kept out of sight. Accounts belonging to minors get closed, and their winnings do not stand.