Responsible Gambling

Gambling as Entertainment

Gambling is a form of paid entertainment. Like any leisure activity with a financial component, it carries risk — and that risk is amplified when participation becomes compulsive, emotionally driven, or financially disproportionate. Any individual who engages with gambling products must be 18 years of age or older. There is no strategy, system, or pattern that reliably converts gambling into a consistent income source.

This page outlines the principles of responsible gambling and points to practical tools and resources that can help players maintain healthy boundaries.

Core Principles of Responsible Play

Maintaining control over gambling activity begins with a set of practical commitments:

  • Set limits before you start. Decide in advance how much money and time you are willing to spend in a session. Treat this as a fixed budget, not a starting point.
  • Do not chase losses. Attempting to recover money already lost by placing larger or additional bets is one of the most common patterns that leads to problem gambling.
  • Avoid gambling under stress or while impaired. Emotional distress, alcohol, or fatigue all reduce decision-making quality and increase financial risk.
  • Keep gambling separate from financial obligations. Rent, bills, loan repayments, and household essentials should never be funded from gambling activity.

Self-Assessment

Periodically asking yourself the following questions can help identify early warning signs:

  • Are you spending more than you planned, either in time or money?
  • Do you feel irritable or anxious when not gambling?
  • Have you concealed gambling activity from family or friends?
  • Have you borrowed money or sold assets to fund gambling?
  • Do you gamble to escape difficult emotions rather than for entertainment?

If you answer yes to one or more of these questions, it may be worth speaking with a professional or using one of the tools described below.

Platform Tools for Managing Gambling Behaviour

Regulated gambling operators are required to provide users with tools that support responsible play. These typically include:

  • Deposit limits — caps on how much can be deposited over a daily, weekly, or monthly period.
  • Session time limits — alerts or enforced breaks after a defined period of play.
  • Reality checks — periodic on-screen notifications showing time elapsed and net balance.
  • Cool-off periods — short-term account restrictions of 24 hours to several weeks.
  • Self-exclusion — a formal process to block access to an account for an extended duration, ranging from months to a permanent closure.

The availability and implementation of these tools vary by operator. If you wish to use any of them, contact the operator's support team or access your account settings directly.

Early Signs of Problematic Gambling

The following behavioural patterns may indicate that gambling has moved beyond recreational control:

  • Preoccupation with gambling when not actively playing
  • Increasing stakes to achieve the same level of excitement
  • Repeated unsuccessful efforts to reduce or stop gambling
  • Neglecting professional, social, or family responsibilities
  • Gambling to relieve anxiety, depression, or boredom rather than for entertainment

External Support and Helplines

Several independent organisations provide confidential support for individuals and families affected by problem gambling. These include national helplines staffed by trained counsellors, anonymous peer support groups, and professional therapy services. We do not list specific contact numbers here, as these vary by region and are updated periodically — we recommend searching for accredited problem gambling support services in your country through a reputable health or government portal.

In Great Britain, the National Gambling Helpline and organisations such as GamCare and Gamblers Anonymous provide free, confidential assistance.

Protecting Underage Individuals

Gambling products are strictly for adults aged 18 and over. If you share a device with children or young people, we recommend using parental control or content filtering software to restrict access to gambling websites. Operators are required to carry out age verification checks; however, household-level controls provide an additional layer of protection.

A Note on Control

Responsible gambling is not about avoiding all risk — it is about maintaining informed, deliberate control over your choices. If at any point you feel that control has been lost, help is available and seeking it is a constructive step, not a sign of failure.