Responsible gambling

Signs to look for in yourself

Gambling stops being entertainment when you are chasing losses, spending more than you meant to, borrowing to play, or hiding play from people close to you. If any of those describes you, the tools below exist for exactly this reason and using one of them is a completely ordinary thing to do.

What every regulated casino must offer

Deposit limits, daily, weekly, monthly. Set one before your first deposit.
Loss limits, a hard ceiling on how much you can lose in a period.
Session and reality checks, a timer that tells you how long you have been playing.
Cool-off, 24 hours to six weeks, no reason needed, cannot be reversed early.
Self-exclusion, six months to permanent, applied to that operator and often to the regulator’s shared register.

All five are in the account settings of every casino we list. If any is missing or hidden, tell us and we will de-list. Our guide to setting deposit and loss limits shows where those controls usually sit and what a sensible first limit looks like. If you want to understand why the odds are what they are, reading RTP and volatility covers the maths without the jargon.

Helplines by country

United Kingdom, GamCare, 0808 8020 133 (24 hours), gamcare.org.uk. Self-exclusion: GAMSTOP.
Germany, BZgA Spielsucht Beratung, 0800 137 27 00, buwei.de. Self-exclusion: OASIS.
Sweden, Stödlinjen, 020-81 91 00, stodlinjen.se. Self-exclusion: Spelpaus.
Finland, Peluuri, 0800 100 101, peluuri.fi.
Norway, Hjelpelinjen, 800 800 40, hjelpelinjen.no.
Denmark, Center for Ludomani, 70 11 18 10, ludomani.dk. Self-exclusion: ROFUS.
Netherlands, Loket Kansspel, 0900 217 721, loketkansspel.nl. Self-exclusion: CRUKS.
Ireland, Extern Problem Gambling, 089 241 5401, problemgambling.ie.
Estonia, Hasartmängusõltuvuse Nõustamiskeskus, 15410, hasartmang.ee. Self-exclusion: HAMPI.
United States, National Council on Problem Gambling, 1-800-GAMBLER (24 hours), ncpgambling.org.
Canada, ConnexOntario, 1-866-531-2600. Provincial services elsewhere.
Australia, Gambling Help Online, 1800 858 858 (24 hours), gamblinghelponline.org.au.
New Zealand, Gambling Helpline, 0800 654 655, gamblinghelpline.co.nz.

If your country is not listed, the international directory at gamblingtherapy.org covers most of the rest.

Talk to someone

All the numbers above are free, confidential, and answered by people trained for this specific conversation. You do not need to have decided anything to call one; talking through what is going on is often the entire first step.