Responsible Gaming

Last updated: 19 August 2026

Play For Entertainment, Not Income

Gambling is a form of paid entertainment. The house holds a mathematical edge on every game, which means that over time the expected result is a loss. Anyone who treats it as a way to earn money is working against arithmetic that does not bend.

Play with money you can afford to lose. Never with money set aside for rent, food, bills or debt.

Signs Worth Taking Seriously

Problem gambling develops quietly. These are the patterns that show up first:

• Betting more than you planned, more often than you planned
• Returning to win back what you lost
• Borrowing money to play, or selling things to fund it
• Hiding how much you play from people close to you
• Restlessness or irritability when you try to cut down
• Gambling to escape stress, boredom or low mood
• Time at play crowding out work, study, sleep or relationships

One of these on its own may mean nothing. Several together are worth acting on.

Tools You Can Use

Licensed operators provide account controls, and they work best when you set them before you need them rather than after.

Deposit limits cap what you can put in over a day, a week or a month. Loss limits cap what a period can cost you regardless of how much you deposit. Session timers interrupt play with a reminder of how long you have been on. Reality checks show elapsed time and net position at intervals you choose.

Cool-off locks the account for a short break, typically 24 hours to six weeks. Self-exclusion closes access for a longer fixed period, from one month up to permanent. During self-exclusion you cannot log in, deposit or receive marketing, and the period cannot be lifted early — that is the point of it.

Practical Habits

• Decide your budget before you open the site, not while you are playing
• Set a time limit and keep to it
• Take a break every hour, away from the screen
• Never play while drinking, medicated, exhausted or upset
• Keep gambling as one hobby among several, never the only one
• Accept losses as the cost of the entertainment rather than something to recover

Protecting Minors

Gambling is restricted to adults aged 18 and over. If children share your device, use parental control software — Gamban, Net Nanny and GamBlock all filter gambling sites. Keep account credentials private and never let anyone under 18 play on your account.

Where To Get Help

Free, confidential support is available and none of it requires you to give a name.

• GamCare — gamcare.org.uk · National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133, open 24 hours
• BeGambleAware — begambleaware.org · advice, self-assessment and treatment referral
• Gamblers Anonymous — gamblersanonymous.org · peer support groups in person and online
• Gambling Therapy — gamblingtherapy.org · multilingual support and a self-assessment test
• Loket Kansspel (Netherlands) — loketkansspel.nl · 0800 3005 outside office hours
• AGOG (Netherlands) — agog.nl · 0900 217 27 21

Talking to someone early makes a difference. Waiting until the situation is severe makes it harder, not easier.