Responsible gambling

Gambling is entertainment. When it stops being fun, or starts costing more than you planned, help is free, confidential and available. This page covers the warning signs to watch for, the tools that keep play under control, how to set them up, and who to contact for support in the US, Canada and beyond.

Talk to someone now

1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738)

Free and confidential: call, text or chat, 24/7. Also active: 1-800-522-4700.

Outside the US? Jump to your country

Hotline numbers and links on this page are checked against the providers' official sites. If a number has changed, tell us.

Warning signs

  • Spending more than you can comfortably afford, including money set aside for bills, rent or savings.
  • Chasing losses: increasing bet size or playing longer to win back what you have already lost.
  • Needing larger or more frequent bets to feel the same level of excitement.
  • Hiding your gambling from family or friends, or downplaying how much you play.
  • Lying about how much time or money you spend gambling.
  • Gambling to escape stress, anxiety, boredom or low mood.
  • Borrowing money, selling belongings or taking on debt to keep playing.
  • Neglecting work, study, sleep, hobbies or time with family and friends.
  • Feeling restless, irritable or anxious when trying to cut back or stop.
  • Making repeated attempts to limit or stop gambling that do not last.
  • Thinking about gambling throughout the day, planning the next bet or session.
  • Blaming bad luck for losses rather than stepping back to review your play.

A quick self-check

These questions are a conversation starter, not a diagnostic tool: there is no score to pass or fail. If more than a couple ring true, the free and confidential helplines above can help you think it through.

  • Do you bet more than you can comfortably afford?
  • Do you need to bet larger amounts to get the same excitement?
  • Have you tried to cut back or stop and found you couldn't?
  • Do you chase losses with bigger or longer sessions?
  • Do you hide your gambling from family or friends?
  • Has gambling affected your sleep, work or relationships?
  • Do you borrow money or sell things to keep playing?
  • Do you gamble to escape stress, anxiety or low mood?

Tools that keep you in control

Deposit limits

Set daily, weekly or monthly caps on how much you can deposit. Limits usually tighten quickly and loosen only after a cooling-off period, by design.

Loss limits

Some platforms let you cap how much you are prepared to lose over a set period. A loss limit tracks net losses, so a bad session cannot quietly become a bad month.

Bet limits

Cap the most you can stake per bet, per round or per day. Many regulated platforms offer this alongside deposit limits.

Time limits and session reminders

Decide in advance how long a session or a day of play should last. Session reminders appear while you play, so time does not slip away unnoticed.

Reality checks

Periodic on-screen reminders showing how long you have been playing and how your balance has moved, a simple reality check while you play.

Cool-off periods

A short voluntary break from your account, from a few hours to several weeks, for when you need some distance from the urge to play.

Self-exclusion

A longer-term block from one operator, or from every licensed site in a jurisdiction through a multi-operator scheme. Blocks are built to be hard to reverse early.

Setting up your limits

Limits work best when they are set before a session, not in the middle of one. The exact menus vary by operator, but the routine is similar, and it takes only a few minutes.

  1. Open the responsible gambling or safer gambling settings in your account, usually under account, wallet or profile.
  2. Set a deposit limit based on your overall entertainment budget, not on tonight's mood. Start at a level you are comfortable with; you can tighten it at any time.
  3. Add a loss limit if your platform offers one, so a single session has a floor you chose in advance.
  4. Turn on session reminders and set a time limit, decide before you start how long you intend to play.
  5. Review your limits after a month. Increases usually take effect only after a cooling-off period, which gives you time to reconsider.
  6. If a limit is not enough, request a cool-off or self-exclusion, and consider telling someone you trust, so the decision sticks.
  7. Back up account-level tools with a bank block and blocking software, the extra layers still work when willpower dips.

Bank, payment and device blocks

Account-level tools are a good start, but extra layers make it much harder to slip back into play, especially in the moments when an urge hits. These are free or low-cost, and they work across operators.

Bank and card controls

Most banks let you switch off gambling transactions on a debit or credit card (often called a gambling block). Ask your bank to enable it, or look for card controls in your banking app.

BetBlocker

A free, anonymous blocking app run by a registered charity. It blocks access to over a million gambling websites and thousands of gambling apps across your devices, with blocking periods from hours to years, and the block cannot be lifted early.

Device controls

iOS Screen Time and Android Digital Wellbeing can set app limits and content restrictions, useful as a soft barrier or a first step.

Remove saved payments

Delete saved cards and payment details from operator accounts and your browser, and switch off auto-login so getting back in takes deliberate effort.

United States

  • National Problem Gambling Helpline (NCPG) — 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) · Free and confidential, 24/7, call, text or chat, covering all 50 states and US territories. The previous national number, 1-800-522-4700, remains active.
  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 · For mental-health crises: call or text when gambling distress turns into a crisis. Free, 24/7.
  • 1-800-GAMBLER — 1-800-426-2537 · A New Jersey-based line run by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of NJ: helpful, but it is not the national helpline.

International resources

Jump to your country: United States United KingdomIrelandSpainGermanyPortugalCanadaSouth Africa

United Kingdom

Ireland

  • Gambling Care: National Helpline — ROI: 1800 936 725 · NI: 08000 886 725 · Free and confidential, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Northern Ireland calls are handled by Dunlewey Addiction Services.

Spain

Germany

  • BIÖG gambling-counselling line — 0800 137 27 00 · Free line run by Germany’s federal public-health institute (BIÖG, formerly BZgA), in cooperation with gambling associations. Mon–Thu 10–22, Fri–Sun 10–18.

Portugal

  • Linha 1414 (SOS Jogador) — 1414 · Psychological counselling line for addictive behaviours, promoted by the gaming regulator SRIJ. Business days 10–18.

Canada

South Africa

  • National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) — 0800 006 008 · Toll-free counseling line: free and confidential, 24 hours a day, seven days a week; WhatsApp chat also available. Run by the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF).

International organizations

  • Gambling Therapy · Free, global online support, forums and self-help tools in multiple languages, part of the Gordon Moody charity.
  • Gamblers Anonymous · Peer-support fellowship with in-person and online meetings worldwide, find one via the GA International Service Office.

Industry standards and self-regulation

Well-run operators meet the legal minimum, and the most serious ones volunteer for independent accreditation and follow published codes of practice. These programs are a practical signal to look for when you compare casinos and sportsbooks.

NCPG Internet Responsible Gambling Standards (iRGS)

US-focused standards covering policy, staff training, informed decision-making, assisting players, self-exclusion, advertising, game and site features, and research. NCPG's iCAP accreditation assesses online operators against them.

RG Check (Responsible Gambling Council)

Independent accreditation for land-based venues and iGaming sites, developed by Canada's Responsible Gambling Council and recognized as a benchmark in the field.

G4 (Global Gambling Guidance Group)

A global accreditation and certification body for gambling operators and suppliers, auditing responsible gambling programs against published G4 standards.

Licence conditions and codes of practice

In regulated markets, player protections are also written into licence conditions, such as the UK Gambling Commission's Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), and enforced by the regulator rather than being voluntary.