Responsible Gaming

Ten rules worth keeping

• Set a deposit limit before your first transaction, not after. Every UK licensed operator must offer one.
• Decide the amount before you start and treat it as the price of an evening out. When it is gone, stop.
• Never chase a loss. The odds do not improve because you are behind, and the next stake is unaffected by the last.
• Never stake borrowed money — not from a credit card, an overdraft, a loan or a friend.
• Set a time limit as well as a money limit, and switch reality-check reminders on.
• Do not gamble to escape stress, low mood, loneliness or boredom. That is the point where it stops being entertainment.
• Do not gamble while drinking or when you are tired or upset.
• Keep it in the open. Hiding it from people close to you is a warning sign in itself.
• Take real breaks. Use time-outs of a day, a week or a month whenever you feel the pull.
• Understand the maths. Every casino product carries a built-in house edge. Over time the operator is expected to keep a share of everything staked. No system changes that.

Warning signs

Gambling harm builds gradually. Any one of these is worth acting on today rather than later:

• staking more, or for longer, than you intended;
• returning to try to recover money you have lost;
• borrowing, selling things or missing bills to fund it;
• lying about how much time or money is involved;
• feeling restless, irritable or anxious when you cannot gamble;
• gambling to relieve stress, guilt or low mood;
• arguments at home about it;
• work, study or relationships suffering because of it.

If you recognise several of these, call 0808 8020 133. It is free, it is confidential and it is open right now.

Tools every UK licensed operator must give you

Protecting children

Nobody under 18 may gamble in Great Britain. If minors use a device you own, we strongly recommend installing filtering software such as Net Nanny or CYBERsitter, using a separate account for them, keeping payment details out of a shared browser, and never leaving a funded account signed in.

Supporting someone else

If you are worried about a family member or friend, help exists for you too. GamAnon UK supports the people around a gambler, and the National Gambling Helpline advises concerned relatives as well as gamblers themselves. Do not take on their debts, and do not try to manage it alone.

If a licensed operator lets you down

Raise a complaint with the operator first. If it is not resolved within eight weeks, escalate free of charge to their alternative dispute resolution provider, which every UK licensed operator must name on its website. You can also report concerns to the Gambling Commission, which regulates them.