Responsible Gambling

Gambling should be entertainment. When it stops being that, it becomes a problem – and that line is easier to cross than most people expect. This page outlines the tools available to help you stay in control, how to recognise when gambling is becoming harmful, and where to find help if you need it.

We take responsible gambling seriously. We do not produce content designed to encourage excessive gambling, minimise risk, or target individuals showing signs of problem gambling behaviour.

Who This Page Is For

This page is relevant to anyone who gambles online or is considering doing so. You do not have to be in crisis for this information to be useful. The tools and practices described here are most effective when used from the start, before gambling becomes a problem.

If you are currently experiencing a gambling problem, or if gambling is causing harm to you or those around you, please scroll directly to the Support Resources section at the bottom of this page.

Understanding the Risk

All casino games have a house edge. This means that over a sufficient number of rounds, the casino will retain a portion of all money wagered. The RTP (Return to Player) figure represents the mathematical expectation of the player’s return, not a guarantee. A 97% RTP means the house retains 3 cents of every dollar wagered on average, across all players, over millions of rounds. It does not mean you will get back 97% of your stake in any given session.

No strategy, betting system, or pattern recognition can reliably overcome the house edge in casino games. Claims to the contrary are false.

High-volatility games – including most crash games – produce highly unpredictable outcomes in the short term. Large wins are possible. Extended losing streaks are equally possible. The pace of play in crash games means that losses can accumulate quickly without the player noticing the rate of spend.

Setting Limits Before You Play

The most effective responsible gambling practice is setting limits before a session begins – not after. Once you are playing, cognitive biases (including the gambler’s fallacy, loss aversion, and sunk-cost thinking) make it significantly harder to make rational decisions about stopping.

The limits worth setting include:

  • Deposit limits: Most licensed casinos allow you to set daily, weekly, or monthly deposit caps. These are applied by the casino at the account level and cannot be exceeded, even if you decide mid-session that you want to deposit more. Setting a deposit limit is the single most practical control available.
  • Session time limits: Set a maximum time per session, and use an alarm or timer to enforce it. Many casino apps allow session time reminders that appear on screen.
  • Loss limits: Decide in advance the maximum amount you are willing to lose in a session. Once that amount is reached, stop regardless of what the session looks like.
  • Single-bet limits: In crash games, the per-round bet size determines how quickly your bankroll moves. Setting a per-round maximum prevents individual rounds from becoming outsized relative to your total session budget.
  • Win limits: It is equally valid to set a target win and stop when you reach it. Walking away while ahead requires discipline but is a legitimate strategy.

Recognising Problem Gambling

Problem gambling does not always look like someone losing their savings in one night. It often develops gradually and is not recognised until significant harm has already occurred. The following signs suggest that gambling may be becoming or has already become a problem:

  • Spending more money than you planned regularly, not just occasionally
  • Borrowing money or using funds intended for other purposes (rent, bills, food) to gamble
  • Gambling to recover losses – chasing – rather than treating each session as independent
  • Thinking about gambling frequently when not playing, or feeling preoccupied with it
  • Feeling unable to stop once you have started, even when you intended to
  • Feeling distressed, irritable, or anxious when not gambling or when trying to cut down
  • Hiding gambling activity from family or friends, or lying about how much you gamble or lose
  • Gambling as a way to escape stress, anxiety, depression, or difficult situations
  • Neglecting work, relationships, or other responsibilities because of time or money spent on gambling

Experiencing one or two of these occasionally does not necessarily indicate a problem. Experiencing several of them regularly is a strong indicator that professional support would be beneficial.

Tools Available at Licensed Casinos

All online casinos holding MGA, UKGC, or equivalent licences are required to offer a range of responsible gambling tools. These tools are available in your casino account settings and can typically be activated immediately:

Self-exclusion: Blocks your access to a specific casino for a set period – typically ranging from 24 hours to permanent. Self-exclusion can often be set immediately but may have a delay before taking effect. It is designed to be difficult to reverse quickly to prevent impulsive reversal decisions.

National self-exclusion schemes: In some jurisdictions, you can self-exclude from multiple operators simultaneously:

  • UK: GAMSTOP (gamstop.co.uk) – applies across all UKGC-licensed operators
  • Sweden: Spelpaus (spelpaus.se)
  • Germany: OASIS (national exclusion system for licensed German operators)
  • Other markets: Check your national gambling regulator’s website

Deposit limits: Set at account level, typically effective immediately for reductions. Increases may have a cooling-off delay to prevent impulsive removal.

Reality checks: Notifications that appear at set intervals during play, reminding you of how long you have been playing and how much you have wagered.

Cool-off periods: Temporary account restrictions that prevent deposits or play for a defined period without full self-exclusion.

Account closure: You can close your account at any licensed casino at any time. Contact support directly if you cannot find this option in your account settings.

Protecting Vulnerable People

If you are concerned that someone in your household – including a child or a vulnerable adult – may be accessing gambling content or casino accounts, the following tools are available:

Parental control software: Tools such as Gamban (gamban.com), Net Nanny, or Bark can be configured to block access to gambling websites across shared or family devices.

Gamban: A dedicated gambling-blocking software that blocks gambling websites across all devices it is installed on. Available by subscription and often provided free to problem gamblers through support organisations.

Blocking your own access: Gamban and similar tools can also be used voluntarily by individuals who want a technical barrier as part of their self-exclusion strategy.

Talking to Someone

If you are uncomfortable using self-help tools alone, speaking to a professional or trained counsellor is a more effective option for many people. Gambling support services are confidential. You do not need to be in crisis to contact them — early intervention produces better outcomes than waiting until harm is severe.

Support Resources

The following organisations provide free, confidential support for gambling-related issues:

United Kingdom

  • GamCare: gamcare.org.uk | Helpline: 0808 802 0133 (24/7, free)
  • Gordon Moody: gordonmoody.org.uk (residential treatment programmes)
  • Gamblers Anonymous UK: gamblersanonymous.org.uk

United States

  • National Council on Problem Gambling: ncpgambling.org | Helpline: 1-800-522-4700 (24/7)
  • Gamblers Anonymous: gamblersanonymous.org

International

  • Gambling Therapy: gamblingtherapy.org (online support, available internationally)
  • Gamblers Anonymous International: ga.org

If you are outside these regions, contact your national gambling regulator or search for the name of your country followed by “gambling help” to find local services.

Our Commitment

We commit to the following in the production of content on this website:

  • We will not use language that minimises gambling risk, exaggerates win potential, or presents gambling as a source of income
  • We will not produce content specifically targeting individuals displaying problem gambling behaviours
  • We will include responsible gambling messaging on all game and casino review pages
  • We will link to this page and to external support resources across our content
  • We will not promote bonuses or offers to individuals who have self-excluded or set loss limits
  • We will review this page and our practices regularly and update both as standards evolve

If you have a concern about any content on this website from a responsible gambling perspective, please use the contact form available on this website.