Play responsibly

Gambling should be entertainment paid for out of money you can afford to lose. If it has become a way to make money, to recover money, or to stop feeling something, it has stopped being entertainment and the cost will keep rising.

How to recognise a problem

Warning signs include chasing losses, gambling with money meant for something else, hiding it, and gambling to escape low mood.

Chasing losses is the most reliable signal: the decision to keep going is no longer about the game but about getting back to even. Money meant for something else means rent, food, bills, debt payments or someone else’s money. Hiding it includes deleting history, lying about amounts, keeping separate accounts, and becoming evasive when asked. Gambling to escape low mood means you reach for it when you feel worst, not when you feel like playing.

One of these is worth paying attention to. Several together mean you should act now rather than after the next session.

What to do first

Stop depositing. Do not place one more bet to settle the account — that is chasing losses, and it is the mechanism that turns a bad week into a serious problem.

Then use the controls that exist. Deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion are offered by many licensed operators; using them is routine, not an admission. Set them while you are calm, because the point of a limit is that it binds the version of you who is not calm. Self-exclusion is the strongest of the three and the one to choose if limits have not held.

Tell one person. Hiding it is both a warning sign and the thing that keeps the problem running. A person who knows is a check that software cannot provide.

Where to get help

Free, confidential support is available. Check the scope before you contact a service, so you are not sent somewhere that cannot take you.

If you are in immediate crisis, contact a local emergency service or helpline.