Responsible Gambling

Get urgent help in Australia

Help is open to you even when you are unsure whether your gambling is “serious enough”. You can act before another deposit, bet or gaming session:

• Call the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858. The service is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week across Australia.
• Use Gambling Help Online for free confidential counselling by live chat or phone. Support covers people affected by their own gambling and family or friends affected by someone else's gambling.
• If gambling has created debt, missed bills or financial hardship, contact the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 for free, confidential financial counselling.
• If you feel unable to stay safe or are thinking about suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14. If life is in immediate danger, call 000 now.

Do not wait to recover losses before asking for help. Stop gambling, move away from the device and contact one of these services while the decision to stop is clear.

Pause before playing

Do not gamble if you are upset, under pressure, intoxicated, exhausted or hoping gambling will solve a financial problem. Before starting, ask yourself:

• Am I gambling for entertainment rather than to recover losses or create income?
• Can I afford to lose the amount I plan to spend?
• Is this money separate from rent, mortgage payments, bills, food, transport, savings, debt repayments, education and medical care?
• Have I decided how much I will spend and when I will stop?
• Can I accept a loss without trying to win it back?
• Could I openly explain my planned time and spending limit to a trusted person?
• Have I recently gambled more often, for longer or with larger amounts than intended?
• Would taking a break feel difficult?

If these questions raise concern, do not play today. A pause is a practical decision, not a failure.

Set a money budget

Treat gambling spending as an entertainment cost. Decide the maximum amount you can lose before you begin, and regard it as spent as soon as it leaves your account. Use only discretionary money and keep it separate from funds needed for essentials.

Do not:

• Borrow money to gamble.
• Use credit, overdrafts, payday loans or someone else’s money.
• Sell possessions or withdraw savings to continue playing.
• Increase your budget because of a win or a loss.
• Use money intended for bills, debt repayments or other responsibilities.
• Deposit again because a promotion, countdown or previous result creates pressure.

Keep a simple record of deposits, withdrawals, losses and time spent. Leave winnings out of your next gambling budget unless you have made that decision away from the gambling session. If you cannot stay within your limit, stop rather than raising it and seek support.

A budget cannot guarantee that gambling will remain safe. It makes spending visible and provides a boundary to follow before emotions affect your decisions.

Set a time limit

Online gambling can make time less noticeable, especially when games are fast, accessible throughout the day or encourage repeated play. Set an end time before opening a game or account.

A separate timer can help players keep track. Take regular breaks away from the screen, avoid gambling when tired or late at night, and do not play when you have work, study or care responsibilities. End the session when the planned time is reached, even if you are winning.

Treat extra spins, rounds or bets offered through a promotion as optional. Read promotion conditions before accepting them, including wagering requirements, expiry periods, withdrawal restrictions and game contribution rules. Do not accept a promotion if its conditions could encourage spending beyond your budget or playing longer than planned. A bonus is not free money and does not reduce the risk of loss.

Avoid emotional play and chasing losses

For players, chasing losses means gambling more or taking greater risks to recover money already lost. It increases exposure to further loss rather than repairing the original result. Never treat a near miss, losing streak or previous win as a signal that a win is due.

Do not gamble when you are:

• Angry, anxious, lonely, depressed or distressed.
• Trying to distract yourself from a difficult situation.
• Celebrating and feeling unusually confident.
• Under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
• Responding to a recent loss or trying to recover money quickly.
• Feeling pressured by a promotion, countdown or limited-time offer.

If your emotions are changing your decisions, end the session. Move away from the device, take a break and do something unrelated to gambling. Do not make another deposit or bet while trying to settle an emotional reaction.

Recognise possible harm

Gambling-related harm can affect anyone. You do not need to meet a particular description before taking action. Warning signs include:

• Spending more money or time than intended.
• Repeatedly trying and failing to cut back.
• Thinking about gambling throughout the day or feeling restless when not playing.
• Hiding gambling, deposits, losses or transactions from family or friends.
• Borrowing money, missing payments or selling belongings because of gambling.
• Using money set aside for essentials.
• Chasing losses or increasing bets after losing.
• Gambling to manage stress, sadness, boredom or other difficult feelings.
• Neglecting work, study, relationships, health or personal responsibilities.
• Feeling guilt, regret, panic or conflict after gambling.
• Returning to gambling soon after deciding to stop.
• Needing larger amounts or longer sessions to experience the same excitement.
• Continuing despite financial, emotional or relationship consequences.

These signs are reasons to pause and seek help, not reasons for shame. Acting early can limit further damage.

Use account, payment and device boundaries

Some third-party gambling services provide deposit limits, loss limits, session reminders, time-outs, cooling-off periods, self-exclusion or account closure. Names, settings and activation times differ by service and location. Only the gambling service itself applies and administers its controls.

Before depositing, review the responsible-gambling settings offered by the service you intend to use. Ask the operator what each control does, when it takes effect, whether it can be changed during the selected period and whether it applies only to one account or service. Do not assume that a restriction applies across different operators or accounts.

Other practical controls include:

• Removing saved payment details from gambling accounts.
• Asking your bank or payment provider whether it offers gambling transaction blocks or merchant controls.
• Lowering transfer limits where appropriate.
• Using device-level app, website or screen-time restrictions.
• Installing blocking software that prevents access to gambling services.
• Keeping gambling applications off shared devices.
• Asking a trusted person to help manage access to money if control is slipping.

Payment and device controls support a decision to stop but cannot guarantee that harm will be prevented. More than one boundary may be needed.

Protect minors and shared devices

Gambling services are intended only for people who meet the applicable gambling age in their location. Do not allow minors to access gambling accounts, advertisements, payment methods or gambling-related devices. Do not ask a minor to place bets, create an account or handle gambling payments.

On a shared device:

• Log out after every session.
• Do not save passwords or payment details.
• Use separate device profiles when the device provides them.
• Enable appropriate parental controls.
• Keep account recovery codes private.
• Ensure that children cannot access gambling applications, websites or notifications.

Adults in the same household may also be affected by gambling harm. Avoid exposing others to account details, financial information or gambling activity without their knowledge.

Cooling-off, time-out, self-exclusion and closure

A cooling-off period or time-out creates a temporary break. Self-exclusion blocks or restricts gambling access for a longer period, while account closure ends the account through the gambling service's process. When gambling no longer feels under control, use the strongest restriction that matches the need rather than relying on willpower during an urge to play.

Take the self-exclusion action in this order:

1. Log out and stop deposits, bets and game play immediately.
2. Use the self-exclusion or account-closure process provided by the gambling service you use.
3. For Australian licensed online and phone wagering services, register with BetStop — the National Self-Exclusion Register. BetStop is free and allows exclusion from all providers in that category for a chosen period from 3 months up to a lifetime.
4. Treat BetStop as specific to its licensed wagering coverage. For a casino or gambling service outside that coverage, request self-exclusion directly from that service and ask Gambling Help Online about additional state or territory options.
5. Remove saved payment methods, apply bank or device blocks and tell a trusted person about the exclusion.
6. Call 1800 858 858 or use Gambling Help Online for support with maintaining the decision.

Players should remember that BetStop operates separately from provider-specific and state or territory self-exclusion programs. Registering with one program does not automatically enrol you in every other program, so use each restriction that applies to the services you want to stop using.

If control is slipping

Take these steps promptly:

1. Stop gambling and do not make another deposit or bet.
2. Close the gambling session and move away from the device.
3. Cancel or decline pending promotions where possible; do not continue playing to meet wagering conditions.
4. Remove saved payment methods and ask your bank or payment provider about the gambling transaction controls it offers.
5. Use the operator’s time-out, cooling-off, self-exclusion or closure process.
6. Tell one trusted person what is happening and ask them to help you stay away from gambling.
7. List urgent financial commitments and protect money needed for essentials.
8. Contact Gambling Help Online or call the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858. Add the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 when bills, debt or essential expenses are affected.

Do not try to recover losses before taking these steps. The priority is stopping further harm, not settling the account during an emotional moment.

If gambling has caused immediate danger, severe distress, threats or thoughts of self-harm, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14 now.

Stop immediately when a limit or safety boundary is crossed

Players should stop gambling immediately after exceeding a money or time limit, chasing a loss, borrowing or using essential funds, gambling while distressed or intoxicated, hiding activity or losses, continuing after trying to stop, or experiencing effects on bills, work, study, health or relationships. A trusted person’s concern or a feeling that you cannot control what happens next is also a reason to stop.

Players crossing a safety boundary should leave the gambling service, put the device out of immediate reach, block or remove access to payment methods, contact someone they trust and request an appropriate restriction from the relevant service. Then call 1800 858 858, use Gambling Help Online or speak with a qualified financial counsellor or health professional.

You can take a break or stop completely whether you are currently winning or losing. Acting early can protect your money, time, relationships and wellbeing.