Ответственная игра

Gambling is entertainment with a cost, not a way to make money. The house holds a mathematical edge on every game, over any length of time. Over enough play, the expected outcome of every casino game is a loss — that is how the industry is designed to work, and no strategy, system or streak changes it.

You must be at least 18, or the legal age where you live, whichever is higher. Never gamble money you cannot afford to lose. Never borrow to gamble. Never gamble to win back what you have lost.

Rules worth setting before you start

• Decide your budget before you deposit, and treat it as spent the moment you do.
• Set a time limit as well as a money limit — sessions stretch without one.
• Never gamble while drinking, upset, bored or trying to solve a money problem.
• Do not treat a win as a bankroll. Withdraw it.
• Keep gambling money separate from money you need for anything else.

Signs to take seriously

• Playing for longer or with more money than you planned.
• Chasing losses, or gambling to escape stress, anxiety or low mood.
• Borrowing money to gamble, selling things, or using money meant for bills.
• Hiding your gambling, or lying about how much you play or lose.
• Gambling getting in the way of work, study, sleep or relationships.
• Feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut down.
• Believing a win is "due", or that you can win it back if you keep going.

If several of these are familiar, please talk to one of the free, independent services below. They are confidential, they are not connected to any casino, and they are not connected to us.

Tools every casino should offer — and how to use them

These are yours to use at any time, and a good operator makes them easy to find:

• Deposit limits — daily, weekly or monthly caps. Increases should take effect only after a cooling-off delay; decreases should be immediate.
• Loss and wager limits — caps on what you can lose or stake in a period.
• Session and time limits — an automatic end to play.
• Reality checks — a periodic reminder of how long you have played and how much you are down.
• Time-out / cool-off — a short lock, typically 24 hours to six weeks.
• Self-exclusion — a long or permanent block that the operator must honour.

We record which of these each brand actually provides, and say so in our reviews. Where an operator offers only self-exclusion and nothing else, we count that against it.

National self-exclusion schemes

Several countries run a single register that blocks you across every licensed operator at once, which is far more effective than excluding site by site:

• United Kingdom — GAMSTOP
• Sweden — Spelpaus
• Denmark — ROFUS
• Netherlands — CRUKS
• Germany — OASIS
• Belgium — EPIS
• Spain — RGIAJ
• Australia — BetStop

Casinos licensed outside your country are usually not connected to these registers. If you are excluding yourself, blocking software and a conversation with your bank about gambling blocks will do more than an offshore operator's own settings.

Blocking software

Gamban, GamBlock and BetBlocker restrict access to gambling sites across your devices. BetBlocker is free. Many banks — particularly in the UK, Ireland and Australia — can also block gambling transactions on your card at your request.

Where to get help

• BeGambleAware — free, confidential advice and a national helpline.
• GamCare — support, live chat and a 24/7 helpline.
• Gambling Therapy — free support in many languages, worldwide.
• Gamblers Anonymous — peer support meetings, in person and online.
• Gam-Anon — support for family and friends.

If you are in immediate crisis, or thinking about harming yourself, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis line in your country now rather than waiting.

Protecting people under 18

Gambling is illegal for minors everywhere we operate. If children use your devices, parental control software — Net Nanny, Qustodio, Microsoft Family Safety, Apple Screen Time — can block gambling sites, and every device sharing a household account should be covered.

Our own position

We are paid by casinos when readers sign up through our links, which is set out in full on our affiliate disclosure page. That is exactly why this page exists in the form it does: you should read our reviews knowing both how we are funded and what the real risks are. We would rather you never deposited than deposited money you needed.