Staying in control

Deciding your limits before you play

A limit only works if you set it before there is anything to win back. Decide what you can afford to spend on entertainment this week, treat that amount as already spent, and keep it separate from rent, bills, groceries and savings. If the figure you have in mind would hurt to lose, it is too high.

The same applies to time. Choose how long a session will run and what you will do when it ends, and set a reminder rather than relying on noticing the clock. A deposit limit set in advance with our partner is more reliable than a decision made mid-session, and a session limit is easier to keep when you have already decided what happens afterwards.

Spotting the urge to win it back

Chasing is the belief that a bigger bet or a longer session will recover what has already gone. In practice it usually means raising stakes, adding deposits you had not planned, or telling yourself you will stop once you are back to even. Because each spin is independent, nothing about the previous result makes a win more likely, and the return figure quoted for a game is a long-run average, not a promise for your session.

Warning signs worth taking seriously: playing past the time you set, depositing again after deciding not to, hiding your spending from people close to you, borrowing to keep playing, or feeling restless and irritable when you cannot play. If you recognise yourself in that list, the useful step is to stop and talk to someone rather than to try harder to win it back.

Tools on the site and where to get help

Our partner's cashier allows you to set deposit limits and to close your account, and you can ask for those settings before you play rather than after a bad session. A limit you have chosen yourself is easier to keep than one you negotiate with yourself while a game is open. If you want to stop entirely, closing the account is a legitimate option and does not need to wait for a crisis.

Outside the site, support in Australia is free and confidential through Gambling Help Online, and BetStop is the national self-exclusion register, which lets you block yourself from gambling services for a period you choose. Registration is available to anyone, and it applies across participating operators rather than to a single site. This page is closed to readers under 18.

Can I set a limit after I have already started playing?

Yes, and you can do it at any point through our partner's cashier rather than waiting for the next session. Setting it before you play is still the easier option, because a decision made mid-session is the one most likely to be argued with.

Does self-exclusion cover every operator or just one?

BetStop is the national register and covers participating gambling services, so it is not tied to a single site. If you also want to close your account with our partner, that is a separate request made directly to them.