Safer Gambling

There are a number of organisations that offer free, confidential advice and support to anyone gambling to harmful levels.

In the United Kingdom, BeGambleAware, GamCare, Gambling Therapy, Gamblers Anonymous, Gordon Moody, National Debtline and the National Problem Gambling Clinic all offer practical advice on gambling responsibly and managing problem gambling.

In the USA organisations like National Council on Problem Gambling, American Addiction Centers and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration all offer similar assistance.

Your account information will provide details of how much you have spent, won and lost at a particular betting site. If you have accounts with multiple sites, you should create your own diary and record your winnings and losses on an ongoing basis. Download a budget calculator, work out how much you can afford to lose and never exceed it.

You can choose to self-exclude yourself from the websites, betting shops and casinos you tend to visit. These operators are then obliged to stop sending you marketing materials, and to take reasonable steps to prevent you from circumventing the self-exclusion. Many of them sign up to multi-operator self-exclusion schemes like GAMSTOP in the UK, which allows you to exclude yourself for six months, one year or five years.

Consider using software like Net Nanny (UK), Cyber Sitter (UK), Kidlogger (USA) and Qustodio (USA) to protect your children from adult or inappropriate content.

Always log out of betting sites when you are finished, and do not leave your children near devices while a betting site is running. Educate them about the dangers of underage gambling and limit the amount of time they spend online, while regularly monitoring the content they are accessing.

Betting to a degree that compromises, disrupts or damages family, personal or recreational pursuits. It often entails betting beyond your means and sometimes feeling an uncontrollable impulse to gamble. People suffering from gambling problems often become increasingly preoccupied with betting and display behavioural changes like anxiety, depression, irritability and anger.