Responsible Gambling

Free, confidential help

If gambling is worrying you or someone close to you, you do not have to work it out alone. Gambling Help Online is a national service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 1800 858 858 or use the web chat and email support at gamblinghelponline.org.au. It is free, confidential and open to anyone affected, including family members and friends. Counsellors can talk through what is happening, help you set goals and connect you with face-to-face services in your state.

BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register, lets you exclude yourself from all Australian licensed online and phone wagering providers in one step, for a period from three months up to a lifetime. It is free and run by the federal government regulator. BetStop does not cover offshore casinos, so if you also play pokies on offshore sites, use each site's own self-exclusion and cooling-off tools as well.

Signs that play is becoming a problem

Problem gambling rarely starts with a single bad night. It tends to creep up through habits that seem small at the time. Ask yourself honestly whether any of these sound familiar.

• Spending more money or time on pokies than you planned, more often than not.
• Chasing losses: depositing again to win back what you have lost.
• Reversing withdrawals so you can keep playing.
• Borrowing money, using bill money or selling things to gamble.
• Feeling restless, irritable or low when you try to cut back.
• Hiding how much you play from family or friends.
• Gambling to escape stress, boredom or difficult feelings.

One or two of these from time to time is a signal to take a break. Several of them, regularly, is a reason to talk to Gambling Help Online.

Tools that keep play in check

Every casino we review offers account tools, and using them before you need them is the most effective step you can take.

1. Deposit limits: set a daily, weekly or monthly maximum in your account settings before your first deposit.
2. Loss and session limits: cap how much you can lose and how long you can play in one sitting.
3. Reality checks: turn on pop-up reminders that show how long you have been playing.
4. Cooling-off: take a short break of a day to several weeks when you need distance.
5. Self-exclusion: close your account for a longer period; ask support to apply it across any sister sites.

Outside the casino, your bank may let you block gambling transactions on your cards, and blocking software can stop gambling sites loading on your devices. Remove saved card details and turn off casino notifications on your phone.

Habits for safer play

Treat pokies as a paid night out, not as a way to make money. Decide on a budget you can afford to lose before you start, and stop when it is gone. Set a time limit too; online pokies are fast, and an hour can pass in what feels like minutes. Withdraw part of any win straight away. Avoid playing when you are upset, tired or have been drinking. And remember that every spin is independent: there is no such thing as a pokie that is due to pay.

Bonuses deserve caution. Wagering requirements encourage you to keep playing to unlock the money, so only take a bonus if you would have played that amount anyway.

The law in brief

Online gambling in Australia is regulated by the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. It allows licensed online wagering on sports and racing, and it does not allow online casino games, including pokies, to be offered to people in Australia. The Act is aimed at operators, not players. Because offshore casinos sit outside Australian licensing, the protections that apply to licensed wagering, including BetStop, do not apply to them. Our guide to Australian online pokies covers the legal background in more detail.

You must be 18 or older to gamble in Australia.