Gambling should be something you choose to do for entertainment, with money you can afford to lose. This page explains how to keep it that way, the warning signs that it is becoming a problem, the tools that can help you take control, and where to find free, confidential support.
You must be 18 or over to gamble, or older where the law in your country sets a higher age. CasinoKix does not promote gambling to anyone under the legal age. If you share a device with children, use parental controls so they cannot reach gambling sites.
Simple rules for gambling responsibly
- Set a budget before you start and treat it as the cost of your entertainment. Never use money meant for rent, bills, food or debt repayments.
- Set a time limit and stop when it runs out, whether you are winning or losing.
- Expect to lose. Casino games are built so that the house has an edge over time. Winning is luck, not a way to make money.
- Never chase losses. Trying to win back what you have lost usually leads to bigger losses.
- Do not gamble when you are stressed, upset, lonely or have been drinking. These are the moments when it is hardest to stick to your limits.
- Take regular breaks and keep gambling as one activity among many, not the main one.
- Never borrow money to gamble, and do not use credit to fund your play.
Warning signs of a gambling problem
Gambling problems can develop slowly, and they can affect anyone. Ask yourself honestly whether any of these apply to you:
- You spend more money or time gambling than you planned to.
- You need to gamble with larger amounts to get the same excitement.
- You try to win back money you have lost.
- You borrow money, sell belongings or miss bills because of gambling.
- You hide your gambling from family or friends, or lie about how much you spend.
- You feel anxious, irritable or low when you try to cut down or stop.
- Gambling is causing arguments or affecting your work, studies or relationships.
- You think about gambling most of the time, even when you are not playing.
If one or more of these sounds familiar, it is a good time to pause and talk to someone. If you want a more structured check, many support services use a short questionnaire called the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), and online self-assessments based on it, such as the one from BeGambleAware, take only a few minutes. The organisations listed below offer free, confidential help, and you do not need to be in crisis to contact them.
Licensed casinos offer tools that let you set limits on your own play. You will usually find them in the account settings, under a heading such as “Responsible gaming” or “Safer gambling”.
- Deposit limits: cap how much you can deposit per day, week or month. Lowering a limit normally takes effect straight away, while raising it usually involves a waiting period.
- Loss and wager limits: cap how much you can lose or stake over a set period.
- Session time limits and reality checks: get a reminder, or be logged out, after a set amount of time.
- Time-outs: take a short break from your account, from a day to several weeks.
- Self-exclusion: close your account for a longer period, usually at least six months. While self-excluded, you should not be able to reopen the account or receive marketing.
If a casino does not offer these tools, or makes them hard to find, consider that a warning sign about the casino itself.
Self-exclusion schemes
A self-exclusion with one casino only covers that casino. National schemes let you block yourself from every licensed gambling site in a country in one step.
- United Kingdom: GamStop is a free service that blocks you from all online gambling sites licensed in Great Britain for six months, one year or five years.
- Sweden: Spelpaus, run by the Swedish Gambling Authority, covers all gambling companies licensed in Sweden.
- Germany: OASIS, the national player blocking system, covers licensed online and land-based gambling.
- Netherlands: CRUKS, the central register run by the Kansspelautoriteit, covers all licensed providers.
- Denmark: ROFUS, run by the Danish Gambling Authority, covers all licensed gambling in Denmark.
- Spain: the RGIAJ register, run by the DGOJ, covers licensed operators in Spain.
Casinos licensed outside your country are not connected to your national scheme. If you have self-excluded, do not look for sites that sit outside it, and never use a VPN to get around a block. It undoes the protection you chose and can leave you without any route to complain.
You can add another layer of protection with blocking software such as Gamban or BetBlocker, which stop gambling sites from loading on your devices. Many banks also let you block gambling payments on your card through their app.
Where to get help
These organisations offer free and confidential support to anyone affected by gambling, including family and friends.
- GamCare runs the National Gambling Helpline for England and Scotland on 0808 8020 133, free and open 24 hours a day, plus live chat at gamcare.org.uk. In Wales, the NHS Wales helpline is 0808 2819 265.
- BeGambleAware (begambleaware.org) offers self-assessment tools and information about support services in Great Britain.
- Gamblers Anonymous runs free peer support meetings in many countries. Find a meeting at gamblersanonymous.org or, in the UK, gamblersanonymous.org.uk.
- Gambling Therapy (gamblingtherapy.org) provides free online support and advice in several languages for people anywhere in the world.
If you live outside the UK, your national gambling regulator’s website usually lists local helplines and treatment services. Some national helplines: in Germany, the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) runs a free helpline on 0800 1 37 27 00; in Sweden, Stödlinjen can be reached on 020-81 91 00; in Finland, Peluuri answers on 0800 100 101; and in Denmark, StopSpillet is on 70 22 28 25. Opening hours vary, so check the organisation’s website if you cannot get through.
Helping someone else
If you are worried about a partner, relative or friend, you can contact the services above for advice, even if the person who gambles does not want help yet. Talk to them calmly, avoid blame, and try not to pay off their gambling debts, as that can make it easier for the problem to continue.
How CasinoKix approaches responsible gambling
Our reviews check whether a casino offers deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, and we take that into account in its score. A casino we cannot match to an active licence on the official register is not listed in our rankings, and its review carries a warning. We never publish advice on getting around self-exclusion or country blocks. You can read more in how we review and rate casinos. If you have a concern about a casino listed on CasinoKix, please contact us.
Alina Silva runs the content team at CasinoKix. She writes and updates our casino reviews and player guides, with a focus on what European players need to know before they sign up: who actually runs the casino, which licence it holds, and what the bonus and withdrawal terms really say. Every review follows the same method, so licences are checked on the regulator’s own register and the company in the casino’s terms is matched against the licence holder. Spotted something out of date? Email alina (at) casinokix.io with the page link and she’ll take a look.
