Betting should cost about what a night out costs, and feel about the same. When it starts doing something else — chasing, hiding, borrowing — the tools on this page exist to stop it, and they work whether or not you feel ready to use them.
Tools in your account
Every one of these is self-service in Account Settings → Responsible Gaming. Reductions and stops apply immediately. Increases carry a deliberate waiting period, so a decision made in a bad moment cannot be reversed in the same one.
- Deposit limits — a cap per day, week or month. Once it is reached, no further deposit goes through until the period resets.
- Loss limits — a ceiling on net losses across a period you choose.
- Session reminders — a message telling you how long you have been logged in and where you stand.
- Cooling-off — lock the account for anything from 24 hours to 6 weeks. Nothing is deleted; you simply cannot bet.
- Self-exclusion — 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or permanent. Neither you nor support can lift it early, and marketing stops with it.
If you want to stop, lean on self-exclusion rather than willpower. It is built to hold on the night when willpower does not.
Signs worth taking seriously
- Betting more than you intended, and more often than you intended.
- Chasing losses — raising stakes to win back what has gone.
- Gambling with money set aside for rent, bills, food or school fees.
- Borrowing, selling possessions, or taking credit to fund play.
- Hiding how much you bet, or lying about it to those close to you.
- Betting to escape stress, low mood or boredom rather than to be entertained.
- Feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut down.
- Missing work, study or family commitments as a result.
Any one of these on its own is a signal. Several at once mean it is time to use the tools above and speak to someone.
Practical habits
- Decide on the amount before you start, and treat it as spent the moment you deposit.
- Set a deposit limit now, while it is easy, rather than in the middle of a losing run.
- Keep a clock in sight; sessions run longer than they feel.
- Never bet to win back a loss. The loss has already happened.
- Do not gamble while drinking, or when you are angry, anxious or exhausted.
- Take proper breaks — days, not minutes.
Protecting people under 18
Accounts are strictly 18+, and identity verification enforces that. If you share a device with children or teenagers, use device-level parental controls and blocking software, and never leave your password where it can be found.
Getting help
Help exists, and it is free. In India, the Tele-MANAS mental health helpline runs on 14416, 24 hours a day in multiple languages, and can refer you onward for addiction support. Gamblers Anonymous holds meetings in several Indian cities and online, while organisations such as GamCare and Gambling Therapy offer free counselling and forums internationally.
Blocking software — Gamban, BetBlocker and the like — shuts off access to gambling sites across all your devices, and is worth installing alongside self-exclusion rather than instead of it.
If you are worried about someone else, those same helplines will talk to you. You do not have to be the one betting to ask for advice.