Responsible Gambling
We review online casinos and bookies only. We do not operate games, hold money, or take bets. This page looks at how to manage sports and casino betting, how to recognize the early signs of a problem, and where to get free assistance.
Access to online casinos and sports betting is only available to adults. In order to register with any of the operators listed on this site, you must be 18 or the higher minimum age required in your country.
How We Approach Responsible Gambling
Player protection is integral to our reviews:
- Each site is assessed on the presence of time-out, self-exclusion, deposit limits, comprehensive transaction history and responsible gambling tools.
- Bonus conditions are read in full, and the stake, expiry date, and wagering requirements are made apparent to the player so the cost of any bonus is clear.
- No promotion or offer is presented as a solution to financial difficulties, and gambling is never presented as a way of making money.
- No content is aimed at under-18s.
Basic Rules for Safer Betting
- Always treat deposits as money spent. Only gamble with the money remaining after bills, food, rent, and savings.
- Set a limit prior to logging in. Choose a weekly or monthly amount and do not exceed it.
- Do not borrow money, use credit, or sell possessions to gamble.
- Do not try to win back losses by increasing your stakes. This often results in a greater loss.
- Impose a time limit on your gambling and take regular intermissions.
- Do not gamble when tired, drunk, upset, stressed, or in any condition where you are likely to make poor decisions.
- Read the terms and conditions relating to any bonus prior to signing up. High wagering requirements can result in your balance being held for several weeks.
Tools Available at Licensed Operators
Many casinos and licensed bookies provide some or all of the following tools within customer service or account options. Please set these up at registration and not after a session of problem play.
- Deposit limits – allow the user to limit their daily, weekly, or monthly deposits.
- Wager limits – allow the user to limit the amount they can bet over a given period.
- Loss limits – allow the user to limit the amount they can lose over a given period.
- Reality checks – provide intermittent pop-ups that display the amount of time the user has played and the amount won/lost to date.
- Time-out – restricts access to the site and/or deposits for a set period of time, ranging from 24 hours to several weeks.
- Self-exclusion – removes the user from the site and/or deposits for a set period of time, ranging from several months to several years. Not all sites allow it to be lifted early.
- Play history – allows the user to download a copy of their transactions and bets and thus provides some control over actual expenditures.
If a site does not provide any of the above options, then this should be a red flag and a search for another site should be made.
Self-Check: Is Betting Becoming a Problem?
Please answer the following questions truthfully.
- Do you ever bet more than you intend or can actually afford to lose?
- Do you need larger bets to get the same high?
- Do you try to win back losses straight away?
- Have you missed a payment or got into debt because of betting?
- Do you conceal the amount you bet from friends and/or family?
- Do you feel anxious or irritable when attempting to cut down on betting?
- Has betting impacted your studies, relationships, sleep, work or any other area of your life?
- Do you use betting as a way to escape from poor mental health or stress?
- Have you attempted to stop and failed?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then it is important that you take a step back and examine your betting behavior. If you answered “yes” to more than a few of these questions, then you should consider using the methods listed above and contacting a help service.
What to Do If You Need to Stop
- Self-exclude at every operator where you hold an account, not only your main one.
- Install a blocking app on your phone and computer to cut access to gambling sites and apps.
- Ask your bank whether it offers a gambling transaction block on your card. Many banks now do.
- Tell someone you trust. Sharing the problem makes it easier to stick to a plan.
- Contact a support service. The organizations listed below are free and confidential.
Protecting Minors
If children have access to your devices:
- Keep account logins and payment details private, and do not save passwords in a shared browser.
- Turn on the built-in parental controls on Android (Google Family Link) and iOS (Screen Time) to restrict apps and websites.
- Log out of betting accounts after every session.
- Use filtering software to block gambling sites on family devices.
Free Help and Support
- The National Gambling Helpline for Great Britain is run by GamCare. You can call 0808 8020 133 or access the service via live chat on gamcare.org.uk all year round, 24/7. Calls from landlines and mobiles in the UK are free.
- Gambling Therapy is a free service run by the UK charity Gordon Moody for users outside of Great Britain. The service provides email support, text chat, forums and a local services locator, available in over 250 languages.
- Gamblers Anonymous provides free peer-supported meetings both in person and online across many countries.
- BetBlocker is a free blocking service provided by a UK charity. BetBlocker is available across Linux, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. There is no registration required, and users can choose to block for a few hours or several years.
Outside of the UK, there are ways to get treatment for gambling. Your doctor or local healthcare service may be able to connect you to treatment. If you think you are in imminent danger or feel overwhelmed in relation to gambling, please contact your local emergency service or mental health service immediately.
Report a Concern
If an operator we list ignores limit requests, reopens a self-excluded account, or markets to minors, tell us through our contact page. We check every report and take it into account when we update our ratings.
