1. Responsible Entertainment
Gambling should be approached as paid entertainment with an uncertain outcome, not as a way to earn income, solve financial problems or recover previous spending. A responsible visit begins with a clear plan made before entering a venue.
The purpose of this page is to help adults think about time, money, emotions and practical boundaries. The guidance is general and should be adapted to personal circumstances.
A person who feels unable to follow a limit, is borrowing to gamble or is experiencing distress should stop and seek support from a qualified, independently verified service.
2. Adults-Only Access
Gambling venues are age-restricted environments. Visitors should be at least 18 years old and should carry official identification where required.
Parents and guardians should avoid sharing access, accounts, devices or gambling-related funds with minors. Conversations about gambling should be realistic and should not present winning as common or predictable.
A venue’s age and entry rules may be stricter than the general minimum and should be checked before travel.
3. Set a Spending Limit
Choose a fixed entertainment amount that can be lost without affecting daily life. The amount should be decided before the visit, not in response to what happens at a machine.
A practical limit is separate from rent, utilities, food, transport, healthcare, education, debt payments, savings and money shared with another person.
- Decide the amount in advance.
- Carry only the planned amount or use a separate entertainment balance.
- Do not increase the limit during the visit.
- Record the total spent honestly.
- Leave when the planned amount is reached.
4. Set a Time Limit
Time can pass quickly in a gaming environment. Set an arrival time, a departure time and one or more break points before entering.
Use a phone alarm, watch or written plan rather than relying on how long the visit feels. Avoid removing or postponing reminders once gambling has started.
A planned return journey makes the departure time easier to follow. Check public transport, taxi availability, parking and travel conditions in advance.
5. Take Regular Breaks
Breaks create distance from the immediate pace of play and make it easier to review spending, time and mood. Step away from machines, move to a quieter area, drink water and check the original plan.
A break should be long enough to reset attention. Switching immediately from one machine to another is not the same as stepping away.
If a break reveals frustration, urgency or a desire to recover losses, the safest choice is to end the visit.
6. Keep Essential Money Protected
Entertainment spending should come only from disposable funds. Essential money should remain unavailable for gambling during the visit.
Avoid carrying additional cards, credit facilities or easy access to savings when this could weaken a planned boundary.
Household finances should be transparent where spending affects a partner or family. Hiding transactions is an important warning sign.
7. Avoid Borrowed Money
Borrowing changes an entertainment activity into a debt obligation. Do not use loans, credit intended for necessities, cash advances or money borrowed from friends and family to continue gambling.
Do not lend money to another person for gambling. Offering transport home, food or help contacting support is safer than providing funds.
If gambling has already created debt, stop gambling and seek qualified financial guidance before making further spending decisions.
8. Do Not Chase Losses
Loss chasing means increasing spending, raising stakes or extending time in an attempt to recover earlier losses. It can quickly move a visit beyond the original plan.
Past outcomes do not create a debt that a machine must repay. Each outcome remains uncertain, and additional spending can produce additional loss.
Treat the spending limit as the final cost of entertainment for that visit. When it is reached, leave regardless of what happened earlier.
9. Understand Random Outcomes
Physical slot machines are designed around uncertain outcomes. Visual patterns, recent results, machine location, personal rituals and the amount already spent do not provide a reliable prediction of the next outcome.
A near miss can feel meaningful but should not be interpreted as evidence that a win is due. Taking this feeling as a signal to continue can weaken a spending limit.
No strategy can guarantee a result. The safest planning assumption is that the full entertainment budget may be spent.
10. Check Your Emotional State
Avoid gambling when angry, distressed, lonely, exhausted, grieving or under strong pressure. Gambling can temporarily distract from difficult feelings without resolving the underlying problem.
Alcohol or other substances can reduce judgement and make time or spending limits harder to follow.
Pause the visit if your decisions feel urgent, secretive or driven by a need to change your mood.
11. Warning Signs
A single sign does not define a person, but repeated or worsening signs deserve attention.
- Spending more than planned.
- Staying longer than intended.
- Thinking about gambling throughout the day.
- Hiding visits, transactions or losses.
- Borrowing money or selling possessions.
- Missing work, study, family or financial responsibilities.
- Returning quickly to recover a loss.
- Feeling restless or anxious when unable to gamble.
- Needing to spend more to achieve the same excitement.
- Trying to stop repeatedly and finding it difficult.
12. Personal Self-Check
Regular self-checks can identify a change before harm becomes severe. Answer the questions honestly and consider discussing the answers with someone trusted.
- Am I keeping to the amount I planned?
- Am I leaving at the planned time?
- Have I used money intended for essentials?
- Have I hidden the visit or spending?
- Am I borrowing or using credit?
- Am I gambling to escape stress or sadness?
- Am I trying to win back previous losses?
- Has gambling affected sleep, work or relationships?
- Would someone close to me be concerned?
- Can I take a complete break without anxiety?
Several concerning answers are a strong reason to stop and seek qualified support.
13. Practical Limit Tools
Different venues may offer practical tools such as cooling-off periods, spending information, account restrictions, time reminders or self-exclusion. Availability and procedures vary.
Ask for written information and keep a copy of any request. Confirm how long a limit lasts, what areas or services it covers and how re-entry is handled.
Personal tools such as bank transaction controls, reduced cash access, calendar reminders and support from a trusted person can reinforce venue-based limits.
14. Self-Exclusion
Self-exclusion is a formal step in which a person asks to be prevented from accessing specified gambling services or venues for a defined or indefinite period.
A person considering self-exclusion should contact the relevant venue or verified public authority for the current process. Procedures may require identification and may apply only to certain locations.
Self-exclusion works best when combined with financial barriers, removal of promotional messages, support from trusted people and qualified professional help.
15. Digital and Communication Boundaries
Promotional messages, social posts and venue notifications can trigger an unplanned visit. Unsubscribe, mute or block communications that make limits harder to maintain.
Remove saved directions, payment shortcuts or calendar reminders connected to impulsive visits. Ask a trusted person to help review device and account settings if needed.
Avoid online content that presents gambling as a reliable source of income or encourages loss chasing.
16. Financial Wellbeing
Financial harm can include missed bills, debt, depleted savings, hidden transactions and conflict over shared money. These effects should be addressed directly rather than through further gambling.
Create a complete list of essential payments, debts and available income. Prioritise housing, food, utilities, healthcare and transport. Stop access to new gambling funds while a recovery plan is being made.
A qualified financial counsellor or adviser can help organise debts and communicate with creditors. Choose a service whose credentials and fees can be independently verified.
17. Guidance for Family and Friends
Choose a calm time to talk and describe specific observations without insults or threats. Focus on the impact on wellbeing, responsibilities and shared finances.
Do not provide cash to replace gambling losses or repeatedly cover debts without a wider safety plan. Protect joint accounts, important documents and household expenses.
Offer practical help such as attending an appointment, arranging transport, reviewing blocking tools or helping identify verified support. Maintain boundaries that protect your own wellbeing.
18. Work, Study and Daily Responsibilities
Gambling should not interfere with attendance, concentration, deadlines, childcare, sleep or safety-sensitive work.
Repeated absence, borrowing from colleagues, using work devices for gambling-related activity or hiding financial stress can indicate a growing problem.
Where available, confidential employee assistance, student support or occupational health services may provide an initial route to qualified help.
19. Seeking Qualified Support
Seek support when limits are repeatedly broken, gambling is hidden, money is borrowed, relationships are affected or stopping feels difficult. Early support can reduce financial and emotional harm.
Use independently verified public health information, licensed mental health professionals, qualified financial advisers or official responsible gaming services applicable to your location. Check the provider’s credentials, privacy practices and any fees before sharing sensitive information.
A support plan may include counselling, financial controls, self-exclusion, help from family, treatment for related mental health concerns and regular follow-up.
20. Urgent Safety
Severe financial stress and loss of control can be associated with crisis, panic or thoughts of self-harm. Treat any immediate risk as an emergency.
Contact the official emergency service for the person’s current location or go to the nearest emergency department. Stay with the person where it is safe to do so and remove immediate access to means of harm.
Do not rely on a website contact form for urgent assistance.
21. A Simple Visit Plan
- Choose a venue and verify current entry details.
- Set a fixed entertainment budget.
- Set an arrival and departure time.
- Arrange the return journey.
- Carry only the money and payment access needed for the plan.
- Take a break at a scheduled time.
- Stop immediately if the limit is reached or the visit becomes emotionally uncomfortable.
- Record the final time and spending honestly.
A plan is useful only when it is followed. Changing the plan during the visit should be treated as a sign to leave rather than a reason to continue.
22. Contact and Corrections
Questions or corrections about this page may be sent to [email protected]. General website correspondence is not a substitute for medical, crisis, legal or financial assistance.
When requesting support, use a verified service that is appropriate to the person’s location and needs. Avoid sharing sensitive information with an organisation whose identity or credentials cannot be confirmed.