Responsible Gambling

Gambling costs money on average. That is the design, not a malfunction, and it is why the only safe way to treat it is as entertainment you have budgeted for.

Warning signs worth taking seriously

• Depositing more than you decided to, or depositing again after telling yourself you had stopped.
• Chasing a loss with a larger stake to recover it.
• Gambling with money meant for rent, food, bills or debt.
• Borrowing to gamble, or hiding the extent of it from people close to you.
• Playing to escape stress or low mood rather than for entertainment.
• Feeling irritable or restless when you try to cut back.

One of these is worth noticing. Several together are worth acting on today.

Control tools that actually work

Set these before you need them, because the moment you need them is the moment you will not want to.

• Deposit limits. Daily, weekly or monthly. Reductions usually apply at once while increases carry a cooling-off delay, which is the point.
• Loss and session limits. A time limit is often more effective than a money limit, because sessions stretch before balances do.
• Reality checks. A periodic on-screen reminder of elapsed time and net position.
• Cooling-off. A short lock, typically 24 hours to six weeks.
• Self-exclusion. A long or permanent block. Use it if the shorter tools keep failing.
• Blocking software. Gamban and BetBlocker restrict gambling sites at device level, which covers operators you have no account with yet.

Provincial self-exclusion

Provincial programmes cover provincially regulated gambling in that province. In Ontario, self-exclude through OLG and, for the regulated online market, through the operators registered with iGaming Ontario. British Columbia runs its programme through BCLC, Alberta through AGLC, Quebec through Loto-Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces through Atlantic Lottery.

Be clear about the limit of this. A provincial self-exclusion does not automatically block offshore operators, which is exactly why device-level blocking software matters if you are excluding yourself in earnest.

Free and confidential help

• ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600, 24 hours, free and confidential.
• Problem Gambling Helpline, British Columbia 1-888-795-6111.
• Alberta Health Services addiction helpline 1-866-332-2322.
• Manitoba Addictions Helpline 1-855-662-6605.
• Quebec, Jeu: aide et reference 1-800-461-0140.
• Nova Scotia Gambling Support Network 1-888-347-8888.
• Gamblers Anonymous Canada for local meetings and online groups.

You must be 19 or over to gamble in Canada, or 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. If someone else's gambling is affecting you, the helplines above support families too, and you do not need the gambler's permission to call.