Responsible gambling

Set a deposit limit before you start

Every licensed operator lets you set daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits in your account settings. Set one when you open the account, not after a bad run — decisions made while losing are the worst decisions you will make. Increases typically take effect only after a cooling-off period, which is the point.

Decide your limit as a share of money you would otherwise spend on entertainment, and treat it as spent the moment you deposit it.

Time-outs and self-exclusion

A time-out locks your account for a short period — usually 24 hours to six weeks. Self-exclusion is longer, typically six months to five years, and cannot be reversed early. Both are available directly in your account with any licensed operator.

To exclude yourself from every licensed operator at once rather than one at a time, use a national scheme. In the UK that is GAMSTOP, which covers all operators licensed by the Gambling Commission. Many countries run an equivalent.

You can also ask your bank to block gambling transactions. Most UK banks now offer this in-app, and the block usually has a delay before it can be lifted.

Warning signs

Gambling harm rarely arrives suddenly. These are the signs worth taking seriously, in yourself or in someone close to you:

• Betting more than you planned to, or more than you can comfortably lose.
• Chasing losses — increasing stakes to win back money you have already lost.
• Borrowing money, selling things, or using money meant for bills to bet.
• Lying to family or friends about how much you bet or how much you have lost.
• Feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut down or stop.
• Betting to escape stress, low mood, boredom or anxiety.
• Gambling interfering with work, study, sleep or relationships.
• Feeling you cannot stop even when you want to.

Recognising two or three of these is worth acting on. You do not need to hit a crisis before it is reasonable to ask for help.

Free, confidential help

• BeGambleAware — Free, confidential advice — 0808 8020 133
• GamCare — Support, counselling and the National Gambling Helpline
• GAMSTOP — Free self-exclusion from all UK-licensed gambling sites

These services are free, confidential, and independent of any operator or of this site. You do not need to have a diagnosed problem to contact them.

What this site does and does not do

We publish statistical opinion about football matches, and we keep a public record of it. We do not accept bets, hold funds, or process gambling transactions. Nothing here is a guarantee, a certainty, or financial advice, and no method — including ours — can remove risk from gambling.