Responsible Gambling: Betting Within Your Limits
Betting is a form of risk-taking. Nothing on this site changes that.
Before you read anything else
Betting is for adults: 18 or over, or the legal age where you live. It is a form of risk-taking, not an investment and not a way to earn a living. No broker, exchange or method changes the arithmetic: most people who bet lose money over time. BF Gateway is an information site and does not take bets.
Warning signs
- Betting more than you planned, or more than you can afford to lose.
- Chasing losses, or betting to win back money.
- Borrowing, or using money meant for bills, food or rent.
- Hiding your betting from people close to you, or feeling anxious or irritable when you are not betting.
Tools that help
Ask your operator for deposit or loss limits, time-outs and self-exclusion. National self-exclusion schemes such as GAMSTOP in the UK cover operators licensed in that market, so an operator licensed elsewhere may not honour them: check the operator's own tools before you deposit.
Free, confidential help
Numbers and services change, so confirm them on the service's own website.
| Region | Service | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | National Gambling Helpline (GamCare), GambleAware, GAMSTOP | 0808 80 20 133; gambleaware.org; gamstop.co.uk |
| Ireland | GamblingCare.ie | 1800 936 725 |
| Australia | National Gambling Helpline, BetStop | 1800 858 858; betstop.gov.au |
| Canada (Ontario) | ConnexOntario | 1-866-531-2600 |
| United States | National Problem Gambling Helpline | 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) |
| Anywhere | Gambling Therapy (online support) | gamblingtherapy.org |
For family and friends
Gambling problems affect the people around the person who gambles. The services above also help relatives and friends.
Our approach
We do not promise profit, we do not suggest that betting solves financial problems, and we do not advise anyone to get round the law or an operator's rules. If betting stops being something you control, the services above are more useful than anything else on this site.