Staying Within Limits: A Statement for Readers

Control over gambling is easiest to keep while it is still a choice. This statement is arranged as four levels of escalation, so that a reader can find the one that matches the present situation and move up a level when the situation does not improve. Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over, and the money used is money that can be lost.

1. Level one: checking the habit

1.1 Questions to ask

Is play lasting longer than planned? Is spending moving past the ceiling that was set? Is a bad result followed by a return to win it back? Is the amount being hidden from others? A yes to any one is reason to move to level two.

1.2 Feelings that count as signals

Restlessness when not playing, a mind occupied by the next session and play used to escape a low mood belong with the questions above.

2. Level two: limits that work without willpower

2.1 A spending ceiling

A single sum is fixed before the session as the most that play may cost over a defined period. It is not topped up from borrowed funds or from later deposits, and it stays where it is whatever the session produces.

2.2 Tools at the casino

V1 Casino lists deposit limits, loss limits, session reminders and time-outs among its account settings. A limit set before the first deposit works better than one set after a bad run. A lower limit normally takes effect at once, whereas a higher one normally waits for a cooling-off period.

2.3 Tools outside the casino

Many Australian banks can block gambling transactions on a card or account, and a branch or app will explain how. Blocking software and app restrictions do the same on a phone or computer. Devices that hold a gambling account are locked with a passcode, and card details are never stored where a minor could reach them.

2.4 Time as a limit

A session length chosen in advance and tied to an alarm on the phone stops time passing unnoticed. When the alarm sounds, the session ends and the casino is closed, not left open in another tab.

2.5 Keeping records

A note of the sums deposited and withdrawn each month shows the true cost of play more reliably than memory does. If the figure is higher than the budget, level three is the next step.

2.6 Signs that level two is not enough

Limits raised repeatedly, limits removed soon after being set, or a second account opened to get round a limit mean that the controls are being worked against. That is the point at which level three applies.

3. Level three: stepping away

3.1 Time-out

A time-out suspends access for a chosen period. It suits play that has become driven by frustration.

3.2 Closing the account

Closure ends the relationship with the casino. It is requested through the account settings or through support, and saved cards and the home-screen shortcut are removed afterwards.

3.3 Longer exclusion

Where the casino’s own periods are too short, a longer exclusion can be requested from support in writing. Australia also keeps BetStop, the national self-exclusion register for Australian-licensed wagering providers, which is a separate service from any overseas casino.

3.4 Returning

A return after a break begins with the budget and limits already in place. If the reasons for stopping have not changed, the break continues.

4. Level four: talking to someone

4.1 National services

The National Gambling Helpline, 1800 858 858, gives free, confidential counselling at any hour on every day of the year. Gambling Help Online offers web chat and email support. Both are independent of any casino, and a caller need not give a name.

4.2 What a call involves

A counsellor listens, asks about the situation and describes options such as financial counselling, local services and exclusion tools. Calling commits nobody to anything, and the call can end whenever the caller chooses.

4.3 Families

People affected by another person’s gambling can use the same services for themselves.

4.4 Immediate danger

A person at risk of self-harm calls emergency services on 000 without delay.