Responsible Gambling

Q: How Do I Self-Exclude From Online Betting Sites?

Depending on the site, you might be able to block access to your account via your profile section, but in most cases you’ll need to get in touch with the customer support team and ask them to help you self-exclude for a time period of your choice.

Q: Is Cooling Off the Same as Self-Exclusion?

These two are not the same thing, because a cooling off period is usually a very short break from your account (for example a day or a week), whereas self-exclusion is a more permanent measure and it can even be permanent if you so choose.

By Farah Barry

May 8th, 2026 6:21 AM EDT

Person watching football match on TV and making bets on bookmaker's app via mobile phone. Close up shot.

Here at Bookies.com, we’re - of course - big fans of online gambling, whether that be playing games of chance like slots, perfecting strategic card games like blackjack, or analyzing stats to try to make the best possible bets on sports. But we also understand that online gambling comes with risks and if you don’t play responsibly, you could run into some serious problems.

The good news is that licensed online casinos and betting sites we recommend are all totally committed to responsible gambling, so they offer features like financial limits, reality checks and even self-exclusion to help you stay in control. Beyond that, there are measures you can take to make sure you’re playing responsibly, for example limiting emotional play and speaking openly about your gambling habits.

We’re going to give you some key advice to help you gamble responsibly, we’ll tell you how to choose operators that offer responsible gambling tools, plus we’ll list resources from around the world, which can offer expert help.

Table of Contents

What Is Responsible Gambling?
Recognise The Signs Of Gambling Problems
What Is A Gambling Addiction?
Impact Of A Gambling Addiction
Our Commitment To Keeping You Safe
How Can You Gamble Responsibly?
Underage Gambling
What To Do If You Think Someone Has A Problem With Gambling
Tools Available To Help You
Local Resources
Choosing A Safe Online Casino
Choosing a Safe Sports Betting Site
Final Thoughts

What Is Responsible Gambling?

Responsible gambling simply means playing in a way that is safe and controlled. When you gamble responsibly, you treat playing online casino games as a form of fun and entertainment, not a way to make money. Responsible play involves setting strict limits before you start playing (for example limiting your deposits, session time and wins) and knowing when to walk away. Responsible players never chase losses and they recognize when it’s time to use tools like limits and self-exclusion to stay in control. Seeking help via your chosen online casino site or through an external resource is also a key factor in responsible gameplay.

Recognise The Signs Of Gambling Problems

Recognizing the signs of a gambling problem is one of the most important aspects of staying in control. Knowing exactly what to look for will help you see the signs before they start having a major impact, so you’ll either be able to stop playing, or seek the help you need, for example by self-excluding from online casino sites, or getting professional help.

Remember, not all problem gamblers will display the exact same signs - while some people might become hyper-focused on gambling and play all the time, others might chase losses or hide gambling activities from their family. These are some of the key signs to look out for, both in yourself and in others.

If you find yourself becoming very focused on gambling, for example constantly thinking about bets, planning your next gambling session when you should be doing something else, or obsessing over how to get more money to gamble, you might need to take a step back and consider whether your habits are healthy.

The amount that you can comfortably spend gambling will depend on your specific situation, but problem gamblers often find themselves increasing their spend all the time, to feel the same rush as they used to get with a small stake. Increasing the amount that you gamble with can rapidly lead to spending more than you can afford.

Responsible gamblers can walk away at any time, no matter whether they’re winning or losing. If you feel like you should stop playing, but you’re compelled to continue, it’s a very strong indicator that you might have lost control of your gambling. In this case, placing restrictions on your account or speaking to someone for support can be very helpful.

Like all addictions, symptoms of withdrawal can come with a gambling problem. If you start to feel anxious, restless, or irritable when you don’t have access to gambling platforms, or when other responsibilities prevent you from playing, it’s likely that you’re feeling withdrawal. Stopping these symptoms involves breaking the cycle, for example by restricting your account.

Emotional gambling as a reaction to stress, anxiety or boredom can result in impulsive spending or making poor decisions. If you play when you’re in an emotional state, you’re more likely to become reliant on gambling as an outlet, rather than it being a fun form of entertainment.

Players who chase losses keep gambling and increasing their stakes in the hopes of winning back money that they’ve lost. Chasing losses doesn't work, because casino games like slots are completely random and always benefit the casino, so in the long run you’re just likely to lose more money.

Problem gamblers often start to hide their spend from their loved ones, or lie about how much time they’re spending gambling. If you’re worried about judgment from your friends and family members, you’re already starting to acknowledge the problem, which means that you can place limits on your account or get external help.

If you can’t afford to fund your own gambling habits and you find yourself having to borrow money, you should take this as a serious sign that your play is out of control. Borrowing money can lead to serious financial implications and strain on your relationships over time, so it’s important to stop this behaviour as soon as possible.

What Is A Gambling Addiction?

A gambling addiction is a disorder where the player feels out of control and unable to keep their urge to gamble under control, even when there are serious consequences. A gambling addiction goes far beyond occasional and fun betting or casino gameplay, and it becomes a consistent pattern of harm. A gambling addiction can develop from the need to feel excitement, the urge to win back losses, or from the playing wanting to escape problems like stress. Recognizing the signs of a gambling addiction is the first step towards getting help and there are lots of organizations which can provide support.

Prove It Test

A “Prove It Test”, otherwise known as a self-assessment, is a questionnaire that you can complete, to help you identify some of the signs of a gambling problem. Most online casinos have these questionnaires in the responsible gambling section and the questions include “have you ever gambled more than you can afford to lose” and “have you ever tried to win back what you’ve lost”. This is not a formal test and you don’t need to share the results with anyone, but it’s a good thing to do every now and then, even if only for your own peace of mind.

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Impact Of A Gambling Addiction

Like other addictions, a gambling problem can have far-reaching impacts, especially on your finances and relationships.

Financially, spending more than you can afford can lead to unpaid bills, debt and in serious cases, even bankruptcy. Financial pressures can spill over into your personal relationships, for example secrecy about your gambling habits, withdrawing from other people and spending all of your time on gambling rather than other responsibilities can have negative social consequences. On an emotional level, a gambling addiction can also cause stress, anxiety and even depression.

A gambling addiction can feel very difficult to break, which is why it’s so important to notice the signs early on, so that you can get the support you need, either to reduce your gambling back to a healthy level, or stop entirely if it would be more beneficial for you.

Our Commitment To Keeping You Safe

Here at Bookies.com, our main priority is helping you find trustworthy online gambling sites where you can enjoy a safe and fair experience. As part of our commitment to keeping you safe, we only ever recommend online gambling sites that hold a valid licence from a regulator in your region (for example the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, or the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement).

Licensed operators are held to certain standards, not only when it comes to things like game fairness and payment security, but also facilitating responsible gameplay. Legit online gambling sites like the ones we recommend at Bookies.com all provide responsible gambling tools and they can advise on getting extra help. Additionally, we also list helpful organizations and resources that can assist with responsible gambling and we always encourage you to play within healthy limits.

How Can You Gamble Responsibly?

Online gambling is a fun form of entertainment, as long as you approach it in a responsible way. Staying in control is the most important thing, so you need to make sure you’re aware of your emotions and know exactly when to seek help, either via your online casino’s responsible gambling tools, or from external agencies. But before things even get that far, it's worth it to spend some time thinking about your own personal limits and boundaries and making sure to talk to loved ones, so that they can help hold you accountable. These are some of our top suggestions for gambling responsibly.

Set Limits

Before you play, you should always set your own limits for deposits, wagering, and session time. You can either do this manually if you’re confident that you can enforce your own limits, or you can leverage your online casino’s built-in tools, to ensure that you can’t exceed the limits that you’ve set.

Keep A Track

It’s a good idea to keep a record of your deposits, losses and wins, so that you can refer back to it at any time. A lot of licensed online casinos have a section within your account where you can see all of this information, but you can also keep a simple spreadsheet on your computer, or a physical note.

Talk To People

Gambling problems often begin with isolation, so it’s important that you stay connected with those around you. Speaking to close friends or family members about your gambling habits and the amount you spend can help put things into perspective and keep you accountable and in control at all times.

Accept Losses

Chasing losses is a bad idea, because you’re never “owed” a win by a slot or other casino game. It’s important to know when to walk away and simply accept that you’ve lost, rather than spending more and more money trying to win back the money that you’ve lost, as this never works in the long term.

Learn The Rules Of The Game

Understanding exactly how online casino games and betting markets work can help you play responsibly. As soon as you understand that games like slots all use Random Number Generators and that you’re never “due” a win, you’ll realize that chasing losses won’t help at all. And if you’re playing strategic games like blackjack, you can reduce your risk of losing by understanding how to play.

Be Aware Of Your Emotions

Gambling when you’re stressed, anxious, or even overly excited can lead to impulsive decisions, for example placing bigger bets, chasing losses, or spending more than you’re comfortable with. Make sure you address your emotions and get them under control before you spend any money and never use online games as a way to escape your emotions.

Seek Support

You can get in touch with external resources at any time, for free and confidential support relating to problematic gambling. Professional services, support groups and helplines can be very useful and you should never hesitate to use them if you start to see any signs of problem gambling, either in yourself or in a loved one.

Cooling Off Period

A cooling off period helps you to take a short break from online gambling, by blocking access to your account temporarily. You can use the built-in tools at your chosen online casino to restrict your account and during the blocked period, you won’t be able to log in at all, so you’ll have time and space to re-assess your online gambling habits.

Underage Gambling

Underage gambling is an issue because young people are more vulnerable to developing problems and they might not understand the implications of gambling for real money. That’s why all jurisdictions that have legal online casinos set a minimum age for playing, for example in the UK it’s 18 and in the US it’s usually 21 for real money gambling.

Operators have a lot of protocols in place to prevent underage gambling, for example ID verification and automated systems to flag suspicious accounts for extra checks.

Parents also have a role to play in preventing underage gambling. This can involve using parental controls on young people’s devices, monitoring the online activities of people under the legal gambling age. Having open and honest conversations about the risks of gambling can help young people come to their own conclusions, so that once they're of age, they’re able to make rational decisions about gambling.

What To Do If You Think Someone Has A Problem With Gambling

If you think someone you know has a problem with gambling, the main thing to do is offer them your support. Let them know that they can talk to you at any time and offer to help them find resources and responsible gambling tools which can help. You should have a calm conversation, in a way that doesn’t feel like you’re ambushing or judging the person, as this could lead to them becoming defensive.

You can also reach out to an organization in your region that specializes in problematic gambling, as they will be able to offer specific advice based on the situation.

Tools Available To Help You

Licensed online casinos all offer a range of different responsible gambling tools to help you stay in control and have a safe experience at all times. The tools and features vary depending on the specific casino and the licensing authority, but they usually include deposit, loss and wagering limits, reality checks and self-exclusion. Before you start playing, it’s a good idea to visit the responsible gambling section of the site via the footer, or take a look at your account section to see the limits you can set for yourself.

Self Exclusion

Self-exclusion is a specific tool that all licensed online casinos need to offer. You won’t be able to log into your online casino account at all if you’ve self-excluded. You usually need to get in touch with an online casino’s customer support team if you want to self-exclude and you can choose a period ranging from a few months to several years (or even a permanent block).

Reality Check

A reality check reminds you exactly how long you’ve been playing, so that you don’t lose track of time during your gaming session. You can set a reality check to show up on your screen after a certain time period, which is a helpful reminder that you should step back and you might want to log off at that point.

Budget Limits

You can usually set deposit, loss, or wagering limits at your chosen online casino. Some sites even prompt you to do this right at the start, before you make your first deposit. Limits can be set per day, week, or month and you can decrease them at any time. If you want to increase your limits, you might need to wait a few days for the change to take effect.

Local Resources

No matter where you live in the world, there are dedicated resources that can help with problem gambling. You should feel free to reach out to one of these at any time, even if you’re not absolutely sure you have a problem. They can provide valuable, confidential help, which can help at any stage of your online gambling journey.

Choosing A Safe Online Casino

The most important thing to remember is that you should only ever sign up at an online casino that holds a valid license. Licensed sites are required by regulations to have certain responsible gambling tools (like self-exclusion) and they do everything possible to provide a safe environment. At Bookies.com, all the sites we recommend are licensed and they support responsible play.

Before you sign up and start playing, you can take a look at the responsible gambling page (usually accessible via the footer of the site) and see if the casino offers tools like personal limits, reality checks and self-exclusion.

Choosing a Safe Sports Betting Site

Like with online casinos, we recommend signing up to online betting sites that are regulated and hold a valid license. Look out for sites that are supportive of responsible gambling and offer tools that make this easy and convenient such as tracking bets and losses and offering gambling tools like betting limits.

Our experts are always checking in on the responsible gambling information at our recommended sports betting sites to make sure we are only recommending safe betting sites to you.

Final Thoughts

Online gambling offers lots of opportunities for fun and entertainment - plus the thrill of standing a chance to win real money - but responsible gameplay is of utmost importance. Knowing when to walk away (regardless of whether you’re winning or losing) and being able to identify the signs of a potential gambling problem can ensure that you enjoy online gambling in a fun and safe way. Make sure you lean on your licensed online casino’s tools like personal limits and time-outs and get in touch with resources in your area (for example Gamblers Anonymous or Gambling Therapy) if you start to notice a problem, or if you simply need some advice.