Gambling responsibly

Decide your limits before you start playing

A limit works best when it is decided before play, not during it. Decide what you can afford to lose over a set period and treat that money as spent the moment it leaves your account. If the amount would affect rent, bills or food, it is too much. Deposit limits on our partner's cashier and the account tools on the games themselves are easier to set while you are calm than to argue with halfway through a session.

Session length matters as much as money. Decide how long you will play and stop when that time is up, whether you are ahead or behind. A return figure on any game is a long-run average across thousands of spins; it says nothing about what one session will do. No limit changes the odds, but it keeps a bad run from turning into a worse one.

Recognising loss-chasing behaviour

Chasing is the belief that one more spin, one bigger bet or one better game will recover what you have already lost. It usually shows up as raising your bet after a losing run, dipping into money set aside for something else, or telling yourself you will stop once you are even. The money is already gone; the next bet is a new decision, not a repair.

Other signs are playing longer than you planned, hiding your spending from people close to you, borrowing to keep playing, and feeling restless or irritable when you try to stop. If any of that sounds familiar, the useful step is to stop and speak to someone rather than to try harder on your own. Our partner's cashier has deposit limits you can set, and a break from the account is usually available on request.

Support services available across Australia

Gambling Help Online offers free and confidential counselling and support, by phone, chat and online, for people worried about their own play or someone else's. BetStop is the national self-exclusion register: joining it blocks you from opening new betting accounts with licensed operators and from continuing with existing ones. Both are free, and neither requires you to explain yourself to a casino first.

If money problems are part of it, a financial counsellor can help with debts and payment arrangements; the National Debt Helpline connects you to one. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, contact Lifeline or emergency services. Our partner's cashier also carries deposit limits and account closure tools, and we list the site's support contacts on this page alongside the Gambling Help Online, BetStop and 18+ notices.

Playing it safe at Buffalo Gold Desk

Can I set a deposit limit after I have already deposited today?

Yes. Limits can be set at any time in the cashier, and many operators apply a decrease immediately. A request to raise a limit usually takes effect only after a waiting period, which is deliberate.

Does self-exclusion through BetStop cover pokies sites as well as sports betting?

BetStop covers licensed wagering operators that must register with it, and you can check which services are included when you sign up. It does not stop you playing unlicensed or offshore sites, so use it alongside account tools and, if needed, blocking software.