Gambling responsibly

Decide the cost before you play

A deposit limit is a decision made in advance, when you are calm and not mid-session. Set it at an amount you would be comfortable losing entirely, because that is what a loss is. Once the limit is reached, the session is over — not paused, not topped up from another card. Treating the limit as fixed is the whole point of setting it.

A session limit works the same way for time. Decide how long you will play before you sit down, and set an alarm rather than watching the clock. Time limits matter because a long session is where chasing starts. If you find yourself negotiating with your own limit, that is information worth paying attention to.

Limits work best when they are set with the cashier rather than in your head. Our partner's cashier is where deposit limits and account controls live; if a tool you want is not there, ask support before you deposit rather than after.

What chasing losses looks like

Chasing is the belief that the next spin, the next deposit or the next session will recover what has already gone. It usually shows up as raising a limit you set yourself, depositing past the amount you decided on, or playing longer than planned to get back to even. It rarely feels like a decision at the time. It feels like continuing.

A return figure on any pokie is a long-run average across enormous numbers of spins. It says nothing about your session, and it cannot be used to predict what happens next. No pattern, system or strategy changes that. If you are playing to recover money rather than to be entertained, stop and step away — the game will still be there later.

Watch for chasing in other forms too: borrowing to keep playing, hiding deposits from someone, or feeling unable to stop once you have started. Any of these is a reason to use the tools below rather than to try harder.

Help and controls in Australia

Gambling Help Online offers free and confidential counselling and support, available at any hour. It is for the person gambling and for family members affected by someone else's gambling. Reaching out early is easier than waiting for a crisis.

BetStop is the national self-exclusion register. Registering excludes you from gambling services that participate, and it is a firm commitment rather than a soft limit. It sits alongside deposit limits and account closures as an option when willpower has not been enough.

You must be 18 or over to gamble, and that applies to every pokie and bonus offer on this site. If you are under 18, or you are not sure whether gambling is currently a good idea for you, do not deposit.

How do I set a deposit limit?

Set it through our partner's cashier or by asking support, and set it at an amount you would be willing to lose outright. Limits set in advance, before a session, are far more useful than limits decided mid-play.

What should I do if I think I am chasing losses?

Stop the session and step away, then consider a deposit limit, a self-exclusion through BetStop, or speaking to Gambling Help Online. Chasing is the clearest sign that a break is needed, and none of these steps require you to explain yourself to anyone.