Real money is at stake at every casino covered on this site, so responsible gambling is not a footnote here. Gambling is entertainment that costs money, never a way to earn it or to recover what has already been lost. Play only with money you can afford to lose, decide the amount before you start rather than during a session, and treat a losing run as the end of the session and not as something to win back.
The rules that apply in Australia
You must be 18 or over to gamble in Australia, and the operators covered here are licensed offshore rather than in Australia – see our page on the law for what that means for your money and for any dispute. Since 11 June 2024 credit cards, credit-related products and digital currency may not be used to fund licensed Australian wagering accounts; an offshore casino is outside that rule, which is one more reason not to gamble with borrowed money.
What responsible gambling means in practice
- Set a deposit limit and a session limit before you play, and set them at the operator's cashier so that the limit is not a decision you have to take again while playing.
- Gamble with disposable income only – never with money set aside for rent, bills, food or repayments, and never with credit.
- Know when to stop on a winning run as well as on a losing one, and cash out rather than roll a balance over.
- Keep the clock visible. Long unbroken sessions, rising stakes and playing at night are the usual first signs that a session has stopped being entertainment.
- Never chase a loss. A bigger stake does not make a lost stake come back; it only makes the next loss bigger.
- Ask for help early. The services below are free, confidential and open to anyone, not only to people in crisis.
How to recognise a gambling problem
The quickest self-check is to answer the following questions honestly. If the answer to several of them is yes, contact one of the services listed below – the earlier the better.
- Do you gamble because you feel unhappy, bored or unfulfilled?
- Do you stop gambling only when your funds have run out?
- Do you think about gambling constantly when you are not gambling?
- Have you ever lied to cover up your gambling, or to get money to gamble with?
- Has your interest in relationships, friendships or work suffered because of gambling?
- When you are angry or disappointed, do you immediately want to gamble?
- After a loss, do you want to recoup it straight away?
- Have you borrowed money, sold something or used a credit facility to keep gambling?
Where to get help in Australia
Gambling Help Online is the national service for anyone in Australia affected by gambling, including family and friends. It is free and available 24 hours a day on 1800 858 858, with online chat and email counselling as well as the phone line.
BetStop is the National Self-Exclusion Register, run under the Interactive Gambling Act. One registration blocks every licensed Australian interactive wagering service from opening an account for you or sending you marketing, for a period you choose from three months up to a lifetime. Registration is free and takes a few minutes.
Offshore casinos are not bound by BetStop, so a self-exclusion there has to be requested from the operator directly. Ask its support to close the account and to exclude you by name and email, and keep the written confirmation. Blocking software on your own devices and a gambling block on your bank card, which most Australian banks now offer in their app, work regardless of where an operator is licensed.
What we can do
We do not run games, hold player accounts or take deposits, so we cannot lock an account for you – that request has to go to the operator, or to BetStop for licensed Australian services. What we can do is remove you from any mailing list of ours and stop sending you anything about operators or promotions: ask through the contact page and it will be done. Nothing on this site is advice to gamble, and no page on it is aimed at anyone under 18.