Responsible gambling – help & advice
Whichever slot site you choose to play at, it's important that you know your limits. Online slots are enjoyed by the majority of people safely and responsibly. But, where there's a risk of spending more than you intend to, it’s useful to understand the mathematical nature of gambling. You might win on occasions but, over time, you will always lose more, and that's due to RTP (return to player, the 'house edge' of online slots).
Below we’ve compiled some very helpful guidance that details how you can stay safe when playing online slots, and how to recognise if you (or someone you know) is exhibiting signs of problem gambling. We’ve also included some contact details for organisations that can assist with problem gambling.
If you feel your gambling is getting out of hand and you may require additional support, we urge you to take the advice listed below seriously. It’s easy to get into bad habits and there’s no shame whatsoever in admitting struggles and seeking help.
Safety tips & warning signs
Check out these simple safety tips and warning signs to help keep your gambling in check:
Safety tips
- Only spend what you can afford. Don't gamble with money you need for rent, bills or other essentials.
- Set time and money limits. Decide how much you want to spend, and how long you want to play for before you begin. Don’t be tempted to keep playing in the hope of a 'big win' because they rarely happen.
- Don't let gambling affect personal relationships. Gambling shouldn't get in the way of spending time with family, seeing friends or taking part in social activities and sports.
- Remember that gambling is not the answer to any problem, and gambling should never be seen as a way to make money, or as an escape from personal issues.
Warning signs
- Spending more money and time on gambling than you can afford.
- Finding it hard to manage or stop your gambling.
- Arguing with family or friends about money and gambling.
- Losing interest in usual activities or hobbies – going out or spending time with friends, family etc.
- Always thinking or talking about gambling.
- Lying about your gambling or hiding it from people.
- Chasing your losses or gambling to get out of financial trouble.
- Gambling until all your money is gone.
- Borrowing money, selling possessions or not paying bills in order to gamble.
- Gambling with larger amounts of money or for longer to get the same excitement or 'buzz'.
- Neglecting work, study, family, personal needs or household responsibilities.
- Feeling anxious, worried, guilty, depressed or irritable.
How to stay safe when playing online slots
There are a whole host of useful tools offered by regulated slot sites that you can take advantage of, even before you’ve made your first deposit and begin spinning the reels of your chosen online slot games.
These tools allow you to safely limit both the amount of money you can spend, as well as the time you spend playing online slots. Even if you don’t feel you have a problem with excessive gambling, it’s still worth using these features.
All of the safer gambling tools that responsible slot sites offer have been listed below with an explanation of what each tool does and how it can help you.
Deposit limits
Deposit limits do exactly what they say. They allow you to set a strict limit as to how much money you can deposit into your casino account.
These limits can be set over a specific period of time, so you can set a limit as to how much to deposit over a day, week, month or even a year in some cases.
If you wish to reduce your deposit limit this can usually be actioned right away. However, if you’d like to increase your deposit limit the slot site should only action it after 24 hours, allowing you to decide whether it’s something you really want to do.
Time limits
Time limits are similar to deposit limits in that they allow you to set a fixed amount of time you can spend playing online slots (or other casino games) at that specific slot site. Once this time limit is reached you will no longer be allowed to access any games or wager any money.
This tool is ideal if you get engrossed with games and tend to play their online slots for a sustained period of time. With a time limit, you won’t allow time to slip away from you.
Reality Check tool
The Reality Check tool is essentially a pop-up that will appear every 20-30 minutes or so when you’re playing online slots (or other casino games). The frequency of the reality check pop-up may vary from site to site and may even need to be enabled in your account settings.
This Reality Check will display essential information such as how long you’ve been gambling for and how much money you’re up or down by in that time. Whilst a simple innovation, this often hits home quite how much money can be lost during a session.
Cooling off periods
Most slot sites allow you to activate a cooling off period whenever you feel the need to take a break. A cooling off period is a set period of time when you are barred from accessing your account.
Most cooling off periods will allow you to stop gambling for between 24 hours and a week. Once that time is over you will be able to access your account again.
Temporary exclusions
Temporary exclusions are a step up from cooling off periods. This is essentially a much longer break that would see you locked out of your account for anywhere between 1 and 3 months.
Temporary exclusions are ideal if you may not necessarily have a serious gambling problem but want to ensure you don’t spend any unnecessary funds for a period of time. They’re also a fantastic way to fully understand and discover whether or not you need to take your exclusion further after a few months.
Self-exclusion
Self-excluding from a slot site is the most drastic measure you can take to ensure you can’t gamble at that particular site again. This is recommended for if you feel you really don’t have control over your gambling habits.
You can opt to self-exclude from anywhere between 6 months and 5 years (this may vary from site to site). It should be noted that if players self-exclude from one site, it does not mean they’re self-excluded from others.
Recognising problem gambling
Gambling addiction is a form of impulse-control disorder and those struggling with addiction can find it difficult to cope with the urge to gamble. Sometimes you might not even realise you’re suffering from an addiction until the signs are laid out in front of you. Below, we’ve listed some things to look out for that may indicate a problem that needs addressing.
- You’re spending more money than you can afford, leaving you unable to pay for essentials in your day-to-day life.
- You’re neglecting day-to-day responsibilities (such as work, family, friends or even basic needs such as eating and hygiene) in order to gamble instead.
- You’re keeping your gambling habits a secret from those close to you and are not divulging details about how much money you’ve spent.
- You’re lying about or downplaying the amount of money you’ve spent gambling, maintaining that it’s harmless fun, when in fact it’s having an effect on day-to-day life.
- You feel that gambling is only worth it if you’re playing with high-stakes.
- You’re chasing your losses and betting bigger in an attempt to recoup lost money.
- You’re experiencing anxiety around your gambling habits, or it makes you feel irritable or depressed to think about.
Organisations that can help
Support for problem gambling can be found through a variety of organisations – charities, government health care units and other groups – in many countries around the world. Listed below are some that can offer help upon request:
Canada
Find Gambling Help for Canadians
Details different organisations and resources for problem gamblers in Canada.
Canada Safety Council – Gambling Addiction (incl helpines)
The Canada Safety Council is an independent, knowledge-based, charitable organization dedicated to the cause of safety. We provide national leadership in safety through information, education and collaboration.
New Zealand
Gambling Helpline New Zealand (CAB)
Offers support to gamblers, those affected by the actions of a gambler. Services include phone counselling; referrals to face to face counselling; information and literature mail outs; and Gamblers Anonymous contact details.
Gambling Helpline is a 24 hour, freephone helpline for those worried about gambling or the gambling of others.
USA
National Problem Gambling Helpline (USA)
National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-GAMBLER) is operated by the National Council on Problem Gambling. This network includes 28 contact centers which cover all 50 states and the U.S. territories. Offers call, text and chat services 24/7/365.
The Netherlands
Loket Kansspel is the central support point in the field of gambling problems. We offer help and guidance ourselves and refer you to help and guidance in your area.
Final words
Playing online slots, or indeed gambling of any kind, should be fun. For a small number of gamblers though it can get on top of them and ultimately will impact negatively on their lives. That's why we at Slot Gods, and all other responsible businesses and organisations in the industry, advocate responsible gambling. Let's keep it 'fun'.