Responsible Gambling Tools

Tools You Can Use to Gamble Responsibly

There are a number of tools you can use to manage your gambling whether you’re looking for a short breaker or a longer pause, all of our top rated casinos will support some – if not all – of the below:

1. Keep a Separate Gambling Account

The first thing you should do is keep a separate bankroll for gambling. You can set aside money for gambling, and that’s all you can access. You can set up a prepaid debit card or a specific e-wallet. In the modern age of crypto gambling, that can mean a separate wallet with funds set aside, which is the easiest way to control your gambling, and it’s the one we recommend.

This approach still takes discipline because you can always top up your wallet, but it creates an extra step that gives you a chance to reconsider.

Even if you’re gambling responsibly, we recommend you use a separate gambling account for security reasons. 

2. Use Deposit/Loss Limits

Most online betting sites offer deposit limit and loss limit features, allowing you to control how much you can add to your account over a set period. You can set hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly limits, and if your gambling is becoming an issue, then you might want to use all of them. Once you hit your limit, you won’t be able to deposit more funds unless you adjust the settings.

You can usually request a change if you reach your limit and want to increase it. However, these changes don’t take effect immediately. Most betting sites enforce a cooling-off period of at least 24 hours, requiring you to reconfirm your decision before applying the new limit. Monthly limits may stay in place until the end of the current month.

Even wanting to increase these limits without a major boost to your income should be a red flag, and you should pay attention. It may be time to reach out to one of the many gambling charities and organizations for help. 

3. Time Management Tools

One essential feature of online casino sites is a playtime notification, also known as reality checks, which alert you to how long you’ve been playing. These notifications are automatically triggered, even if you haven’t set a specific time limit for yourself.

Since it’s easy to lose track of time while playing, many casinos allow you to set session timers that pause your gameplay and remind you of your play duration. You can customize these notifications in your account settings, adjusting them to shorter or longer intervals based on your preferences.

Most sites have a default 60-minute reminder, but you can modify this to suit your responsible gaming habits better.

4. Use your Bet/Wager History

Keeping records of your betting activity is essential for managing your bankroll and tracking your profits and losses. 

Most online gambling sites provide a detailed account history, where you can review every deposit, withdrawal, and bet placed. Familiarizing yourself with this section is crucial, especially for monitoring your spending and ensuring responsible gambling.

Compulsive gamblers lie to themselves, family, and friends, but the numbers don’t lie, and it’s good to keep an eye on your spending. 

5. Self Evaluation

If you’re concerned about your gambling habits, it’s time to ask yourself some honest questions with a self-evaluation. Lots of sites have more advanced questionnaires that you can use, but the key questions are: 

Key Self-Evaluation Questions:

• How often do you gamble?
• Do you sometimes gamble without planning to?
• How do losses make you feel?
• Have you ever put gambling ahead of time with family or friends? 
• Do you hide your gambling losses and lie to cover them up? 
• Do you find yourself chasing losses?
• What is your motivation to gamble? 

If any of these questions raise concerns, it may be time to seek help, limit your gambling, or consider self-exclusion as a precautionary step. And remember, honesty is critical, as denial is a major part of a growing addiction.

6. Cooling Off Periods

If you feel your gambling slipping out of control, then the best thing you can do is go outside and touch grass. One way to achieve this is simply block access to your favorite casino for a certain amount of time. 

Cooling off periods can be anything from 24 hours-6 months, and once they’re in place they can’t be reversed. Your account isn’t deactivated and will automatically reactivate once the cooling off period has expired.  

Even if your preferred casino doesn’t have cooling off periods in the main menu, you can still implement them with a message to customer service. Taking a short break now could be all it takes to reset your relationship with gambling – and prevent a total break-up. 

7. Self-Exclusion

If cooling off periods don’t work, it’s time for something more drastic. Assuming you’re gambling at a casino licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, and Curacao eGaming, you should have access to a self-exclusion tool. 

Not all crypto casinos will have them, but if you’re concerned about your gambling on any level, then you shouldn’t gamble at the ones that don’t. Choose a casino with player welfare at its core, which includes tools like self-exclusion, whether they’re mandatory or not. 

Self-exclusion is a relatively extreme step, as the time period often ranges from 1-5 years and, in some cases, can be permanent. If your gambling is giving you problems, though, don’t hesitate to go nuclear and opt for self-exclusion.

Is Self-Exclusion Enough?

Once you activate the process, the bookmaker must prevent you from reopening your account with the specific casino, sportsbook, and potentially all affiliated brands. There’s an obvious flaw in the plan: you can just open a new account elsewhere when the urge strikes.

However, organizations like GAMSTOP in the UK are working on universal self-exclusion across multiple operators, and GAMBLOCK has downloadable software to block gambling sites on your devices. 

If you find yourself even trying to open an account elsewhere after taking such drastic steps, then you should reach out for help immediately. Professional help is absolutely essential in these cases.