18+ --:--:-- UTC
Player protection · 18+

Understand the risk. Check where you stand. Get help.

Every game here carries a house edge, so over enough play it takes more than it returns — gambling is entertainment, never income. This page is for understanding that risk to yourself: a private self-check, the tools that let you set limits, and where to get real help. It is education, not treatment or advice.

Need to talk to someone now?

The National Gambling Helpline is free, confidential and open 24/7 — call 0808 8020 133 or chat at gamcare.org.uk. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services.

How harm builds

Gambling harm rarely announces itself. It grows quietly — betting more than you can afford, needing bigger stakes for the same buzz, going back to win losses, borrowing, and hiding it. The maths underneath keeps it going: a negative-sum game feels winnable because of near-misses and the belief a result is “due”, which is why understanding the odds is itself a protection. Learn the mechanism in Responsible gambling and see the “due” illusion for yourself in the Playground.

A private self-check

The Problem Gambling Severity Index is a nine-question self-assessment used in research and clinical practice. It is a way to reflect on your own play — not a diagnosis. Answer honestly; nothing you enter leaves your browser.

Thinking about the last 12 months…

  1. Have you bet more than you could really afford to lose?
  2. Have you needed to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling of excitement?
  3. When you gambled, did you go back another day to try to win back the money you lost?
  4. Have you borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?
  5. Have you felt that you might have a problem with gambling?
  6. Has gambling caused you any health problems, including stress or anxiety?
  7. Have people criticised your betting or told you that you had a gambling problem, regardless of whether or not you thought it was true?
  8. Has your gambling caused any financial problems for you or your household?
  9. Have you felt guilty about the way you gamble or what happens when you gamble?
The PGSI is a widely used self-assessment from research and clinical practice — a reflection tool, not a diagnosis. Your answers stay in your browser and are never sent anywhere.

Tools that put limits in your hands

Licensed operators must offer these. They reduce how much you can be exposed to — they do not remove the house edge or make gambling safe.

Deposit, loss & time limits

Cap what you can put in, lose, or spend before you start. Set while you are thinking clearly, they hold when you are not — the single most effective everyday guard.

Reality checks

A periodic on-screen reminder of how long you have played and what you have staked, to break the trance of continuous play.

Cooling-off / take a break

A short account lock — 24 hours up to a few weeks — for when you just need to step away without a permanent decision.

Self-exclusion

Block yourself from operators for a fixed period — the strongest built-in tool. Many countries run a single national scheme (below).

Self-exclusion where you play

Self-exclusion blocks you from the operators a scheme covers, for a period you choose. Many countries run a single national register.

Self-exclusion blocks you from the operators it covers, for a period you choose. Not listed here? Search for your national scheme, or ask any licensed operator to close and block your account.

Sources

Education, not advice. This page explains gambling harm and where to find help. The PGSI is a self-assessment, not a diagnosis; only a professional can assess gambling harm. For adults 18+ only.