Responsible gambling

1The rules that actually help

Decide what you can afford to lose before you start, and treat it as the price of the entertainment.

Never bet money you need for anything else. Never borrow money to bet.

Never chase a loss. Raising your stake to win back what has gone is how a bad day becomes a bad year.

Set a time limit as well as a money limit. Take breaks.

Do not bet to fix a mood. If you are betting because you are bored, angry or low, stop.

2Signs that it has stopped being fun

You are betting more than you planned, or more often than you planned.

You are hiding it from people close to you.

You are thinking about the next bet while you are meant to be doing something else.

You feel you need to keep going to get back to level.

If any of that sounds familiar, it is worth talking to someone today rather than next month.

3Tools every licensed bookmaker must give you

Deposit limits, which cap what you can put in.

Loss limits and time limits.

A cooling off period, which locks the account for a short time.

Self exclusion, which locks it for months or years and cannot be undone early.

They are in the account settings of every licensed book. Using them is normal and sensible.

4Where to get help

BeGambleAware runs a free confidential helpline in the United Kingdom on 0808 8020 133, open all day and all night.

GamCare offers free counselling and a live chat service.

GAMSTOP lets you block yourself from every licensed online betting site in Great Britain in one go, for six months, one year or five years.

Gamblers Anonymous runs meetings in most towns.

In the United States, the National Council on Problem Gambling helpline is 1 800 522 4700.

If you are somewhere else, your national regulator will list the services near you.

5What we do here

We only list bookmakers that hold a licence covering the country you have selected, because a licensed book has to give you the tools above and has to answer to a regulator.

We never tell anyone to stake more, and we do not sell tips.