Responsible Gaming

Last revised on: August 10, 2026

Pokies and table games are entertainment, and entertainment has a price you agree to in advance. Trouble starts when that price stops being a decision and becomes a reaction - to a loss, to a bad week, or to the belief that the next spin owes you something.

This page sets out the limits worth fixing before you deposit, the signals worth taking seriously, and the free Australian services that help without judgement.

Set Your Limits Before You Start

Decide these four numbers while nothing is at stake, and write them somewhere you will actually see them.

• A deposit ceiling for the month that you could lose entirely without changing how you live.
• A session length, enforced by a timer rather than by intention.
• A stop point for losses, fixed in dollars rather than in "one more".
• A stop point for wins, because an unbanked win is not a win.

Where an operator offers deposit caps, session reminders, cooling-off periods or self-exclusion, switch them on when you open the account rather than after a bad night. Limits set in advance are the only ones that work.

Signals Worth Taking Seriously

None of the following is a moral failing. Each is a practical signal that play has stopped being recreational.

• Depositing money set aside for rent, bills, food or repayments.
• Borrowing to play, or hiding the size or frequency of play from people close to you.
• Chasing losses with larger stakes to get back to even.
• Playing to manage stress, boredom, loneliness or sleeplessness.
• Irritation or restlessness when you try to stop, or broken promises to yourself about stopping.

If more than one of these is familiar, treat it as a reason to pause and talk to someone rather than as something to manage alone.

Free Help in Australia

These services are free, confidential and independent of any operator.

Support is also available for family members and friends, who do not need the player's permission to call.

Strictly for Adults

Play is restricted to adults aged eighteen or over. If minors share your device, protect it with a password and consider filtering software that blocks gambling content.

Offshore operators sit outside the Australian consumer protections that apply to domestic licence holders. Anyone weighing that trade-off should read our assessment of whether the brand is legitimate before depositing.