For most people, gambling online is what it should be – a fun way to spend their leisure time. However, for a small minority, gambling online can be a problem.

The vast majority of our online customers will never experience a problem. However, playing responsibly is not confined to those who either have a gambling problem or are the most at risk of developing one. It is the best approach for EVERYONE.

On all of our websites we are committed to helping our customers keep it fun by marketing and advertising those gambling operators that promote safe and responsible online gambling. Additionally, by providing information and guidance to those who may be unable to stay in control of their gambling.

The UK licensed websites that we recommend help by providing the functionality to:

• Set reality checks - providing prompts and time-outs to help you manage the amount of time you play online.
• Set deposit limits - You can set limits that can be set for periods of time ranging from daily to monthly, and can be decreased, increased and removed entirely.
• View the history of gambling activity - To enable you to keep track of your activity, you will be able to access the history of your transactions, deposits, and withdrawals.
• Take A Break - You can set a break period anything from 24 hours to 6 weeks
• Self-Exclude - You have the ability to self-exclude and stop gambling altogether. Self-exclusion can be applied for anything from six months to five years
• Autoplay controls - If you like to play games using the auto-play feature, you’ll be asked to select your stake and loss limits before you start. And if you like, you can even choose to pause the game when you hit a jackpot, so you don’t eat into any of your winnings.

A good way to gauge whether your gambling is no longer fun, and may be getting out of control, is to ask yourself the following questions:

• 1. Do you gamble alone on your computer for long periods, perhaps staying away from work or other activities to do so?
• 2. Have you needed to increase your gambling stake more and more to get the excitement you are looking for?
• 3. Do you suffer mood swings, irritability and agitation when you are not gambling?
• 4. Do you think that you gamble to escape other issues or problems in your life?
• 5. Have you ever claimed to be winning from gambling when, in fact, you are losing?
• 6. Have you tried, in the past, to reduce either the time or money that you spend gambling and been unsuccessful?
• 7. Have you ever been tempted to commit an act of dishonesty to finance your gambling?
• 8. Have you ever gone back online to gamble, on another day, to win back your losses?
• 9. Have you ever hidden your gambling from people who are important to you in your life?
• 10. Have you borrowed money, from any source, that you have been unable to pay back because of your gambling or are you otherwise in debt as a result of gambling?
• 11. Have you ever sold any possessions to obtain money to gamble or pay gambling debts?
• 12. Do you find yourself breaking promises, to family and friends, so that you can gamble instead?

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, then you may need to take control of your gambling, using the information below. You can also take the confidential ‘Worried about your gambling’ quiz on the BeGambleaware website and try out their Gambling Calculator to give you an indication whether your gambling is becoming a problem.

The first step in taking back control is to be completely honest with yourself and accept that there is a problem, but that you have the will to confront it. Having done so, you have taken the biggest step to addressing the issue. It may be that simply standing back and realising that you have been displaying some of the above behaviours is enough to make you adjust your approach and allow you to resume control. Alternatively, you may feel you need help, advice and support.

• 1. Ask someone you trust to handle your money for an agreed amount of time (for example, three months) or otherwise seek their assistance in setting a budget plan.
• 2. Limit the level of your deposits or expenditure or the time you spend online. Our recommended gaming web sites provide tools to allow you to impose your own limits on expenditure.
• 3. Reward yourself for “gambling free” periods by spending the money you saved on something for yourself or your family.
• 4. If all else fails – stop gambling. Self-exclude yourself from all the websites on which you normally bet or play. If you believe exclusion is the best option for you, it is advisable to take an appropriate break from ALL forms of gambling.
• 5. If you want to prevent access to other gaming, wagering or gambling facilities on the internet, visit www.gamblock.com which will help you do so.
• 6. Use a calendar to mark each day that you don’t gamble, so that you can see the progress you are making.