Responsible gambling

Real-money gambling is an entertainment product with an expected cost: over the long run, the mathematical edge always favours the house. Understanding it that way is the basis of a healthy relationship with gambling. This page brings together the control tools available, the signs worth watching for and the free support resources you can turn to wherever you live.

If you feel you have lost control, stop and ask for help. Free and confidential support in English is available online through Gambling Therapy, and your national gambling helpline can point you to services where you live.

Basic principles

Set a budget before you start and treat it as leisure spending, not as an investment.
Never gamble with money set aside for basic needs, debts or savings.
Do not try to win back losses by raising your stakes: it is the pattern that makes the problem worse fastest.
Set a maximum session length and stick to it even when you are winning.
Do not gamble under the influence of alcohol or medication, or during moments of anxiety, sadness or stress.
Take real breaks: get up, switch to another activity and avoid reopening the site «just to have a look».
Check your deposit history regularly: the amount people think they have spent is usually lower than the real figure.

Warning signs

A single sign does not mean addiction, but several of them together do justify stopping and seeking professional guidance.

You repeatedly spend more time or more money on gambling than you had planned.
You borrow, sell belongings or divert money from other obligations in order to keep gambling.
You hide from those around you how much you gamble, how much you lose or where you gamble from.
You feel anxious, irritable or restless when you try to cut down or stop gambling.
You use gambling to escape personal, work-related or emotional problems.

Quick self-assessment

Answer these questions honestly. If you answer «yes» to two or more, it is advisable to seek professional guidance:

Have you tried to cut down the time or money you spend on gambling without succeeding?
Have you lied to people close to you about how much you gamble?
Have you borrowed money in order to keep gambling?
Has gambling affected your work, your studies or your personal relationships?
Do you feel the need to bet increasing amounts to feel the same excitement?

Control tools

Most online gambling operators, BetOnRed included, offer account settings that limit activity: deposit limits, loss limits, session time limits and the option to self-exclude. These tools depend on the user activating them from their own account settings, so it is worth reviewing them before you start playing, not after a problem shows up.

Self-exclusion

Beyond the self-exclusion a particular operator may offer, many countries run a national self-exclusion register, managed by the gambling regulator in that country. Signing up to such a register blocks access to operators licensed there for the period you choose.

It is important to understand the difference: a national register blocks locally licensed operators, but it does not guarantee that offshore platforms such as BetOnRed will be blocked, since it operates under a Curaçao licence and does not appear on national lists of licensed operators. Anyone who needs to stop gambling should combine the operator's own self-exclusion, the national self-exclusion register where they live and, if necessary, blocking software at device or network level.

Where to ask for help

Gambling Therapy (international online support service): free and confidential help in English, wherever you live.
The national self-exclusion register where you live: managed by the gambling regulator in your country.
Public mental health services in your area: many include specific treatment programmes for gambling addiction.
Gamblers Anonymous and other peer support groups: they run free in-person and online meetings in many countries.

If the problem belongs to a family member

Living with someone who has a gambling problem is emotionally draining too, and frequently financially draining as well. Gambling Therapy and national gambling helplines also assist family members, with dedicated support groups and guidance on how to act without helping to keep the problem hidden.

Avoid taking on gambling debts unconditionally, as it can reinforce the behaviour instead of helping to resolve it. Seeking professional guidance together usually gives better results than trying to handle the situation alone.

Protection of minors

Access to BetOnRed and to any real-money gambling platform is prohibited for anyone under 18. We recommend using parental control tools on shared devices and not saving login credentials automatically on machines that minors can access.

Common misconceptions

«I'm due a win, I've lost a lot of rounds in a row». Every bet is an independent event; previous rounds do not change the probability of the next one.
«If I raise the stake I'll win back my losses sooner». Increasing the risk only increases the chance of losing more, not of recovering what is already lost.
«I have a system that wins in the long run». No betting system reverses the structural mathematical edge of the house.

Our commitment

This portal does not promote gambling among people showing signs of a problem, or among minors. The information published here is for general information purposes and does not replace the guidance of a healthcare professional once gambling has stopped being a controlled leisure activity.