It’s a game.
Until it isn’t.

Self-check: am I still in control?

The questions below are adapted from the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). If you answer "sometimes" or "often" to two or more, we strongly suggest engaging the helplines further down this page. Honest self-assessment is the start. It is not a diagnosis.

• Have you bet more than you could really afford to lose?
• Have you needed to gamble with larger amounts to get the same excitement?
• Have you returned another day to try and win back what you lost?
• Have you borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?
• Have you felt that gambling has caused you any health problems, including stress or anxiety?
• Have people criticised your gambling, or told you that you had a problem — regardless of whether you thought it was true?
• Has your gambling caused financial problems for you or your household?
• Have you felt guilty about the way you gamble, or what happens when you gamble?

Tools every operator should give you

Tier-1 licensed operators (UKGC, MGA, Spelinspektionen, KSA) are required to provide all of the tools below. If you can’t find one of these in your account settings at a tier-1 operator, escalate to their support — it’s a regulatory obligation, not a courtesy.

• Deposit limits

  Set a daily, weekly, or monthly cap on what you can deposit. Available at every tier-1 licensed operator on this site. Reductions take effect immediately; increases require a 24-hour cool-off (UKGC) or longer.

• Loss limits

  A cap on net losses over a chosen period. Bites earlier than deposit limits if you're recycling withdrawals back into wagers.

• Session timers

  Force a hard stop after a set time logged in. Particularly useful for slot play, where session length is the strongest predictor of total loss.

• Reality checks

  Mid-session pop-ups showing your time logged in and net P&L. Available across most MGA and UKGC operators.

• Self-exclusion

  Block your account for a set period (24 hours, 7 days, 6 months, or permanent). Tier-1 operators are required to honour this without contesting it.

• GAMSTOP (UK) / multi-operator self-exclusion

  A single self-exclusion that propagates across every UKGC-licensed operator. Free. Use this when individual self-exclusions aren't holding.

Free, confidential helplines

Every helpline below is free, confidential, and not connected to any operator. They will not push you toward any particular product or service. They will listen.

If you’re a friend or family member

If someone close to you is showing signs of problem gambling, the temptation to confront, control, or "fix it" is strong — and largely ineffective. The services above also support family members directly. Gam-Anon (UK) and equivalents in other countries focus exclusively on supporting family members of problem gamblers. Use them.

A note from us

1baraban earns money when people gamble. We are aware of that tension. We refuse to write content that pressures readers toward deposits, ranks operators by aggression of bonus offers, or downplays risk. The Trust Index materially upweights operators that take responsible-gambling tooling seriously. We don’t consider that a marketing position — we consider it a baseline.

18+ only. Gambling can be addictive. If you need help, the resources on this page are real, free, and confidential.