Gambling Is Entertainment, Not Income
Online pokies, live casino and sports betting are designed to be fun. Over a long enough period, the house has a statistical edge on virtually every game — that is how regulated casinos work. If you treat gambling as entertainment spending, you set a budget before you play, you expect to sometimes walk away without winning, and you stop when the budget is gone. That's a healthy relationship with gaming.
If you start treating gambling as an income strategy, a way to recover past losses, or a way to manage stress or anxiety, the relationship has changed. That's the point at which it's worth pausing, stepping back, and reaching out for support.
Warning Signs
Problem gambling can develop gradually. Look out for these signs in yourself or someone close to you:
- Gambling more money than you can comfortably afford to lose.
- Chasing losses — increasing bets to "win back" what you've already lost.
- Borrowing money, selling possessions or using funds earmarked for bills.
- Lying to family, friends or partners about time or money spent gambling.
- Losing sleep, feeling anxious, or experiencing mood swings connected to gambling.
- Feeling unable to stop when you've decided to, or feeling relief only when gambling.
- Gambling being the first thing you think about in the morning or the last thing at night.
- Withdrawing from hobbies, social life or work because of gambling.
If any of these sounds familiar, please talk to someone. A free, confidential conversation with Gambling Help Online can be the starting point — it does not commit you to anything.
Practical Self-Management Tools
1. Set limits before you play
Every regulated Australian-facing casino platform — including Crikey7, Bonza7 and Dinkum33 — offers deposit limits, loss limits, session time limits and cool-off periods inside your account settings. Set these before you deposit, not after a losing streak. Limits take effect immediately but often cannot be lifted for 24-48 hours, which is a deliberate safety feature.
2. Take a break
Most platforms allow you to pause your account for 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days or longer. Use this when you feel stressed, angry or desperate — do not gamble through those feelings.
3. Self-exclude
If you want a harder, longer barrier, you can self-exclude from a specific platform directly. To self-exclude from every licensed Australian online wagering operator at once, register at BetStop — the national self-exclusion register. BetStop is free, government-operated, and available to any Australian resident aged 18 or over. Once registered, you are automatically blocked from all licensed online wagering services for the duration you choose: 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, 5 years or lifetime.
4. Block gambling transactions at the source
Most Australian banks (including Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Westpac, NAB, and several digital banks) now offer a "gambling block" on your debit and credit cards. Enable it through your banking app. It prevents gambling-coded transactions from going through — a useful layer even if you self-exclude from the platforms themselves.
5. Use software blockers on your device
Tools like Gamban, BetBlocker and Gamblock prevent your phone and computer from accessing gambling websites entirely. Many of them are free and can be installed in minutes. They make an impulsive late-night decision much harder to act on.
Support for Family and Friends
Gambling harm rarely affects only the person gambling. Partners, parents, children and close friends often carry significant financial, emotional and relational stress. If you are worried about someone else's gambling, the same helplines can support you — you do not have to be the person gambling to call Gambling Help Online. Trained counsellors can help you plan a conversation, set protective financial boundaries, and access family counselling.
For Younger Players
Online real-money gambling in Australia is restricted to adults aged 18 and over. This restriction exists because adolescents and young adults are statistically more vulnerable to gambling-related harm. If you are under 18, please do not access this site or any partnered gaming platform.
Parents and guardians: most operating systems and home routers now include easy-to-enable parental controls that can block gambling category sites. Reach out to your internet service provider for guidance. Tools such as Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link and router-level content filtering are effective and free.
Self-Assessment
A quick way to gauge where you stand is the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a 9-question self-test used by clinicians in Australia and New Zealand. Gambling Help Online hosts the PGSI for free and returns your score with suggested next steps, entirely anonymously. Take the PGSI self-assessment.
How Mates Win Supports Responsible Play
- Every page on this Site includes an 18+ mark and a link back to this page in the footer.
- We never describe gambling as a reliable source of income, and we do not publish content that pressures new players to deposit.
- Our review content flags each platform's responsible-gambling tools and account-limit options.
- We comply with Australian advertising standards on gambling content and do not target vulnerable audiences.
- If a partnered platform fails to uphold reasonable responsible-gambling standards, we will flag it in the review and, if not corrected, remove the platform from the hub.
If you are in crisis right now
Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24/7) or Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858. Both are free and confidential. You do not have to be at "rock bottom" to call — these services exist precisely so you don't have to get there.
This page is informational and is not a substitute for professional counselling, financial advice or medical care. If gambling has caused serious financial harm, please reach out to a registered financial counsellor — the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 is free.