Responsible Gambling

Last updated: 25 May 2026

Gambling is entertainment when it is in proportion to the rest of your life and within an amount you can afford to lose. It stops being entertainment when it crosses either of those lines. This page is for any Australian who wants to think about their own play, or who is worried about someone else's, and needs the right resources.

If You Need Help Now

The following Australian services are free, confidential and operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week:

  • Gambling Help Online — free online chat and phone counselling, funded by Australian state and territory governments. Call 1800 858 858. The single most useful starting point.
  • Lifeline — 13 11 14 — 24/7 crisis support for anyone in distress, including gambling-related distress.
  • BetStop — the National Self-Exclusion Register. Registering blocks you from all Australian-licensed online wagering operators for a period you choose (minimum 3 months, up to lifetime). It does not directly block offshore casinos, but it is an important layer.
  • Financial Counselling Australia — 1800 007 007 — free financial counselling if gambling has caused debt, missed bills or financial hardship.
  • 13YARN — 13 92 76 — 24/7 crisis support line run by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Warning Signs

Problem gambling rarely arrives all at once. It tends to creep in. Common early signs:

  • Spending more time or money on gambling than you intended
  • Trying to win back losses (“chasing”)
  • Borrowing money to gamble or to pay for things gambling has displaced
  • Hiding the extent of your gambling from partner, family or friends
  • Feeling restless or irritable when not gambling
  • Lying about wins or losses
  • Skipping meals, sleep, work, study or social commitments to gamble
  • Mood swings tied to wins and losses
  • Using gambling as a way to cope with stress, anxiety or depression

If two or more of these apply to you right now, please contact Gambling Help Online. Talking to a trained counsellor is anonymous and free, and it does not commit you to anything.

Self-Assessment

The most widely-used self-screening tool is the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), nine questions developed by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction and used by Australian gambling research and treatment services. You can complete it free and anonymously at Gambling Help Online's self-assessment page.

Tools You Can Use Now

Deposit and Loss Limits

Every legitimate online casino offers deposit and loss limit tools in account settings. Set them before you have a problem, not after. Reducing a limit takes effect immediately; raising a limit involves a 24–48 hour cooling-off period in most cases — that delay is there for a reason and you should not try to work around it.

Session Time Reminders

Built-in session reminders that pop up after 30, 60 or 90 minutes are surprisingly effective at breaking autopilot. Turn them on.

Self-Exclusion

Self-exclusion is a tool, not a failure. Most operators offer 24-hour, 7-day, 30-day, 6-month and permanent options. Permanent self-exclusion at a given operator is generally irreversible — that's the point of it. Pair operator self-exclusion with BetStop for maximum coverage.

Bank Card Blocks

Most major Australian banks (Commonwealth Bank, NAB, ANZ, Westpac, Bendigo, Suncorp, ING, Macquarie and others) offer a gambling block on your debit and credit cards through their mobile apps. Turning it on blocks all gambling transactions identified by merchant category code. Turning it off involves a cooling-off period of 48 hours in most cases.

Software Blockers

Gamban (gamban.com) and BetBlocker (betblocker.org) are software tools that block access to gambling sites at the device level. Both are paid services with low monthly costs; BetBlocker is free. They work alongside the other tools above, not as a replacement.

How Spirit Casino's Tools Compare to AU-Licensed Operators

Spirit Casino offers the standard suite of responsible gambling tools (deposit/loss limits, session reminders, reality checks, self-exclusion). The honest difference compared to Australian-licensed operators is that BetStop registration does not directly block offshore casinos — you need to self-exclude at each offshore operator individually and supplement with software blockers if you want comprehensive coverage. This is one of the trade-offs of the offshore model and it is worth understanding before you sign up.

Helping Someone Else

If you are worried about a partner, family member or friend, the same services above are available to you. Gambling Help Online has dedicated resources for affected family members and friends. The most important things you can do are usually:

  • Don't lend money for gambling, or to repay gambling debts
  • Don't bail them out of gambling-caused financial trouble — it reinforces the behaviour
  • Encourage but don't force professional help
  • Look after your own mental health; supporting someone with a gambling problem is genuinely hard work

Under 18

Online casinos are for adults only. The minimum legal age for gambling in Australia is 18. If you are under 18, please leave this page now. If you know an under-18 who is gambling, contact Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 — free, confidential, 24/7.

Final Word

Recognising a problem early is much easier than recognising it late. If you have read this page out of concern for your own play, that recognition is already valuable. The services listed above exist precisely because gambling problems are common and treatable. Please use them.