Online gambling

Online Advice

If you are currently gambling online or want to in the future, and are wary of the need to keep control of your gambling, the advice below should help.

• Keep track of the time that you are playing for.
• Only spend what you can afford to lose, keep track of your spend whilst playing and remember that the numbers on the screen are REAL MONEY
• Avoid chasing your losses
• If you're a parent keep your password safe, and if you wish, use software to block access to gambling sites from minors
• Look for sites with options where you can set your own spend and session limits, which can help you to control your gambling

If you are having a problem then you can request to be self-excluded from the site. There is also software that blocks access to all online gambling sites. See www.gambleperfect.com for more details.

Online Gambling

Online gambling is becoming an increasingly popular form of gambling, and there are now an estimated 3,000 gambling websites on the Internet. As well as the Internet, you can now gamble through interactive television and a mobile phone. The convenience of gambling at home, the ease of setting up an gambling account and the variety of forms of gambling - from traditional betting, to casino gambling, bingo and lotteries - makes online gambling very appealing. However, whilst many people gamble online without any problems GamCare receives a significant number of calls to our NetLine and HelpLine who are losing control of their gambling online.

There are some apects of the internet and gambling online that could increase the risk of developing a gambling problem. These are:

• The ability to gamble 24 hours a day in your own home
• The increased risk of exposure and access by children
• The absorption of computers, leading people to lose track of time whilst gambling
• The decrease in the perception of the value of cash - i.e. players are forgetting that they are spending money