Responsible Gambling

The rest of this site assumes gambling is entertainment you can comfortably afford. This page is for when that is no longer true. Help is free, confidential, and available now.

Call Someone Today

Alberta — AHS Addiction Helpline, 1-866-332-2322. Free, confidential, 24 hours.

Ontario — ConnexOntario, 1-866-531-2600. Free, confidential, 24 hours.

Quebec — Gambling: Help and Referral, 1-800-461-0140.

British Columbia runs the Responsible & Problem Gambling Program; Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Atlantic provinces each operate a free provincial line. Every one of them will help you whether you played on a provincial site or an offshore one — they do not ask and it does not matter.

Gamblers Anonymous holds free meetings in most Canadian cities and online.

What It Looks Like Before You Notice

• Depositing more often, or more per deposit, than you meant to
• Raising your stake after a loss to get back to level
• Borrowing, or spending money that was set aside for something else
• Being vague with people who would be concerned if they knew the real figure
• Playing to get away from stress or boredom rather than for enjoyment
• Restlessness or irritation when you try to stop for a while
• Losing sleep, work or people to time spent playing

One of these is worth noticing. Two or three is worth ringing a number above.

Tools, Ranked By How Well They Work

Blocking software — most effective. Gamban and BetBlocker install on your devices and block gambling sites at the network level, with no cooperation required from any operator. BetBlocker is free. Because it does not depend on the casino, it works on offshore sites too.

Bank-level blocks. Several Canadian banks and card issuers will block gambling transactions on your account if you ask. Very effective and very easy to forget you can request.

Deposit limits. Available in the account settings at every site we cover. Set one on day one, while it is a calm decision — nobody sets a sensible limit mid-session, which is exactly when it counts.

Time-outs and session reminders. Most operators can lock the account for a set period or prompt you at an interval you choose.

Self-exclusion. Longer term. Provincial programmes cover provincial sites only; offshore operators each run their own scheme, which is a genuine limitation of playing outside a provincial framework and one worth weighing before you deposit anywhere.

If The Problem Is Someone Else's

You do not need their agreement to get advice, and the helplines above support family and friends without asking you to confront anybody. What helps in practice: do not lend money, do not clear a debt, do not gamble with them or on their behalf, and separate your own finances. You did not cause it and you cannot fix it by managing it for them.

What We Will Never Do

Claim a system beats the maths. Use a countdown or a fake shortage to hurry a signup. Tell you a losing run is about to turn. We would genuinely rather you shut this page and phone the number above than open an account today.