Set a deposit limit first

A deposit limit caps what you can put into the account over a day, a week or a month. You are asked to set one when you open the account, and you can change it whenever you like. A reduction takes effect immediately. An increase is held for seven days. It sits in a waiting period first, so that a decision made in the middle of a session cannot take effect during that session.

The most useful thing about a deposit limit is that it is decided in advance, when you are not losing. That is the whole idea, and it is why we ask for one before your first bet rather than after your tenth.

The other controls

• Activity statement. A plain summary of deposits, withdrawals, turnover and net position over a period you choose. We send one automatically and you can pull one at any time.
• Take a break. Locks the account for a period you set. You cannot bet or deposit, and we will not contact you with anything promotional.
• Close your account. Permanent, processed the same day, with any balance returned to a verified account in your name.
• Marketing off. One switch turns off every non-essential message. We will still send the statements and notices we are required to send.

BetStop

BetStop is the National Self-Exclusion Register, run free of charge by the Australian Government. Registering once excludes you from every licensed online and telephone wagering provider in Australia at the same time, not just from us. For as long as your registration is active, no provider may open an account in your name, accept a bet from you, or send you marketing material. You can register for a minimum of three months through to a lifetime exclusion at betstop.gov.au.

Signs worth taking seriously

Gambling stops being entertainment at a point that is different for everybody, and it rarely announces itself. These are the patterns that most often come up in the research and in the calls counsellors take:

• Betting more than you planned, or more often than you planned, on a regular basis.
• Chasing a loss with a bigger bet to get back to level.
• Betting with money set aside for rent, bills, food or a debt.
• Hiding the extent of it from a partner, a family member or a friend.
• Feeling restless, irritable or low when you cannot bet.
• Borrowing to fund betting, or selling something to fund betting.
• Thinking about the next bet during work, at night, or in the middle of something else.

One of these on its own is worth a pause. Two or more together is worth a conversation with someone on 1800 858 858. That call is free, confidential, available at any hour, and does not require you to have decided anything in advance.

What we will not do

• We will not offer you credit, lend you money, or accept a credit card, credit-related product or digital currency as payment.
• We will not advertise inducements to open an account, refer a friend or keep betting.
• We will not send you marketing while you have a take-a-break period, a reduced limit or a BetStop registration active.
• We will not accept a bet from anyone under 18, and we verify age before a first withdrawal is released.
• We will not reopen a closed account on the day it was closed.

Some plain arithmetic

Every market we offer carries a margin. Over a long enough run, that margin is the reason a bookmaker exists and the reason most customers finish behind. No system, staking plan or tipping service changes it. Bet with money you can afford to lose, treat what you spend as the cost of the entertainment rather than an investment, and stop when it stops being fun.