Responsible Gambling
Pokies have a genuine, long-standing place in Australian culture, pubs, clubs, the local TAB, and now online. That familiarity is exactly why it’s worth being direct about this page rather than treating it as a legal formality: pokies should stay entertainment, and if they’ve stopped being that for you, we’d rather you knew exactly what’s available than have to go looking for it mid-session.
This isn’t a scare tactic, it’s a fact worth knowing, because it changes how this page should actually be read. Australians gamble at a higher rate, and lose more per capita, than almost any other country. Pokies specifically are a huge part of that figure. That context matters: the tools on this page aren’t a rare precaution for an unusual minority, they’re genuinely relevant to a very large share of people who play regularly, which is exactly why every account here has them built in by default rather than as an opt-in extra.
Deposit limits, capping how much you can put in over a day, week, or month. Lowering one is instant. Raising one involves a cooling-off period, on purpose, since impulse should never be the reason a limit goes up.
Loss limits, a separate ceiling on net losses over a period, useful if you’re fine depositing a certain amount but want a tighter cap on what you’re actually willing to lose overall.
Session reminders, a check-in prompt after a set amount of playing time, not a hard stop, just something to interrupt a session that’s quietly run longer than planned.
Self-exclusion, temporary or permanent, and once it’s on, it can’t be switched off early. That’s deliberate.
All four sit in your account settings, no support ticket needed, adjustable any time.
Unlike a lot of advice that just tells you to “search for a helpline in your area,” Australia has one genuinely well-established, government-backed service worth naming directly: Gambling Help Online, reachable on 1800 858 858, available 24/7, free, and confidential. It covers support for the person gambling as well as family and friends affected by someone else’s gambling. If you take one thing from this page, it’s that number.
Not a checklist, just questions worth sitting with occasionally. Are you playing with money set aside for something else, rent, bills, a bigger goal you’re saving for? Have you upped a bet specifically chasing back a previous loss, rather than because that’s genuinely what you’d normally stake? Has a partner, mate, or family member said something, even lightly, about how much time or money you’re putting into this? Do you feel relief closing the app, or a pull to keep going past when you meant to stop?
No answer here diagnoses anything. They’re just worth being honest about now and then, the same way you’d check in on any other habit that costs money and time.
Set your budget before you open the lobby, not partway through, and treat it as the cost of a night’s entertainment, not money you expect back. Set a time limit alongside the dollar limit, long sessions are where judgment slips first. Skip playing when you’re stressed, upset, or have had a few drinks, decisions made in that state rarely hold up well the next morning. And when a natural stopping point arrives, a bonus round wrapping up, a session reminder popping up, actually take it as a pause instead of immediately spinning something else to fill the gap.
Support isn’t only for the person playing. Gambling Help Online also supports family members and friends affected by someone else’s gambling, and reaching out on their behalf is a legitimate step, not overstepping a line. If you’re the one being gently asked to slow down by someone who cares about you, it’s worth actually hearing that rather than brushing it off, people close to you often spot a pattern before you do yourself.
Players need to be 18 or over, the minimum age for online gambling in Australia, verified as part of standard account verification. If you believe a minor has accessed an account here, contact support immediately so it can be reviewed and restricted.
Deposit limits, loss limits, session reminders, and self-exclusion are all in account settings after logging in. No support ticket required to activate any of them, only raising a limit involves the built-in cooling-off period.
For most Australians who play pokies, online or off, it stays exactly what it’s meant to be, a fun way to spend some time. If that’s genuinely not the case for you right now, Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858 and the tools built into your account are there for precisely this, not as a box-ticking exercise, but because we’d rather you actually used them.
ALL THE WAYS TO PLAY POKER FOR REAL MONEY
1800 858 858 — free and confidential, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Covers support for both the person gambling and their family or friends.
Log in and head to account settings. Deposit limits, loss limits, session time reminders, and self-exclusion are all adjustable directly from there without needing to contact support.
No, not before the period you have chosen ends. It is built that way on purpose — the design prevents an impulsive reversal from taking effect before the exclusion period runs its course.
Lowering a limit takes effect immediately. Raising one goes through a cooling-off period first, specifically so that an impulsive decision to increase your limit in the moment cannot take effect right away. The delay is the protection.
Yes. Gambling Help Online supports family members and friends affected by someone else's gambling, not only the individual playing. The same number applies — 1800 858 858, free and available at any time.
No. Responsible gambling tools work independently of bonus terms and will not void anything you have already claimed or cancel progress toward a wagering requirement you are working through.
18. Age is verified as part of standard account verification and access is not available to anyone under that age regardless of payment method or account status.