Responsible gambling tools explained

The tools at a glance

Not every site has every tool, and the names vary. Provincially licensed bookmakers offer self-exclusion as part of their responsible gambling obligations, and most offer deposit limits too.

Deposit limits

A deposit limit is the single most useful tool. You choose the most you’re willing to put in over a day, week or month, and the cashier refuses any deposit above it.

How to set one: log in, open My Account (or Settings), then Responsible Gambling or Deposit Limits. Pick the period, enter the amount and save.

Two rules are almost universal, and they work in your favour:

• Lowering a limit takes effect immediately.
• Raising a limit is delayed, usually 24 hours to seven days, so that a decision made in the middle of a losing session has time to cool off.

A worked example. Say your entertainment budget is R1,200 a month. Set a monthly deposit limit of R1,200. If you deposit R300 a week, you’ll hit the limit in the fourth week and can’t top up until the next month. If you have a bad first week and deposit R1,200 at once, you’re done for the month, which is exactly the point.

A monthly limit is usually better than a daily one: a daily R100 limit still allows R3,000 a month.

Loss and wager limits

A loss limit caps how much you can lose, net of wins, over a period. It’s useful if you deposit, withdraw and redeposit, because a deposit limit only counts money going in.

A wager limit caps the total value of your bets. It matters most on fast games such as slots, crash games and Plinko: at R10 a spin and five seconds a spin, a slot can take R7,200 in bets per hour. Even at a 96% RTP that’s about R290 of expected loss per hour. A wager limit stops you turning over far more than you meant to, and it’s worth knowing that number if you’re clearing a bonus.

Session limits and reality checks

A session time limit logs you out after a set time, say an hour. A reality check is a pop-up that interrupts play every so often (every 30 or 60 minutes) to show how long you’ve been playing and how much you’ve won or lost.

Both are aimed at the same problem: on slots, crash games and live casino, time disappears. A reality check that says “You’ve played for 1 hour 40 minutes and are down R640” is a useful jolt.

Time-outs (cool-off periods)

A time-out blocks your account for a short, fixed period, usually from 24 hours up to six weeks. You can’t deposit or bet, but your account and balance stay intact. Use one after a big loss, around payday if that’s when you overspend, or during a busy period when you’d rather not be tempted.

Like raising a limit, a time-out can’t normally be cancelled early.

Self-exclusion

Self-exclusion is the strongest tool. You ask the operator to block you for a fixed period, commonly six months, one year or five years. During that time:

• You can’t log in, deposit or place bets.
• Any balance is usually paid out to you, so withdraw it first if you can.
• The operator should stop sending you promotions by email, SMS and WhatsApp.
• Opening a new account with the same operator is a breach of its terms, and any winnings can be withheld.

How to self-exclude: look under Responsible Gambling in your account. If you can’t find it, contact support and say “I want to self-exclude for [period].” They have to act on it.

Under the National Gambling Act, South Africa also has a national register of excluded persons kept by the National Gambling Board. Exclusion through it is wider than a single operator. The NRGP (below) can explain how to apply.

Self-exclusion and offshore sites

If you self-exclude from SA-licensed bookmakers, offshore casinos won’t know about it. Sites licensed in Curaçao or elsewhere are outside the South African system, and their tools vary. Some are good; some are hard to find. Our guide to offshore vs SA-licensed sites explains what else changes.

To close that gap, use blocking software on your devices. Tools such as Gamban and BetBlocker block gambling websites and apps across your phone and computer, whichever licence they hold. You can also ask your bank whether it can block card payments to gambling merchants.

Using the tools together

A sensible set-up for most people:

1. A monthly deposit limit equal to the amount you’d happily spend on entertainment.
2. A reality check every 30 or 60 minutes.
3. A personal rule: no depositing again in the same session after you’ve lost.
4. A time-out the moment you notice you’re chasing losses.
5. Self-exclusion and blocking software if limits stop working.

Keep gambling money separate from bills money. Depositing from a separate account or with a fixed-value voucher makes the budget physical: when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Warning signs worth taking seriously

• Spending more than you planned, more often.
• Chasing losses: depositing again to win back what you lost.
• Borrowing money, or using money meant for rent, food or debt.
• Hiding gambling from people close to you.
• Feeling anxious or irritable when you can’t gamble.
• Treating gambling as a way to make money or fix money problems.

If any of these sound familiar, the tools above help, but talking to someone helps more.

Where to get help

The National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP), run by the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation, offers free, confidential counselling and treatment.

• Helpline: 0800 006 008, free and open 24 hours.
• Counselling is free and available in person or by phone, and you don’t need to be in crisis to call.

Family members can call too. If someone close to you gambles, the helpline can advise you on how to help them and protect yourself.

A last word

Gambling should cost you only what you’ve decided to spend on entertainment. Bonuses, crash games and betting are all designed to keep you playing, and the tools on this page are how you stay in charge. Set them on the day you open an account, not on the day you wish you had. Read more on our responsible gambling page.