Play Within Your Limits

Everything on Honey Creeper is written for adults aged 18 and over, and everything rests on one fact: every casino game has a house edge, so over time gambling costs money. It can be an enjoyable pastime when it is treated like a night at the cinema, paid for from money set aside for fun. It stops being a pastime when it starts to feel like a way to fix a money problem, or when it begins to take more time and attention than you meant to give it.

Before you play

• Set a budget you can afford to lose entirely. Think of it as the price of the evening, not a stake you expect to get back.
• Set a time limit. Fast games such as slots apply the house edge many times an hour, so time matters as much as money.
• Turn on your account's safety tools. Licensed platforms commonly offer deposit limits, session reminders, cooling-off periods and self-exclusion. Switching them on before you start is easier than deciding in the middle of a session.
• Keep gambling separate from bills. Never use money meant for rent, food, debts or savings, and never borrow to play.
• Check the rules where you live. Ages and laws differ between countries, and some forbid online gambling altogether.

While you play

• Stop when the budget or the time is used up, whichever comes first, even in the middle of a fun spell.
• Do not chase losses. Raising stakes to win back what is gone is the most common way a bad evening turns into a bad month.
• Take breaks, and avoid playing when you are tired, upset or have been drinking.

Signs worth taking seriously

Any of the following, even occasionally, is a reason to pause and talk to someone:

• Spending more money or time than you planned, again and again.
• Keeping your playing secret from family or friends.
• Getting tense, moody or short-tempered when you try to play less.
• Taking loans, selling belongings or falling behind on payments to keep playing.
• Thinking about gambling as the way out of money worries.

Where to find help

Many countries have free, confidential gambling helplines, counselling services and support groups, some run by health services and some by charities. A search for gambling support together with the name of your country will usually find them, and a doctor or local health service can point you in the right direction too. If you play online, your account provider must normally offer self-exclusion, and many countries also run national self-exclusion schemes that cover several operators at once. Family members affected by someone else's gambling can usually find support through the same services.

What this site is not

We are writers, not counsellors, and we cannot offer treatment or advice for individual situations. If you are worried about your own gambling or someone else's, please contact a support service where you live. For anything about the site itself, our contact page is open, and the reasoning behind house edges is explained in Odds Made Simple.