Responsible gambling in Australia
A pokie should be entertainment you pay for, never a way to make money. These tools and services help keep it that way — and free help is available around the clock.
Limits and time-outs
Decide your budget in A$ before you open any account, and treat it as spent. Many casino sites let you set deposit, loss and session limits and take a cooling-off break; look for them in the account settings. Lowering a limit usually works at once; raising one should take time, so set it low. Keep gambling money separate from rent, bills and savings, and never play when you are upset, tired or drinking.
Online casinos cannot be licensed in Australia, so any real-money site is offshore. Its limit and self-exclusion tools are its own, not backed by an Australian regulator.
Self-exclusion
BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register, lets you block yourself from every licensed Australian online and phone wagering provider for three months up to life. It does not cover offshore casinos. At an offshore site, ask support to close or exclude your account, and add blocking software to your devices if it helps.
Signs that gambling is becoming a problem
- Chasing. Playing on to win back what you lost.
- Hiding it. Keeping your play or spending from people close to you.
- Borrowing. Using credit, loans or bill money to keep going.
- Feeling low. Anxiety, guilt or irritability after a session, or when you try to cut back.
- Losing time. Sessions run far longer than planned, and sleep or work suffers.
Risk points in the Joker Mask pokie
Buy Features cost 30× to 90× the bet for one round, and Increased Chance doubles every spin. Autoplay can run up to 1,000 rounds without a pause. If you use either, set stop conditions — such as a balance drop — before you start. Quick spin makes rounds pass faster too, so check the clock as well as the balance.
Where to get help
- Gambling Help Online — 1800 858 858, free, confidential, 24/7, by phone or chat.
- BetStop — the National Self-Exclusion Register for licensed online and phone wagering.
- Family and friends affected by someone’s gambling can call Gambling Help Online too — the service is for them as well.
- Lifeline — 13 11 14 for crisis support.