Gambling can be an entertaining pastime, but it carries real risks. Understanding those risks and knowing how to manage them helps keep gambling from becoming harmful.
Recognising Problem Gambling
Problem gambling does not always look the same for everyone, but common warning signs include:
- Spending more money or time gambling than you intended
- Chasing losses by placing further bets to recover money already lost
- Borrowing money or selling possessions to fund gambling
- Feeling restless or irritable when trying to cut back
- Neglecting work, study, family, or other responsibilities because of gambling
- Lying to friends or family about how much you gamble
- Using gambling to escape stress, anxiety, or low mood
Recognising these signs in yourself or someone close to you is a meaningful first step. Concern about gambling behaviour does not require a crisis point to be valid — early awareness makes a difference.
Practical Steps for Staying in Control
Setting clear limits before you start is one of the most effective habits a gambler can build. Decide on a fixed amount you are comfortable losing entirely, and treat that figure as the cost of entertainment rather than a stake you expect to recover. Once it is gone, stop.
Time limits work alongside money limits. It is easy to lose track of hours at a screen, so setting an alarm or using a clock can help you step away at a planned moment rather than at the point of exhaustion.
Avoid gambling when you are upset, tired, or under the influence of alcohol. Decisions made in those states tend to be impulsive and are rarely regretted less later. Gambling with clear-headed expectations of the outcome — including the likelihood of losing — is far safer than gambling driven by emotion.
Taking regular breaks, even brief ones, interrupts the rhythm that can cause sessions to extend well beyond what you planned.
Getting Help
You can reach it by phone on 1800 858 858 , available around the clock, every day of the year. Online chat and self-help resources are also available at gamblinghelponline.org.au .
The Gambling Help Online website also offers a self-assessment tool and guided support programmes for both people experiencing gambling harm and those affected by someone else's gambling.
If you prefer face-to-face support, state and territory health services in Australia fund local counselling through community health centres. A GP can provide a referral if you are unsure where to start.
Supporting Someone Else
If you are concerned about another person's gambling, approaching the conversation with empathy rather than judgment tends to be more effective. Focus on specific behaviours you have observed and express concern for their wellbeing rather than making accusations. Organisations such as Gambling Help Online also provide guidance specifically for family members and friends in this situation.
You cannot force someone to seek help, but making them aware that support exists — and that you are willing to assist them in accessing it — can matter a great deal.