Responsible Gambling

The two rules

If you remember nothing else from this page:

1. Only play with money you can afford to lose. Not next month's rent. Not the credit card. Not borrowed money. If a loss would change your week, you're betting too much.
2. Don't chase. Chasing losses — increasing bet size after a losing streak to "make it back" — is the single biggest pattern in problem gambling. Walk away. The session will be there tomorrow.

Set limits before you start

Every operator on our site provides built-in tools for setting limits. Use them before you need them. Once you're chasing a loss, willpower is no longer reliable — a deposit limit you set last week is.

Deposit limits

Cap the total you can deposit per day, week, or month. Reductions take effect immediately; increases require a cooling-off period.

Session limits

Cap how long you can stay logged in. The casino logs you out at the limit. Useful for keeping sessions short on weeknights.

Loss limits

Cap how much you can lose in a period. When you hit the cap, the casino blocks new wagers until the period resets. Most player-friendly tool on the list — it lets you keep playing as long as you're winning.

Cool-off periods

Block your account for 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days. Useful for breaking a streak you don't like.

Self-exclusion

Permanently — or for a defined period of months to years — block your account at the operator level. Most operators honor cross-brand exclusion within their parent group. Self-exclusion through a national or state register (like New Jersey's voluntary self-exclusion list, or Pennsylvania's iGaming Self-Exclusion) blocks access across all operators in that jurisdiction.

Warning signs

Problem gambling rarely arrives all at once. It builds. Check yourself against this list — if any of these are true for you, take a break:

• You're playing longer than you planned, on most sessions
• You think about gambling when you're trying to focus on something else
• You've lied to family or a partner about how much you've played or lost
• You've borrowed money — including from credit cards or short-term lenders — to gamble
• You've felt restless or irritable when trying to cut back
• You've chased losses by increasing stakes
• You've missed work, school, or a personal commitment because of gambling
• You feel relief or guilt — not enjoyment — when you finish a session

Where to get help

State-level resources

Several states with regulated iGaming run dedicated self-exclusion programs and 24/7 helplines:

• New Jersey: 1-800-GAMBLER (state version), NJ DGE Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program
• Pennsylvania: 1-800-GAMBLER, PGCB Self-Exclusion List
• Michigan: 1-800-270-7117, MGCB Responsible Gaming Database
• West Virginia: 1-800-426-2537, WV Lottery Voluntary Self-Exclusion
• Connecticut: 1-888-789-7777, CCPG Voluntary Self-Exclusion

Filters & blocking software

For an additional layer of self-control, third-party blocking software prevents access to gambling sites at the device level:

• Gamban — gambling-specific blocker, paid subscription, blocks 100,000+ gambling sites and apps
• GamBlock — desktop and mobile blocking software
• BetBlocker — free, open-source, multi-platform

Our commitment

Net Direct Casinos will never recommend an operator that doesn't ship deposit limits, session limits, and self-exclusion as standard. If an operator we've previously recommended removes or restricts these tools, it comes off the ranking. We display the 21+ badge and the National Council helpline on every page of the site, and we link to operator self-exclusion tools from every casino review.