Responsible gambling
The uncomfortable arithmetic
Across regulated sportsbooks, the majority of retail accounts lose money over a year.
In prediction markets the same holds: most participants are net negative after fees.
Any content that implies otherwise — including ours, if we ever slip — should be treated as marketing.
Warning signs
- Betting to recover a previous loss rather than on a view you hold.
- Chasing a market after settlement has already moved against you.
- Hiding stakes or losses from people close to you.
- Staking money set aside for rent, food or debt repayment.
Tools that actually work
- Deposit limits — set them before your first deposit, when you are still thinking clearly.
- Time-out periods — 24 hours to 6 weeks, enforced by the operator, not by willpower.
- Self-exclusion — national schemes below remove you from multiple operators at once.
Where to get help
- UK — GamCare (gamcare.org.uk), GAMSTOP for self-exclusion.
- US — 1-800-GAMBLER, or your state's self-exclusion register.
- Canada — ConnexOntario, or the provincial programme where you live.
- Australia — Gambling Help Online, 1800 858 858.
- EU — your national regulator's register; most run a cross-operator exclusion list.
Age and jurisdiction
You must be of legal gambling age where you live — 18+ in most of Europe and Australia, 21+ in parts of the US. Accessing an operator from a jurisdiction where it is not licensed is your responsibility, and can void any balance you hold with them.