Signs it is slipping

Recognising a sign early is not a failure. It is useful information — and there are concrete next steps.

Warning signs

• Chasing losses — betting more to try to win back what was lost.
• Betting with money needed for rent, bills or family.
• Hiding the extent of play, or lying about losses.
• Feeling unable to stop, or returning immediately after self-excluding elsewhere.
• Borrowing, selling possessions, or using credit to gamble.
• Raising or removing limits you set for yourself, again and again.

What helps next

• Take a break now: use a time-out or self-exclusion — in Ontario, BetGuard covers regulated online gambling through one registration.
• Tell one person you trust what is actually happening, with numbers.
• Talk to a free, confidential service — you do not need to be certain you have a problem to call. Ontario: ConnexOntario, 1-866-531-2600, 24/7 — see Get help.

This page is information, not a diagnosis and not counselling.