Limits, time-outs and self-exclusion at your bookmaker
Licensed South African bookmakers offer control tools in the account settings or through support. Switch them on when you are calm, ideally on a quiet day between matches.
- Deposit limit. A rand ceiling on how much you can load in a day, a week or a month.
- Time-out. A pause of a day or a few weeks with betting and deposits frozen.
- Self-exclusion. A longer block on your account, for a period you pick.
Self-exclusion can also go through a provincial gambling board. The National Gambling Board keeps a national register of excluded persons, which licensed operators use to refuse bets from people on it.
When betting stops being fun
Chasing losses is the clearest warning sign: raising the stake after a loss to get the money back. Other signs include using rent, grocery or school fee money for bets, borrowing to deposit, keeping bets secret at home and growing irritable when you try to cut back.
Recognise yourself in a couple of these? Put a deposit cap on your account now and speak to a friend or family member. Responsible gambling in South Africa also means knowing that help is free.
Free help: the NRGP helpline and WhatsApp
The National Responsible Gambling Programme, run by the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation, offers free and confidential help. Call the toll-free helpline on 0800 006 008, or send a WhatsApp message to 076 675 0710.
BetBlocker is free software that blocks gambling sites and apps on phones and computers, for a period you choose.