Responsible gambling

Who can play online poker

You must be at least 18 to play real-money poker, and older where local law sets a higher age, as many US states and Canadian provinces do. Licensed poker rooms verify your age and identity before you can withdraw, and they close accounts opened by minors.

If children use your computer or phone, use parental control software and do not save poker room passwords on shared devices.

How rakeback fits into a playing budget

Rakeback returns part of the rake you have already paid. It does not turn a losing player into a winning one, and chasing a higher VIP level by playing more hands than you planned costs more in rake and losses than the extra rakeback returns.

Set your playing volume first and treat rakeback as a reduction in cost at that volume. If a level goal or a rake race pushes you to play longer than you want, stop chasing it.

Signs that poker is becoming a problem

• You play with money meant for rent, bills or food.
• You raise your stakes or play longer to win back losses.
• You hide how much time or money you spend on poker from people close to you.
• You feel restless or irritable when you try to cut down.
• You borrow money or sell things to keep playing.
• Poker gets in the way of work, study, sleep or family life.

If any of these sound familiar, use the tools below and talk to someone. Support services are free and confidential.

Tools poker rooms give you

Licensed poker rooms offer controls in the account settings or through customer support. You can usually set them yourself in a few minutes.

• Deposit limits cap how much you can add to your account per day, week or month.
• Loss limits and session time limits stop play once you reach the amount or time you chose.
• Reality checks show a reminder of how long you have been playing.
• A time-out locks your account for a short period, from a day to several weeks.
• Self-exclusion closes your account for six months or longer, and the room cannot reopen it early at your request.

Lowering a limit takes effect immediately, while raising one usually comes with a waiting period. National self-exclusion schemes, such as GamStop in Great Britain and BetStop in Australia, block you from every licensed online operator in the country at once.

Where to get help

Free, confidential support is available by phone. The list below shows the national helplines for the country selected at the top of the page.

Gamblers Anonymous holds meetings in many countries for people who want to stop gambling. If you are worried about someone else, helplines also support family members and friends.