Responsible Gambling

Bingo should fit within money and time you can afford to spend. If gambling is becoming difficult to control, support is available for you and for people affected by someone else’s gambling.

When to pause and take stock

A problem is not defined only by the size of a loss. Gambling may be causing harm if it interferes with bills, sleep, work, relationships or your ability to stop when you intended. Small amounts can still matter when they are money needed elsewhere.

• Spending more money or time than planned, or repeatedly raising limits.
• Returning to try to recover a loss rather than because you want to play.
• Borrowing, using bill money or selling possessions to fund gambling.
• Hiding activity, spending or losses from people close to you.
• Feeling anxious, irritable or preoccupied with gambling between sessions.
• Finding that breaks are difficult to keep or that gambling crowds out other activities.

You do not need to recognize every sign to ask for help. A support service can discuss your situation without you first having to decide on a label for it.

Set practical boundaries before playing

Decide in advance whether you want to play, how much you can comfortably lose and when you will stop. Keep that money separate from essentials such as housing, food, utilities and debt payments. A budget is a spending limit, not a target you need to reach.

Consider the full session. Buying more bingo cards, entering another room or continuing on a different device still adds to your total spending. A small ticket price does not establish that a long session will be inexpensive. Set a time reminder outside the game, and leave when your planned time or spending limit is reached.

Take breaks away from the screen. Avoid gambling when you are distressed, exhausted or affected by alcohol or other substances. Do not treat a prize as a reliable source of income or a way to solve a financial problem.

Limits, time-outs and self-exclusion

Where a service provides them, account controls may include deposit limits, loss or spending limits, session reminders, cooling-off periods and self-exclusion. Read what a control actually covers. A limit on deposits is not necessarily a limit on losses, and a short time-out is different from a formal exclusion.

Self-exclusion arrangements vary. An operator-level exclusion may cover only that operator or its specified brands; an official state program may have a different scope. Check which products, sites and venues are included, how long the exclusion lasts and what happens when the period ends. Do not assume an exclusion automatically transfers to every other gambling account.

If you want help finding appropriate local services or exclusion information, use the NCPG Help by State directory and the official authority responsible for the relevant gambling activity. Blocking software, marketing opt-outs and payment restrictions may provide additional barriers, but none should be treated as a complete substitute for support.

Independent support options

Gamblers Anonymous provides information about in-person, virtual and telephone meetings for people seeking peer support. Check its meeting directory for the current format and arrangements.

For counseling or treatment, a qualified professional can help assess your needs. A support group, a helpline referral and clinical treatment serve different purposes; you can use more than one source of support.

If someone else’s gambling affects you

You can seek support even if the person gambling does not want help. Protect money needed for your own essentials and consider independent advice before taking on another person’s gambling debts. Choose a calm time to describe the impact on you and the boundaries you need, rather than debating whether the next game could make the loss back.

The NCPG help resources can also direct affected family members and friends to relevant support. Gam-Anon provides a separate peer-support option for people affected by someone else’s gambling.

Keep gambling accounts away from minors

Meet the age and eligibility requirements for the specific product and location. Keep account credentials private, sign out on shared devices and use device controls where appropriate. Do not allow a child to use an adult’s gambling account or payment method.

Our role

onlinebingousa.com publishes bingo information and does not run gambling accounts or administer exclusions. Contact the service holding your account or the relevant exclusion program for action on an account. For an error in this page’s support information, email [email protected]. Please send only what is needed to identify the correction, rather than personal medical or financial records.