Responsible Gaming

Gambling should be entertainment that you pay for, in the same way you pay for a cinema ticket or a meal out. It is not a way to make money, to win back money you have already lost, or to cope with stress, boredom or bad news. Every game we offer is built so that the house holds a mathematical advantage over time, and no system or pattern changes that.

Before you play, decide what you can afford to lose and treat that amount as spent the moment you deposit it. A sensible budget is money that is left over once rent, bills, food, credit repayments and the needs of anyone who depends on you have been covered. If you would have to borrow in order to play, the stake is too high.

If we cannot complete those checks, or if we find that an account belongs to someone under 18, we close the account, withhold any winnings and return deposits as set out in our terms.

Our teams also look at how accounts are used and may get in touch if deposits, time spent or patterns of play suggest that gambling has stopped being enjoyable. We may ask questions, suggest a limit, or restrict an account where we believe that is the right step.

Every account includes free controls that you can set yourself at any time, in the safer gambling section of your account. You do not need to give a reason, and using them does not affect withdrawals or how we treat you as a customer.

Deposit limits

Set the most you can add to your account in a day, a week or a month, or all three. A lower limit takes effect straight away. A request to raise or remove one is held for a cooling-off period and then needs confirming, so a limit cannot be lifted in the heat of the moment.

Loss and session limits

A loss limit caps the net amount you can lose over the period you choose, counting wins against stakes. A session limit logs you out once you have been playing for the length of time you set.

Reality checks

A reality check pauses play at an interval you pick and shows how long you have been playing and how much you are up or down, so you can decide whether to carry on or stop.

Time-outs

A time-out closes your account to play for a short fixed period chosen from the options shown in your account. We stop sending you marketing, you can still withdraw any remaining balance, and the time-out cannot be cancelled early.

Self-exclusion

Self-exclusion locks your account for one of the longer periods offered in your account or on request to us. Marketing stops, the account cannot be reopened while the exclusion runs, and reopening afterwards needs a request from you and a further cooling-off period.

Switching a control on

1. Log in and open the safer gambling section from the account menu or the cashier.
2. Choose the control you want to set.
3. Pick the amount or the length of time from the options shown.
4. Confirm. New and lower limits apply immediately; increases wait for the cooling-off period shown on screen.
5. If you cannot find a setting, or would like help choosing one, use the live chat on the site or e-mail support@casino-royalelounge.co.uk and we will apply it for you.

Harm builds slowly, and it shows up in habits rather than in a single session. Go through the list below honestly, thinking about the last few months rather than today.

• Playing for longer or for more money than you planned.
• Chasing losses with bigger stakes to get even.
• Borrowing, using credit or selling things to fund play.
• Hiding how much you play from family, friends or a partner.
• Playing to escape stress, loneliness, anxiety or low mood.
• Missing work, study, sleep or family time because of gambling.
• Feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut back.
• Falling behind on bills, rent or credit repayments.
• Thinking about gambling for much of the day.
• Feeling guilt or shame once a session ends.

If more than one of these feels familiar, set a limit or take a time-out today and speak to one of the organisations below. Their support is free, and you do not need to be in crisis to use it.

The organisations below work separately from us. You can approach any of them directly, at no cost, whether you are worried about your own gambling or about someone else's.

• GamCare - a charity providing free, confidential counselling, group support and treatment for anyone affected by gambling, including family members, and the operator of the National Gambling Helpline.
• National Gambling Helpline - a free, confidential helpline staffed by trained advisers, open every day of the year, offering support by telephone or online chat and referral into treatment.
• GambleAware - a charity that funds prevention and treatment services and publishes plain information on gambling harm, including self-assessment tools and details of local support.
• GamStop - the free self-exclusion scheme covering participating online gambling sites: once you register and choose a period, those operators, including us, must not let you open or use an account.

Your GP, a free debt advice charity and the gambling block offered by many banks and card issuers can all help alongside these services. Registering with GamStop does not by itself close your account with us, so use the self-exclusion tool here as well if you want your account locked.

No one under 18 may hold an account, play our games or take part in any promotion. We verify the age and identity of every account holder and may repeat those checks at any time; an account we cannot verify is suspended until the documents we ask for reach us.

Children usually reach gambling sites through an adult's device rather than their own. Keep your login details to yourself, avoid saving passwords or card details in a shared browser, log out when you finish, and never let anyone else use your account. Allowing another person to play on your account breaks our terms and can void winnings.

Parental control and content-filtering software can block gambling sites on the computers, tablets and phones children use, and most operating systems, home routers and mobile networks include settings of this kind. If you think someone under 18 has used your account, tell us straight away.