18+ (21+ where applicable). Please play responsibly.
Kikit is written for adults aged 18 and older. In a small number of markets the legal minimum is 21, including certain state-run gaming in the United States and parts of the Asia-Pacific region, and the higher figure always applies where it exists. If you, or anyone else in your household, is already signed up to a national self-exclusion scheme, please stick with that decision.
Warning signs that play is turning
A gambling problem rarely arrives overnight. It builds up quietly from habits that look ordinary in isolation, until they start reinforcing each other. Watch for the patterns below, in yourself or in someone whose betting worries you. One on its own is reason enough to take a break; two or more, and the tools further down this page are the sensible next step.
- Deposits creeping past your budget. A £50 evening that turns into £80, then £150, then "just one more top-up".
- Chasing losses. Logging in mainly to try to win back what you have already lost, rather than for the play itself.
- Hiding how much is going in. Deleting casino emails, clearing browser history, being vague with a partner about the amounts.
- Funding play with credit. Reaching for credit cards, overdrafts, buy-now-pay-later or short-term loans to cover deposits, a line that should never be crossed.
- The emotional weight. Feeling tense, restless or distracted on days off; sleep disturbed by thoughts of the last session or the next chance to recover.
- The strain on people around you. Arguments about money, bills going unpaid, or missed time with family in order to keep playing.
- Interests fading. The hobbies you used to enjoy quietly giving way to gambling.
Deposit, session and loss limits
Every casino licensed by a serious regulator (the UKGC, MGA, Spelinspektionen, KSA, Spillemyndigheden, ANJ, SRIJ or ACMA) is now legally required to keep the controls below inside account settings. After the 2024-2026 rule changes rolled out across the European Economic Area, deposit, session and loss caps are available on every licensed site. Set them at registration, not after a bad run has already happened.
- Deposit cap. Limits what you can pay in over a day, week or month. Take a moment at signup to pick a figure you would not miss.
- Loss cap. Automatically stops play the second your net loss over the chosen period hits the amount you set. A solid backstop underneath the deposit cap.
- Session cap / reality check. Closes the session, or fires a reminder pop-up, once a set number of minutes has passed.
- Wager or stake cap. Limits how much you can bet in a given window regardless of how much you win along the way.
- Cooling-off. Freezes the account for anything from 24 hours up to 30 days.
- Single-site self-exclusion. Closes the account for six months, a year or permanently.
Lowering your deposit or loss caps is usually instant. Raising them, by design, triggers a built-in delay of 24 hours or longer, so an impulsive decision cannot undo a level-headed one.
National self-exclusion schemes
Excluding yourself from one casino has its limits: nothing stops you opening an account at the next one along. A national self-exclusion scheme shuts you out of every licensed operator in the country in a single sign-up. It is free, private and binding on the operators by law. The table below lists the main schemes across the markets Kikit covers.
| Country | Scheme | What it blocks | Length | Where to sign up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | GamStop | Every UKGC-licensed online casino and bookmaker | 6 months, 1 year or 5 years | gamstop.co.uk |
| Sweden | Spelpaus | Every operator holding a Swedish (SGA) licence | 1, 3, 6 or 12 months, or open-ended | spelpaus.se (BankID required) |
| Netherlands | CRUKS (Centraal Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen) | Every KSA-licensed online casino and physical venue | At least 6 months, no cap on extensions | cruks.nl (DigiD required) |
| Denmark | ROFUS (Register Over Frivilligt Udelukkede Spillere) | Every operator licensed by Spillemyndigheden | 1, 3 or 6 months, or permanent | rofus.nu (MitID required) |
| France & Portugal | Stop-Jeu (ANJ) · Autoexclusão (SRIJ) | Every ANJ-licensed operator in France; every SRIJ-licensed operator in Portugal | France: three years minimum. Portugal: minimum three months, extendable | joueurs-info-service.fr · srij.turismodeportugal.pt |
| Ireland | Per-operator exclusion + a Gambling Regulatory Authority scheme (rolling out) | Each licensee separately; a national register under GRAI arriving in stages | From 6 months, typically up to permanent | Direct with each operator; watch grai.ie for updates |
| Australia | BetStop | Every Australian-licensed online wagering provider | From 3 months up to a lifetime | betstop.gov.au |
Once your name is on one of these registers, please resist the temptation to look for a workaround. The whole point of these schemes is to take the decision out of your hands while your head is clear, so a wobblier moment later on cannot undo it.
Confidential helplines and support
Every service listed here is free, confidential and open to friends and family as much as to players. If you are facing an emergency right now, call your local emergency number first.
- BeGambleAware (UK), begambleaware.org · the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, operated by GamCare, confidential and available around the clock every day.
- GamCare (UK), gamcare.org.uk · one-to-one support, a peer forum and referrals into structured treatment programmes.
- GamblingTherapy.org (international), gamblingtherapy.org · multilingual online support from the Gordon Moody charity, open to anyone in any country.
- Gamblers Anonymous, gamblersanonymous.org · a global directory of in-person and online meetings.
- Problem Gambling Ireland, problemgambling.ie.
- Stödlinjen (Sweden), 020-81 91 00 · stodlinjen.se.
- Loket Kansspel (Netherlands), 0900-217 77 21 · loketkansspel.nl.
- StopSpillet (Denmark), 70 22 28 25 · stopspillet.dk.
- Joueurs Info Service (France), 09 74 75 13 13 · joueurs-info-service.fr.
- SICAD Linha SOS Jogo (Portugal), 213 950 911 · sicad.pt.
- Gambling Help Online (Australia), 1800 858 858 · gamblinghelponline.org.au.
Supporting a friend or family member
When the worry is about someone close to you rather than yourself, there are practical steps you can take without waiting for them to ask. Blocking tools such as Gamban and BetBlocker can be installed on phones and computers to cut off gambling sites and apps. Ask their bank about turning on a gambling block for the debit or credit card, most banks in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal and France now let you toggle it from the app in seconds. And please use the helplines above; every one of them is used to hearing from concerned relatives, not just from players.