Set a gambling budget — and know the warning signs

Treat it as the price of entertainment

Decide in advance how much you are willing to spend on gambling this month, the same way you would budget for a movie or a night out. That money is the price of the entertainment; expect not to get it back. Pay bills, savings and essentials first, and never gamble with borrowed money.

Use the tools in your account

• Deposit limits: daily, weekly or monthly caps on what you can add.
• Loss and session limits: stop automatically after a set loss or time.
• Reality checks: pop-up reminders of how long you have played.
• Cool-off and self-exclusion: a break of days or months. PAGCOR also runs an Online Self-Exclusion Application at osea.pagcor.ph.

Set limits when you feel calm, before you play — not in the middle of a session.

Warning signs

• You keep spending more than you planned.
• You chase losses, or gamble to fix money problems.
• You borrow, sell things or skip bills to gamble.
• You hide it from family, or feel guilty and irritable about it.
• Gambling takes time from work, study, sleep or family.

One sign is a reason to pause. Several signs are a reason to get support.

Where to get help

PAGCOR’s National Problem Gambling Helpline is open 24/7 at (02) 8248-9568 and is confidential; family members can call too. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call the NCMH Crisis Hotline on 1553 (24/7). Talking to someone early makes a real difference.