Gambling is a form of entertainment with a cost, not a way to make money. Decide what that cost is before you start, set a deposit limit at the operator, and treat the limit as the decision rather than something to revisit mid-session.
Warning signs worth taking seriously: chasing losses, gambling with money set aside for something else, hiding how much you play, and feeling that you need to keep going to get even.
Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858 is free, confidential and staffed 24 hours, every day, anywhere in Australia.
BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register, lets you exclude yourself from all Australian-licensed interactive wagering services in one step at betstop.gov.au. Note that offshore operators are not connected to it, which is one more reason to be careful about where you play.
You can also set deposit limits and take a cooling-off period at most operators directly, usually under account settings.
