Help and Support

How to Play Safe

Whilst the majority of people play within their means, a few may encounter difficulties. Players should always remember:

Only play with money you can afford to lose
Play within your entertainment budget, not with your household budget.
Set a spend limit in advance
Decide how much you can afford to lose before you play. When you hit your limit – stop!
Keep track of time
It's easy to lose track of time when you're playing. Set an alarm, and when time's up – stop! Playing continuously without a break can impair your judgment. Odds are that the more time you spend gambling, the more money you will lose.
Never chase losses
If you reach your limit and then try to win it back, then you haven't really set a limit. Chasing your losses will usually just lead to bigger losses. If you win, it is a bonus.

Don't play when you're feeling down or upset
Decision-making can be more difficult when you're stressed or emotionally upset. Make sure you only play with a clear head. Debt will have a negative effect on your feeling.
Balance playing Lottery products with other activities
When gambling becomes your only form of entertainment, it's unlikely that you're still having fun, and gambling may be having a negative effect on your life. Make sure gambling isn't your only pastime.

Definition of problem gambling

Problem gambling is characterised by difficulties in limiting money and/or time spent on gambling which leads to adverse consequences for the gambler, others, or for the community.

Self-Assessment Quiz

If you are unsure whether or not your play is increasing and that you may be developing issues with your online play, you can assess your play by clicking the below link. The assessment will help you to assess if your level of gambling is causing a problem.

The assessment will give you a series of statements and ask you to select Yes or No. At the end of the assessment, you will be presented with results based on your answers and links to tools that can help you to regulate your play.

https://self-assessment.lottery.ie

Budget Calculator

This budget calculator will help you work out how much money you spend on gambling each month. You may be surprised.

https://budget-calculator.lottery.ie

Worried about yourself or someone else?

We understand that some people might experience difficulties with their play. If you or someone you know are experiencing issues with gambling, you may want to consider installing website blocking and filtering software such as Gamban on your devices. This blocks access to all online gambling sites. Other resources include:

Gamban