Adults only
Every exchange we cover is for people aged 18 or older, in places where using one is permitted. The desk confirms this in the chat before issuing an ID and can ask for proof. It declines when the answer is no, and it does not issue an ID to one person for use by another. If a number offers you an ID with no questions asked, it is not the desk described on the official channels page.
What the desk model changes
An ID here is issued by a person after a short chat, not by a form at two in the morning. That matters more than it sounds. A person can notice that you're asking for a third ID in a week, or that you're asking to deposit again minutes after saying you were done. The desk is not a counsellor and won't lecture you, but it will ask, and it will act on what you tell it. The WhatsApp page shows what those chats look like.
The same chat is where you stop. There is no menu to find. You message the number you always message and say you want the ID closed or paused. The desk passes that to the exchange and tells you what has been done.
Limits you set yourself
We do not hold your account, so we cannot set a limit for you. What we can do is help you set one before the first deposit, when it is easiest. Our guide to setting your own limits walks through it. The short version is below.
- Decide the amount before you open the chat. A figure you'd be fine never seeing again. Write it down somewhere you'll see it.
- Deposit only that. The desk confirms the current route in the chat; you decide the amount, not the desk and not the exchange.
- Set a time, too. A session with an end is a session. One without an end is a habit.
- Ask the desk what the exchange offers. Some exchanges have their own limit or cooling-off tools. The desk tells you in the chat what is available on yours.
- Never chase. A loss is the end of the session, not a reason to deposit again.
Signs it has stopped being a game
- Depositing to win back what you lost earlier today.
- Hiding how much you've deposited from people close to you.
- Borrowing, or delaying a bill, to deposit.
- Asking the desk for a second exchange ID after a losing run on the first.
- Feeling relief when a match is over rather than when you win.
If two or more of these sound familiar, tell the desk you want the ID closed today, and talk to someone.
Understanding what you're betting on
Many losses come from misreading a screen rather than from bad luck. Back and lay are opposites; a session market settles on a number of runs, not on who wins. Our guide to back, lay and session markets works through one over so you can see it, and the glossary defines the words the exchange screen uses. A demo ID lets you practise reading that screen with nothing at stake.
One ID or several
Holding IDs on several exchanges makes it harder to see the total you have in play. Our guide on one ID or many is honest about that. If you hold more than one, keep one note with every deposit across all of them, and treat that total as the figure that matters.
Getting help
We do not print helpline numbers because they change by country and we cannot promise to keep them current. A search for a gambling helpline where you live will find one, and speaking to a doctor or counsellor is a real step, not an admission of anything. In the meantime, tell the desk you want to stop. It will confirm the closure in the chat and will not try to change your mind. The help page and the contact page are there if you want to reach us another way.