Do you want to protect yourself online?
Online gambling can be pretty risky. It can be very easy to lose more time and money than you can afford when gambling online.
It can be challenging to resist the urge to gamble in the heat of the moment, particularly when gambling ads and promotions pop up when you’re online. If you’re worried that you’re influenced by these ads and promotions or that you’re gambling too much online, you can make it easier to stick to your limits by taking steps to protect yourself.
Does your family member or friend want to protect themselves online?
Online gambling can be pretty risky. It can be easy for people to lose more time and money than they can afford when gambling online.
It may be challenging for your family member or friend to resist the urge to gamble in the heat of the moment, particularly when gambling ads and promotions pop up when they're online. If they’re worried that they’re influenced by these ads and promotions or that they’re gambling too much online, you can help them by encouraging them to take steps to protect themselves online.
Does someone want to protect themselves online?
Online gambling can be pretty risky. It can be easy for people to lose more time and money than they can afford when gambling online.
It may be challenging for someone you’re working with to resist the urge to gamble in the heat of the moment, particularly when gambling ads and promotions pop up when they're online. If they’re worried that they’re influenced by these ads and promotions or that they’re gambling too much online, you can help them by encouraging them to take steps to protect themselves online.
How can people protect themselves online?
There are several steps people can take to protect themselves online.
Check if gambling websites are legal in Australia
The first step is to check if the gambling website is legal in Australia. This is important because there are fewer regulations and safeguards on offshore services. All legal gambling websites in Australia are regulated under Australian law and have tools people can use to help control how much they spend on gambling.
It can be difficult to tell if a site is legal in Australia because some offshore sites can look and feel legitimate. Watch out for websites that offer casino-style games (like poker, blackjack, and roulette), poker machines, scratchies, betting on the outcome of lotteries or keno, and live sports betting as these are likely to be illegal in Australia. It's easy to check if a gambling website is legal in Australia. If a website operates illegally, it won’t listed on the register of licenced interactive gambling providers on the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) website.
Mute or uninstall gambling apps
If betting apps are tempting people to gamble more they should, there is the option to turn-off notifications from these apps, which means they won’t get updates or reminders from them. People who want to take it one step further can completely uninstall these apps from their devices.
Adjust advertising settings in web browsers
People can choose to opt out of receiving gambling marketing messages, which include special offers and other incentives, by turning off gambling app notifications in their phone or internet browser settings.
For example, on Google Chrome, a person can block gambling ads by following the instructions below:
- Open up their Google Account
- Click on ‘Manage your Google account’
- Select ‘Data & privacy’
- Scroll down to ‘Personalised ads’
- Under ‘My Ad Center’, turn ad personalisation off
Another way to stop receiving gambling-related emails is to unsubscribe from emails by clicking the small ‘unsubscribe’ link usually found at the bottom of emails.
Limit gambling ads on social media
People can also limit betting and gaming ads on social media.
- Click on the arrow in the top right-hand corner of any Facebook Page to access their account
- Click ‘Settings & privacy’
- Click ‘Settings’
- And then click ‘Ads’ in the left sidebar
- On the ad preferences page, they can hide ads they don't want to see, change their ad topics, and adjust their ad settings.
To hide a specific ad, click the 'More' button (represented by three dots) at the top of the Tweet and choose 'Block'.
To block promoted posts, a person can click on the three dots above the photo and select 'Hide ad’. They will then get the option to hide the post or choose to hide all posts from the betting or gaming account.
Download ad blockers
Ad blockers are available to download to filter or block ads on desktop or mobile browsers. AdBlock is a free web browser extension that blocks ads from appearing on web pages. AdBlock Plus disables advertising while people browse the web, including banners, YouTube ads, pop-ups and social media ads. It is free and currently supported on multiple browsers.
Place restrictions on online betting accounts
Placing restrictions through online betting accounts can make it easier to stick to gambling limits. Every legal online betting service has tools to help keep spending in check. Many online betting providers will allow people to:
- put limits on the amount of money they can gamble
- limit how much money they can put into their account
- set a minimum amount of time between making deposits
- set maximum bets to limit how much they can spend on an individual bet
- opt-out of notifications, marketing, and promotional emails and messages
- exclude themselves totally for a period of time - see Online Self-Exclusion for more information
See what the bank can do to help
Many banks support customers who want to manage their gambling and may be able to provide online protection by:
- putting limits on daily withdrawals and transactions
- blocking gambling transactions on accounts or cards
- banning the use of credit cards for gambling altogether
While blocks are usually immediate, some are not permanent and may be lifted depending on the bank’s policy and processes. Some blocks can be applied directly via the bank’s app, while others require people to contact the bank to request the block.
When banks don’t provide the necessary features to help them manage their gambling, people may want to consider changing banks or looking at other online protection strategies. They can also start an online chat with us or call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 for free and confidential advice on what to do next.
Buy blocking software
Blocking software programs is available to prevent access to online gambling sites, servers and apps in one go. Parents often use these to prevent underage children from accessing sites, but they may also be an option for people trying to limit their gambling. Most of this software comes with a cost. However, given the safety provided by these apps, this cost is small compared to the cost of gambling. In the long term, these programs save people money.
- General blocking software: Internet activity monitoring software packages that let people set authorisations or parental controls to prevent or monitor access to various websites or apps. Examples of these include Net Nanny, Parent Power and CYBERsitter.
- Gambling blocking software: Apps and software that limit advertising from online gambling providers and block access to gambling websites. Examples of these include Gamban, GamBlock and BetBlocker.
To learn more about the risks associated with online gambling, check out Learn About Online Gambling.
Do you want more help?
To find out more about how to protect yourself online, you can start an online chat with us or call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 – free, confidential, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These services are available to support anyone affected by gambling harm, including family members or friends.
Do you want more help?
To find out more about how to protect them online, you or your family member or friend can start an online chat with us or call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 – free, confidential, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
These services are available to support anyone affected by gambling harm, including family members or friends like you. It’s not only the person who gambles that can be affected, but the people close to them too. It’s important to take care of yourself when you’re supporting someone else. Check out the family and friends section in our peer support community to connect with people who understand.
Do you want more help?
To find out more about how to protect them online, you or the person you’re working with can start an online chat with us or call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 – free, confidential, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
These services are available to support anyone affected by gambling harm, including family members, friends, and professionals like you. It can be hard for professionals to support people with gambling issues. To learn more about how you can help, go to our section on How Professionals Can Help.
