Gambling should be entertainment. If it stops being fun, or if you're spending more than you can afford, help is available — free and confidential.
Call 0800 006 008 — free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. National Responsible Gambling Programme. Counsellors speak English, Afrikaans, Zulu, and Xhosa.
Gambling becomes a problem when it negatively affects your finances, relationships, work, or mental health. If any of the following applies to you, reach out for help.
All SA-licensed casinos are required to provide responsible gambling tools. Use them before you need them.
Set a daily, weekly, or monthly deposit limit in your casino account settings. Once set, limits can only be lowered immediately — increases require a 7-day cooling-off period under SA regulations.
Set a maximum session duration. The casino will notify you when your time is up and log you out automatically. Useful for preventing extended, unplanned play sessions.
Request a voluntary self-exclusion from one casino, or apply for exclusion from all SA-licensed operators simultaneously through the National Gambling Board's exclusion register. Periods range from 6 months to permanent.
Enable reality check notifications — periodic popups showing how long you've been playing and how much you've won or lost. These break the "trance" of continuous play.
0800 006 008 — Free, 24/7. Counselling, self-exclusion assistance, and referrals to treatment providers. Website: nrgp.org.za
Free 12-step support groups across SA. Meeting locations available in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and other cities. Website: gamblers-anonymous.co.za
SADAG: 0800 567 567 (toll-free). Problem gambling often co-occurs with depression and anxiety. SADAG provides free mental health support. Website: sadag.org
For gambling-related debt problems: 0860 627 627. Free debt counselling referrals. Website: ncr.org.za
We only list casinos that provide responsible gambling tools including deposit limits, session time limits, and self-exclusion. Casinos that make it difficult for players to self-exclude or set limits are removed from our recommendations. We display responsible gambling information prominently on every page. If you believe a casino on our site is not meeting its responsible gambling obligations, please contact us.
