If gambling is becoming difficult to control, a break and support can help. You do not need to wait until the financial harm becomes severe to talk to someone.
Signs to take seriously
- Borrowing or using credit needed for bills to keep gambling.
- Trying to win back losses, increasing deposits or hiding spending.
- Using another card, account or casino after a limit or block stops play.
- Gambling affecting sleep, work, relationships or mental wellbeing.
Make the next step practical
Pause deposits and keep existing gambling blocks or limits in place. Consider account cooling-off, self-exclusion, marketing opt-outs and transaction controls available through your operator or bank. Ask a trusted person to help you make a plan if doing it alone feels difficult.
A loss is not a debt that gambling must repay. Protect rent, food, bills and other essentials; avoid another advance or deposit to recover money already spent. A qualified debt adviser can help with repayment options separately from gambling support.
Ontario
ConnexOntario provides free, confidential information and referrals for gambling concerns in Ontario, available 24/7. Call 1-866-531-2600, or use the text/chat options on its official site.
BetGuard is Ontario’s centralized self-exclusion service for regulated online gambling. Read the official program’s coverage and conditions when choosing an exclusion.
Alberta
For free, confidential referrals available 24/7, call 211 Alberta, text INFO to 211 or use 211 Alberta’s online chat. The AiGC help page also links debt assistance and help for people affected by someone else’s gambling.
To consider a longer break, go directly to Alberta’s centralized self-exclusion service. Read the coverage and conditions before enrolling; do not assume a single operator’s block covers every account. Alberta routes rechecked 28 October 2026.
Elsewhere in Canada
Use your provincial health service or gambling authority to find local support and the self-exclusion arrangements covering the products you use. A program for one province or operator does not necessarily cover every account elsewhere. The Responsible Gambling Council provides information on recognizing gambling harm and finding help.
If you are worried about someone else
You can seek support without waiting for the person to ask. Choose a calm time to talk, explain the changes you have noticed and avoid offering more money to fund gambling. Protect your own finances and ask a support service about resources for affected family members and friends.
The original service review was completed on 21 October 2026; the Alberta links above were rechecked on 28 October 2026. Use the linked official services for their current contact methods and program conditions.