Gambling should sit in the same category as any other paid entertainment – a night at the cinema, a match ticket – rather than something that carries an expectation of income. This page sets out how to keep it there, what Fish and Spins offers in the way of account controls, and where to find free, confidential support if play has stopped feeling like a choice.
A straightforward look at gambling risk
Most players who use an online casino do so without any lasting difficulty. But gambling activates the same reward pathways as other habit-forming behaviours, and a small minority of players find the balance tips against them. Being honest about that possibility – rather than treating it as something that only happens to other people – is the starting point for staying in control, whether you play occasionally on Fish and Spins or anywhere else.
Behaviour worth paying attention to
Some patterns are worth noticing early, before they become habits that are harder to break:
- Chasing a loss by increasing the size of the next bet rather than stopping
- Spending longer sessions than planned, or losing track of time while playing
- Borrowing money, or using funds set aside for bills, to keep playing
- Hiding the amount of time or money spent from a partner or family member
- Feeling irritable or anxious when not able to play
- Using gambling to cope with stress, boredom or a low mood
Noticing one of these on its own is not necessarily a problem. Noticing several, repeatedly, is a reasonable signal to take a step back.
A short self-assessment
A handful of honest yes/no questions can do more than a general warning:
- Have you tried to cut back on your gambling and found it harder than expected?
- Do you think about gambling, or the next session, outside of when you're actually playing?
- Have you gambled to escape a difficult mood rather than for enjoyment?
- Have you lied to someone close to you about how much you play or spend?
- Have you needed to gamble with larger amounts to get the same enjoyment?
- Has your gambling caused an argument, a missed payment, or a missed obligation?
Answering yes to more than one or two is worth acting on – not with alarm, but with one of the steps below.
Fish and Spins' deposit and account controls
If you want to step away from your account, our support team can action a self-exclusion request through Live Chat, which is staffed 24/7. It's a straightforward request to make and doesn't require a lengthy explanation.
Deposit limits are also available as a control, though they apply to card and alternative payment methods rather than to cryptocurrency deposits, since deposit caps cannot technically be enforced on crypto transactions. If you deposit by card, setting a limit through your chosen payment method is the more effective route to keeping a session within a fixed budget.
National support organisations
Beyond anything Fish and Spins offers directly, several UK-wide organisations exist specifically for this, independent of any operator:
- GamCare runs the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, free and open 24/7
- BeGambleAware.org offers free, confidential information and support
- GamStop is the UK's national self-exclusion scheme, covering 6 months, 1 year or 5 years across licensed sites
- Gordon Moody provides residential and online treatment for more serious gambling harm
Blocking software options
Two free tools are worth knowing about if you'd rather remove temptation at the device level: Gamban blocks gambling sites and apps across your devices, and BetBlocker does the same and is free across most platforms. Neither requires you to explain yourself to anyone to install.
Taking a break, on your terms
A break doesn't need to be permanent or dramatic to be useful. A short pause – a week, a month – is often enough to reset the habit before it becomes entrenched, and it costs nothing to ask for one through Live Chat.
Protecting devices shared with minors
Access to this site is restricted to players aged 18+. If a device is shared with anyone under that age, parental-control software such as Net Nanny or Qustodio adds a further layer beyond an account password, and is worth setting up regardless of how confident you are in your own account security.
For anything relating to your own Fish and Spins account, our editorial inbox at [email protected] can point you toward the right resources, though account-specific requests are handled by the operator's own support channels rather than by us.
Gambling should be entertainment, not a chore.
You must be 18 or over (18+) to use this site. Support with gambling is free and confidential at BeGambleAware.org.