By For most people, gambling is a form of entertainment: a night at a casino, a bet on a match, a lottery ticket. It works best when it stays that way, with money you can afford to spend and time you are happy to give it. This page is for anyone who wants to keep it that way, anyone who is starting to worry, and anyone concerned about someone close to them. It covers the warning signs, the practical tools that help, and the support available in every market Asia Gaming Brief covers.
If you need to talk to someone now, the helplines for each market are listed below. Calls are confidential, and you do not need to be in crisis to use them.
Signs that gambling may be becoming a problem
Problem gambling rarely starts suddenly. It tends to build in small steps, which is why it can be hard to notice from the inside. Some common signs:
- Spending more money or time on gambling than you planned to, more often than not.
- Needing to bet larger amounts to feel the same excitement.
- Going back to win back money you have lost.
- Borrowing money, using credit or selling belongings to gamble or to cover gambling debts.
- Feeling restless, irritable or anxious when you try to cut down.
- Hiding how much you gamble from family or friends, or feeling guilty about it afterwards.
- Gambling to escape stress, loneliness or low mood.
- Missing work, study or time with family because of gambling.
- Bills, rent or other essentials going unpaid.
Recognising one or two of these does not mean something is wrong, but it is a good moment to pause and think about how gambling fits into your life. The support services below can help you work that out, with no judgement and no pressure.
Practical tools that help
Licensed operators in regulated markets are generally required to offer tools that put you in control. Using them is a sensible habit for anyone, not a sign that something has gone wrong.
Setting up your own limits
- Decide your budget first Choose an amount you are comfortable losing before you start, and treat it as the cost of entertainment, not money you expect back.
- Set it in your account Use the operator’s deposit limit tool so the budget is enforced for you.
- Set a time limit Turn on reality checks or session reminders, and decide in advance when you will stop.
- Keep gambling money separate Avoid gambling with money meant for bills, rent or savings, and never gamble with borrowed money.
- Accept losses as part of the game If you lose your budget, stop. Trying to win it back almost always makes things worse.
- Take breaks Gambling when tired, upset or after drinking makes it harder to keep to your plan.
Help in each market
The table below summarises the main national support options. Details for each market follow. Where a market has no national gambling helpline we could verify, free international support is available through Gambling Therapy.
| Market | Helpline | Self-exclusion | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Gambling Help Online, 1800 858 858 | BetStop national register for online and phone wagering | 18 |
| New Zealand | Gambling Helpline, 0800 654 655 | Venue exclusion orders, up to two years | 18 for TAB betting; 20 for casinos |
| Singapore | NCPG Helpline, 1800 6 668 668 | Self-exclusion and family exclusion through NCPG | 21 for casinos; 18 at Singapore Pools outlets |
| Malaysia | Gambling Therapy (international) | Casino self-exclusion at Resorts World Genting | 21 for the casino |
| Thailand | Mental Health Hotline 1323 | No national scheme | Most gambling is illegal |
| Vietnam | Gambling Therapy (international) | Family members can ask casinos to refuse entry | 21 for permitted casinos |
| Philippines | PAGCOR National Problem Gambling Helpline, 02-8248-9568 | National Database of Restricted Persons | 21 for casinos |
| Indonesia | Gambling Therapy (international) | Not applicable | Gambling is prohibited |
Australia
Gambling Help Online offers free, confidential support around the clock by phone on 1800 858 858, as well as live chat, email counselling and self-help resources. It is available to people who gamble and to the people around them.
BetStop is the National Self-Exclusion Register, run under the Australian Communications and Media Authority. In one step, it excludes you from all licensed Australian online and phone wagering providers. Registration is free, exclusion periods run from three months up to a lifetime, and you need a mobile number, an email address and either an Australian driver’s licence or a Medicare card. BetStop does not cover land-based venues, which have their own state and territory exclusion schemes. If you are already excluded under one of those, you need to register with BetStop separately to cover online betting.
The legal gambling age is 18. Credit cards cannot be used to fund online wagering accounts with licensed Australian providers, and many Australian banks also offer gambling blocks in their apps.
New Zealand
The Gambling Helpline is free and confidential on 0800 654 655, or by text to 8006. It also runs a youth line on 0800 654 659 and a debt line on 0800 654 658.
Under the Gambling Act, a casino or a venue with gaming machines must issue an exclusion order when someone who identifies as a problem gambler asks for one. The order bars you from the gambling area for up to two years and can be renewed. Venues can also issue exclusion orders on their own initiative. You can ask several venues at once, and helpline counsellors can help you arrange this.
Minimum ages: 20 to enter the gambling area of a casino, and 18 to bet with the TAB or buy Instant Kiwi. Lotto NZ games are being brought under the same 18 and over rule by a change to the Gambling Act.
Singapore
The National Council on Problem Gambling runs the NCPG Helpline on 1800 6 668 668.
NCPG administers several kinds of exclusion:
- Self-exclusion: you can exclude yourself from both casinos, jackpot machine rooms in private clubs and Singapore Pools online betting. You must be at least 21 to apply, and an exclusion must run for at least a year before you can apply to revoke it.
- Family exclusion: a spouse, child, parent or sibling can apply to exclude a family member whose gambling has caused serious harm to the family. The order covers all casinos, jackpot rooms and Singapore Pools online betting.
- Third-party exclusion and visit limits: NCPG can impose a visit limit or exclusion on frequent local casino visitors who are financially vulnerable.
Minimum ages: 21 for casinos, and 18 for betting at Singapore Pools outlets. Singapore Pools online accounts have been restricted to adults aged 21 and over.
Malaysia
We have not been able to verify a dedicated national gambling helpline in Malaysia. Free, confidential support is available through Gambling Therapy, an international service run by the charity Gordon Moody, which offers live chat, one-to-one online sessions and support for families.
The only licensed casino, at Resorts World Genting, admits visitors aged 21 and over. Malaysian Muslims are not permitted to gamble. The casino offers a permanent self-exclusion, which can only be reviewed after six months, and a seven-day temporary exclusion; its responsible gaming team can be reached on +603 6105 9557 at any time. Online gambling is not licensed in Malaysia.
Thailand
Most forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand. Legal options are limited, mainly to the Government Lottery and licensed horse racing, and there is no national self-exclusion scheme.
Support for gambling problems is available through the Department of Mental Health’s Mental Health Hotline 1323, which is free and open around the clock and covers gambling among other concerns. International support is also available through Gambling Therapy.
Vietnam
Casinos in Vietnam mainly serve foreign visitors. Vietnamese citizens may enter only casinos authorised under a pilot programme, and must be at least 21 and meet income and other conditions set by decree. Family members can notify a casino and ask it to refuse entry to a relative, which works as a form of family exclusion.
We have not been able to verify a national gambling helpline in Vietnam. Free support is available through Gambling Therapy (gamblingtherapy.org).
Philippines
PAGCOR’s National Problem Gambling Helpline is available 24 hours a day on 02-8248-9568. It is run with the counselling organisation Seagulls Flock and offers confidential support, guidance and referrals to longer-term treatment. Family members can call too.
Exclusion is managed through the National Database of Restricted Persons, which licensed operators must check. You can request self-exclusion for six months, one year or five years, and a self-exclusion cannot be revoked during its first six months. Family members can apply for an exclusion of six months, one year or three years. The minimum age for PAGCOR-regulated casinos is 21.
Indonesia
Gambling is prohibited in Indonesia, and we do not list any operators for this market. If gambling, including on overseas sites, is affecting you or someone you know, free and confidential support is available through Gambling Therapy (gamblingtherapy.org), which offers live chat, online sessions and self-help tools.
Self-exclusion works best alongside other steps: blocking software on your devices, a gambling block on your bank card, and someone you trust who knows what you are doing. Counsellors can help you put all of these in place.
Help for family and friends
Gambling problems affect the people around the person who gambles, often as much as the person themselves. If you are worried about someone, support is available for you as well as for them.
- Talk at a calm moment. Choose a time when neither of you is stressed, and describe what you have noticed rather than making accusations.
- Listen. People often feel shame about gambling. Being heard without judgement makes it easier to accept help.
- Protect your own finances. Keep separate accounts if you need to, and avoid lending money or paying off gambling debts, which can make the problem last longer.
- Look after yourself. Helplines in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the Philippines all take calls from family members, and Gambling Therapy has resources for families everywhere.
- Know the family options. Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam allow family members to request an exclusion, and counsellors can explain how it works.
- Be patient. Change often takes time and setbacks are common. Keep the door open.
Our commitment
Asia Gaming Brief writes for adults. We do not target anyone under the legal gambling age, every comparison page shows the local helpline for its market, and we never encourage chasing losses or present gambling as a way to make money. Operators only appear on our comparison pages if they hold the licence required in that market. You can read more in our Editorial Policy, Advertiser Disclosure and How We Rate.
If you spot a helpline number or scheme detail on this page that has changed, please let us know at [email protected] and we will check and update it.
