You might’ve heard about gambling time outs before. But maybe you’re not quite sure exactly what’s involved, how you can do it or if it’s even for you in the first place.

Well we’re here to guide you through all the basics. No question is to big or small for us when it comes to gambling time outs.

Gambling time outs are simply little breaks

Gambling time outs are designed to help you take a short break from poker, sports betting, casino games or any other form of gambling. On all reputable online gambling sites, you’ll be able to impose one on your account.

Everyone should try a time out

Gambling time outs are yet another handy tool that helps us manage our time more efficiently. It helps you plan for when you do and don’t want to gamble. And life is always a whole lot better when we have a plan in place.

This isn’t some dramatic move you should be afraid of. It’s simply smart to set a time out and forget about gambling, whether that’s regularly or even just from time to time. Try it and you’ll see how it works for you.

The length is up to you

You can decide a gambling time out of anything from 1-30 days. Like we said, these are short-term breaks. On lots of sites, you also have the option to set a custom time-out. So if you know you don’t want to gamble say during the week, you can put in a recurring time out to kick into action on Monday mornings and stop on Friday evenings.

Or you can set a once off custom time out, for example if you want to shut off your account during a vacation.

Limited account access during time outs

During a time out, you will have restricted access to your account on that gambling site. Plainly put, that means you won’t be able to do gambling of any kind while your time out is in place, but you can still log in and withdraw your balance whenever you want.

You can’t cancel gambling time outs

Once you’ve a gambling time out has started, you can’t reactivate your account. But as soon as your time out is over, you can get back to placing wagers.

The difference between self-exclusion and time outs

Self-exclusion is another tool that restricts access to your account and stops you placing wagers. However, self-exclusion is more long term. In cases where someone has a gambling problem, people choose to permanently self exclude.

How to get help if you have a gambling problem

If you think you have a gambling problem, gambling time outs, or even self-exclusion, isn’t enough. As well as stopping gambling, you need to get professional help from a trustworthy organization. This is something that you can’t risk trying to deal with by yourself. It’s too big.

But there are so many places where you can get invaluable help, support and practical advice. The organizations differ depending on countries. Here are just a few available around the world:

If you’re based in a country not listed above, take a look at other international gambling help websites and phone lines.

If you think you may have a family member that may have a gambling problem, check for these eight signals.