Responsible Gambling Help

If you think gambling is becoming too much of a problem, free, confidential support is available immediately. South Africa's National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) operates a toll-free line at 0800 006 008, or sends help via SMS by texting HELP to 076 675 0710.

The NRGP can assist with self-exclusion - asking a casino or operator to ban you from their venues and online platforms for a treatment period. The only cost is committing to serious rethinking: a voluntary self-exclusion usually runs for a fixed minimum period, and lifting it early can require a session with a counsellor from the programme run by the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation.

The National Gambling Board outlines the process for requesting exclusion: "When applying for 'self-exclusion', an individual needs to complete a form where the applicant requests to receive treatment for a problem with gambling. A self-excluded person does not have to prove to anybody that they have a problem, nor do casino staff need any additional information or tests. It is simply up to the individual whether they want to avoid any type of gambling activity at all.

The applicant can request that their personal information be shared with other provincial gambling boards in South Africa, so that they cannot gamble in different provinces. The form is then sent to the gambling operator and to the provincial gambling board, which is the licensor. The exclusion process is then registered with NG Board for record keeping. This excludes the individual from receiving any marketing, prize draws, or promotional material from the casino, online casino or sportsbetting website."

The Board notes that once exclusion is confirmed, a person's particulars will be circulated to other licensed venues to prevent any gambling activity. The Free State Gambling, Liquor & Tourism Authority, says its casinos operate under the same guidelines - a gambler can approach casino personnel or the provincial gambling board and opt to have their ID used to prevent gambling on gambling activities.

But many gamblers will worry about obvious gaps in their defence: can they still fall back on smartphone games or anything that won't appear on a casino register? The NGB's self-exclusion page says the exclusion process is through the operator and the provincial board for record keeping, but did not list any contact details for an operator's customer services or describe steps for family members to assist with an exclusion. The NGB FAQ did not elaborate on a way for casino employees or family members to notify the system of an exclusion, or describe steps to report a violated exclusion.

Even the NGB does not say categorically that online gambling, phone-based gambling or gaming downloads will be assured to be cut off - only that "The person’s details will be circulated to licensed venues and registered sports betting services in terms of which the person may not participate in any gambling activity including online." It does not list the specifics of which operators are registered.

Family members may need to speak with a trained counsellor to understand how to manage this and may add their own contact details to a self-exclusion. Concerned relatives can call the same line, 0800 006 008, and access free, confidential support.

For gamblers, hard numbers might be the real deterrent: a person who has self-excluded, or has been asked by family members to receive help, should not take part in any gambling activity for the whole exclusion period. Gambling is only for adults aged 18 and over.

There is no concrete number of people who may need these warning signs of problem gambling, as Statistics South Africa does not have statistics on Gambling Harm in South Africa. If you think gambling has become too much of a problem, there is a free, private solution at 0800 006 008.