Responsible gaming in Kenya

Every stake can lose. That is how the product is built, and no system anybody sells you changes it. The only version of betting that stays enjoyable is the one played with money already written off.

Set the ceiling before the first deposit rather than halfway through the evening, and keep borrowed money out of it entirely. Choosing a number while you are losing is not really choosing anything.

Cap the hours as well as the shillings, and get up from it regularly. Betting belongs in the gaps of a week rather than in the middle of one. Drink and bets do not mix, and neither do bets and a bad mood.

Caps on what goes in, caps on a single bet and caps on how long a session runs are all in the account settings. They apply straight away, and raising one takes longer than putting it there. When holding the line gets difficult, that is the moment to use them rather than to try harder.

Problem gambling is a recognised condition, and it arrives gradually rather than overnight. What follows is the order in which it usually shows.

• The time and the money going in keep climbing;
• Attempts to stop or cut back have not held;
• Not playing leaves you restless or short-tempered;
• Losses get chased with bigger stakes;
• Family and friends hear a smaller number than the real one;
• Stake money now comes from borrowing or from selling things;
• Work, study or the people at home get less than before;
• Bills are being paid late because of it;
• It holds your attention while you are meant to do something else;
• Stress caused by betting is being answered with more betting.

One of these is worth a conversation, several of them a professional one.

It can be headed off and it can be treated. Every item below can be done today, from a phone.

• Decide the money and the time before opening the app, then hold both;
• Switch on deposit and loss limits in the settings;
• Stop chasing the moment you notice that is what happened;
• Keep betting out of the daily routine;
• Read your own history honestly every few weeks;
• Use the pause, then self-exclusion, as soon as limits stop being enough;
• Tell somebody close to you the real numbers;
• Speak to a qualified counsellor rather than working through it alone;
• Put something else into the hours betting was taking;
• Do not use betting to handle stress or low mood.

Admitting the problem is the step that makes the rest possible, and nobody does this well alone.

The controls below are part of the product rather than a leaflet about it. Each one applies the moment you confirm it.

• Deposit limits, set by day, week or month;
• Stake limits, so one bet cannot run away with everything;
• Session limits, which end the session whether or not you agree at that moment;
• A pause that closes the account for a short stretch;
• Self-exclusion for a period you choose, which cannot be shortened on impulse.

There is also the age check, at registration and again before the first payout, and that is what keeps anyone under 18 off the account. None of it works if the settings never get opened.

Support can set a limit or start a self-exclusion for you if doing it yourself feels like more than you can manage. The conversation is handled like any other.

• Live chat: the icon in the bottom right corner;
• Email: [email protected], when you want it in writing;
• Phone: +357 800 92576 or +44 113 340 6785;
• The help section, for how the limits work before you set them;
• Account settings: deposit caps, stake caps and the break all live there.

Whatever you tell the desk stays with the desk. If you are reading this and recognising yourself in it, do it now rather than after the next deposit.