Responsible gambling at Shotz
This page is published by Shotz, an independent information portal. It covers the responsible gambling tools available through the operator, the warning signs worth knowing, and the UK organisations that offer free, confidential support. Gambling is entertainment — it carries a real cost, and it works best when you stay in control of both.
Why responsible gambling matters
For most people, slots, live tables and sports markets are a leisure activity no different from a night out. The money spent is the price of that entertainment, and when a session ends on a loss, the session is still over. The problem starts when the framing shifts — when a player begins chasing losses to "get back to even", or treats a winning run as a signal to push harder. Neither of those habits is unique to gambling, but gambling makes them expensive fast.
The legal gambling age in your country exists for a reason: younger players are statistically more vulnerable to developing a disordered relationship with risk. 18+ is the minimum on every platform this portal covers, and it is the law.
Warning signs: when gambling gets out of hand
The signs below are not a diagnosis. They are patterns that often appear before someone recognises they have a problem — which is precisely why they are worth reading before you need them.
- Spending more than you planned, more often than you planned
- Chasing losses — depositing again to recover what you lost in the session before
- Gambling with money set aside for bills, rent or food
- Hiding the amount of time or money you spend from people close to you
- Feeling anxious, irritable or restless when you try to cut back
- Borrowing money — or selling things — to fund play
One item on that list is not a verdict. A pattern of them, or one item that feels uncomfortably familiar, is worth taking seriously.
A few questions to ask yourself
Work through these honestly. If several answers give you pause, the support organisations below are the right next step — not a source of shame, just practical help.
- Do you gamble for longer than you intended when you sit down to play?
- Have you ever gone back the next day to win back money you lost?
- Have you ever lied to someone about how much you spent gambling?
- Do you gamble to escape stress, boredom or difficult feelings?
- Have you ever gambled with money you could not afford to lose?
- Have you tried to cut back and found it harder than expected?
- Does gambling ever leave you feeling guilty or anxious afterwards?
- Have people close to you expressed concern about your gambling?
Shotz's control tools
The operator provides a standard set of player-protection controls. These are not buried in a help section — they are there to be used, and the best time to set them is before you feel you need them, not after.
Limits you can set
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Deposit limit | Caps how much you can add to your account per day, week or month |
| Loss limit | Stops play once your net losses reach a figure you set in advance |
| Wager limit | Restricts how much you can stake in a given period |
| Session limit | Ends your session automatically after a time you choose |
| Reality check | A prompt at intervals reminding you how long you have been playing |
Limits that reduce your access take effect immediately. Requests to increase a limit are subject to a cooling-off period — a deliberate friction designed to give you time to reconsider.
Taking a break
If you want to step away without closing your account permanently, a time-out lets you pause access for a set period. Self-exclusion goes further: it closes access for a defined minimum term, and during that period neither marketing nor reactivation requests are acted on. If you are at the point of asking for self-exclusion, use it — the process is designed to be straightforward, and it is one of the most effective tools available.
Account closure on request is also available at any time. Contact the operator's own support channel to action any of these controls if they are not accessible directly from your account dashboard.
Identity checks and account security
The operator carries out identity and age verification as a standard part of the account process. These checks are a responsible gambling measure as much as a legal one: confirming that the account holder is the person depositing reduces the risk of a minor accessing the account on a shared device. Keep your login credentials private.
Tips for gambling sensibly
- Set a budget before you open the site, not after your first deposit. Decide what you are comfortable losing — because any session can end at a loss — and stop when you reach it.
- Treat free spins and bonus funds as entertainment, not as income. Wagering requirements mean most bonus balances do not convert to cash; play them for the experience, not the expectation.
- Take regular breaks. A session that runs past an hour without a pause is harder to keep perspective on.
- Never gamble when you are tired, stressed or have been drinking. Decision-making degrades faster than it feels like it does.
- Use the deposit and loss limits the operator provides. Setting them in advance is the single most reliable way to keep your spending where you planned it.
Where to find help in the UK
Every organisation below offers free, confidential support. None of them requires a formal referral, and none will judge you for reaching out early.
- GamCare — the leading UK provider of gambling support. National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133 (free, 24/7).
- BeGambleAware — information, self-assessment tools and a directory of local support services.
- GamStop — a free national self-exclusion scheme. One registration removes you from all UKGC-licensed sites simultaneously.
- Gordon Moody — residential and online treatment programmes for people experiencing severe gambling harm.
Blocking software
Gamban blocks access to gambling sites and apps across all your devices from a single subscription. BetBlocker is a free, multi-platform alternative that works across more than 70,000 gambling addresses. Both can be installed in minutes and are worth considering alongside — not instead of — account-level self-exclusion.
Protecting minors
If you share a device with anyone under 18, parental-control software is an important layer of protection. Tools such as Net Nanny and Qustodio allow you to block access to gambling-related content at the device level, independently of any account controls the operator provides. Access to this site is restricted to persons aged 18+; if a minor has access to the device you use for gambling, installing blocking software is straightforward and free in several cases.
Questions about this portal's content can be sent to [email protected]. For anything relating to a Shotz player account — limits, self-exclusion, closures — contact the operator directly through its own support channels.
Gambling should be entertainment, not a chore.
This page is provided for information and marketing purposes only. We are not a gambling operator, bookmaker or organiser of betting or gaming activity. This site is restricted to visitors aged 18 and over (18+). Free, confidential support with gambling is available at BeGambleAware.org.
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