Responsible Gambling

Where to Get Help in Canada

If gambling has stopped being fun, the quickest step is to talk to someone. This page lists who to call, the tools you can switch on in your Stake account and the signs that tell you it is time to act.

The services below are free and confidential, and each one serves residents of its own province or territory, whichever site they play on. They are listed for the provinces and territories where Stake.com is available.

Stake.com is not available in Ontario. If you live there, ConnexOntario offers free help for problem gambling at 1-866-531-2600, 24/7. Each number comes from the service’s own website or from its provincial or territorial government. Nova Scotia, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are shown with their general mental health and addictions lines: when you call, ask where to find gambling support. If a number does not connect, look up the current number on your provincial health authority’s website.

Responsible Gambling Tools at Stake

Stake.com gives you six tools. You find them in the responsible gambling settings of your account.

Setting or lowering a limit is instant. Raising or removing one waits 24 hours, which gives you time to change your mind. If you close your account and later want to reopen it, a 24-hour mandatory cooling-off applies. Stake.com holds a Curaçao licence, not a provincial one, so these tools, together with your own provincial services, are your protection.

Set Your Limits Before You Play

Decide before you open the site how much money and how much time you are prepared to spend, and write both down. Treat that money as the price of entertainment, the way you would a concert ticket, and never use funds meant for rent, bills, food or savings.

Never chase losses. A losing session is not a debt that the next session repays. Do not play when you are angry, stressed, tired or have been drinking. Keep a timer running on your phone and stop when it rings. Put your limits in place first, then deposit.

Signs of Problem Gambling

Watch for these signs in yourself or someone close to you:

• spending more money or time than you planned;
• chasing losses with bigger bets;
• borrowing money, selling belongings or missing bills to fund play;
• hiding or lying about how much you gamble;
• feeling restless, irritable or anxious when you try to stop;
• gambling to escape stress, low mood or worry;
• neglecting work, study, family or friends;
• failing to cut back after trying more than once.

One sign is enough to call a help line. You do not need to be in crisis, and you do not need to have lost a specific amount.

Help for Family and Friends

Gambling harm reaches the people around the player. If someone close to you gambles more than they can afford, you can call the same provincial lines yourself, because several of them also take calls from families and friends. Talk about the money and the mood, not about blame. Offer to sit with them while they set a limit or call, and protect your own finances by keeping shared accounts and cards out of their reach.

Blocking Software and Account Tools

Stake names three blocking programs for devices: BetBlocker, Net Nanny and Gamblock. Installing one on your phone and computer stops gambling sites from loading, even when you are tempted. Use a device-level block next to your account tools, not instead of them: a block on your devices and a product exclusion in your account work together.

Gambling Age in Canada

Stake.com requires you to be 18, or older if the age of majority where you live is higher. The age of majority is 18 in some provinces and 19 in others, so the rule that applies to you is the higher number. This site is for adults only and does not target anyone under that age.

For more on where Stake.com is offered, read is Stake legal in Canada. If you have questions about this site’s data, see the Privacy Policy. To return to the guide, go to Stake Casino Canada, or open the Stake login page.