Responsible gambling (18+)

Pools and betting are for adults only. You must be 18 or older to stake money, and DrawMeter is written for adults. Everything on this site is a probability: the likeliest draw on a coupon still misses far more often than it lands, and any line, slip or single bet can lose.

Treat it as entertainment you pay for

The safest way to look at a pools coupon or a bet is as the price of an evening's interest, like a ticket to a match. Decide what that is worth to you before you start, and count it as spent. If a stake would hurt to lose, it is too big. Money for rent, school fees, food, transport or debts is never money for staking.

A few habits help:

• Set a weekly budget and stop when it is used, win or lose.
• Decide the size of a perm or a slip before you choose matches, not after.
• Never borrow to stake, and never stake to win back what you have lost.
• Keep a simple note of what you put in and what you got back. Honest numbers are easier to read than memory.
• Take breaks, especially after a big win or a painful loss.

Warning signs

Gambling can become a problem slowly. Take it seriously if any of these sound familiar:

• You stake more than you planned, or more often than you meant to.
• You chase losses, telling yourself the next coupon will put it right.
• You borrow money, sell things or use money meant for something else.
• You hide your betting from family or friends, or lie about how much you spend.
• You feel restless, anxious or irritable when you are not betting.
• Betting gets in the way of work, study, sleep or the people around you.

One sign is enough to stop and think. Several mean it is time to get help.

Practical limits at the operator

If you hold an account with a bookmaker, use the controls it offers. Ask its support team or look in the account settings for:

• Deposit limits, a cap on how much you can pay in each day, week or month.
• Time-outs, a short break during which the account cannot be used.
• Self-exclusion, closing the account for a long period so that you cannot bet with that operator at all.

Limits work best when they are set on a calm day, before they are needed. On your own phone, blocking betting apps and sites, or removing saved payment details, adds one more step between an impulse and a stake.

Where to find help

Talking to someone helps. These organisations offer free support:

• Gambling Therapy (gamblingtherapy.org): free online support for anyone affected by gambling, in many languages, including French.
• Gamblers Anonymous (gamblersanonymous.org): a fellowship of people who share their experience to stop gambling, with meetings and resources.

If someone close to you is struggling, these organisations can help you too.

Our part

DrawMeter never promises a result, never presents a draw as certain and never urges anyone to stake more. Our numbers are probabilities with honest records behind them; read how we predict draws to see what they can and cannot tell you. If pools or betting stop being fun, step away. The coupon will still be there next week, and so will your money if you keep it.