The odds are anything
but in your favour

Winning small and often — that's the marketing formula created to hook you. Whether it's VLTs, daily lotteries, the casino or scratch games, in the long run, you're likely to spend more than you win. How can you or your friends avoid being played?

A yellow flag moment means "warning"

A little casual gambling is one thing, but there are certain signs — we call them "yellow flag moments" — that could signal the beginning of future problems. You or a friend may have experienced some of these signs before. If they happen a lot, you could be on a risky road. Know the signs to make sure gambling is a pastime, not a problem.

Are You Having Yellow Flag Moments?

If you're here to check out your own gambling habits to see if you're still on top of things, great. Because, if you get the facts, you'll know where you stand, and that can help you make sure yellow flags don't turn into major problems. You make the decisions about where and how often you gamble and how much you spend on it. It's up to you to decide when to hold and when to fold.

Yellow Flag Moments

What do they look like?
If you or your friends gamble, chances are you've seen the occasional yellow flag moment. Once in a while isn't such a big deal, but if they happen a lot, it's probably time to break bad habits before they become routine.

Here's a list of the most common ones.

• Gambling longer than intended.
• Heading straight to the VLT room at the pub.
• Spending more money gambling than intended.
• Spending more time gambling than socializing with friends.
• Going out alone to gamble "in peace."
• Returning to the ATM or using credit cards repeatedly to get more money to gamble longer.
• Feeling guilty about gambling.
• Borrowing money to gamble.
• Gambling to forget about something that's bothering you.
• Being convinced that if you keep gambling, you'll win back the money you've lost.
• Being sure that hitting a big win will solve your problems.
• Believing that you have some control over the game or the machine.
• Believing that the game or the machine is "due" to pay out or not payout, and that there are "hot" and "cold" machines.