Gambling and gaming

Gambling is when you risk money or something of value to predict the outcome of a game. If you get it right, you win money; if you’re wrong, you lose your money. There are many different types - from scratch cards or fruit machines to betting with friends. 

Online gaming stimulates the same parts of the brain as gambling. Gaming can put you under pressure to spend and cause harm in similar ways: 

Spending money on in-game purchasing like loot boxes, spinning wheels or slot machines level-ups or hints can  lead to you losing track of your spending. 

In some games, players buy, sell, and exchange skins to customise their characters. Sometimes these are used as a form of betting. 

Spending too much time is very common in games with an immersive world, or customisable characters. This can cause repetitive strain injury and sleep deprivation, or lead to not taking proper care of yourself. 

See your area's 'what's the harm' page with links to gambling help