Keep These Basic Rules in Mind:

• Gambling is prohibited for persons under the age of 18.
• Excessive gambling may lead to potential health risks.
• Gambling carries the risk of significant financial losses.

Ten Principles of Safe Gambling

Following these principles will help you minimize potential risks.

1. Gamble only when you are well-rested and fully focused.
2. Never gamble if you are dealing with serious personal problems or suffering from depression.
3. Make it a habit to take regular breaks while gambling.
4. Set a fixed amount in advance as your long-term personal limit that you are willing to spend on gambling. Set this limit carefully and according to your actual financial situation.
5. Decide in advance the maximum amount you are willing to lose in a single gaming session. Never exceed this limit.
6. Never gamble under the influence of alcohol or medication.
7. Make your own decisions. Do not let yourself be influenced by the opinions of others.
8. Gambling should be a source of enjoyment, excitement, and entertainment—not personal loss, reckless gambling, or sadness.
9. Keep personal records that allow you to monitor your long-term results.
10. Good players do not rely on luck alone. A good player knows when to start, continue, or stop based on their own decisions.

All available information regarding gambling addiction and its prevention can be found on the following websites: www.cpldz.sk, www.hrajsrozumom.sk, and www.nehraj.sk. These websites provide information on responsible gambling, recognizing gambling addiction, contact details for professional support services, and additional guidance. They also include communication channels through which you can obtain further information on this topic.

If you believe you may be at risk of developing a gambling problem, please contact the free Gambling Help Line at 0800 800 900.

How can you tell if you’re at risk? Where can you turn for help? We offer a quick test authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) that helps you assess your potential risk. The test is anonymous, and you can take it right away.

World Health Organization (WHO) Test

1. During the past 12 months, have you neglected your work or your responsibilities at school, at work, or at home because of your betting or gambling?
2. During the past 12 months, has your betting or gambling behavior repeatedly caused arguments or other serious problems with your family, friends, neighbors, or colleagues at work?
3. During the past 12 months, have you ever tried to hide from your family or friends the extent of your gambling?
4. Have you ever pretended that you won when you actually lost?
5. During the past 12 months, have you found yourself spending a lot of time thinking about gambling when you should have been focusing on something else?
6. During the past 12 months, have you had a period when you spent a lot of time planning your bets or studying odds, even though you should have been doing something else?
7. During the past 12 months, have you needed to increase your betting or gambling stakes over time to keep gambling as exciting as before?
8. During the past 12 months, have you turned to betting or gambling as a way to get rid of a bad mood or to improve your mood?
9. During the past 12 months, have you played in order to avoid dealing with your personal problems?
10. During the past 12 months, have there been situations where you lost money and then often tried to win it back the next day?
11. During the past 12 months, have you had high gambling debts and played more and more in the hope of winning your losses back?
12. During the past 12 months, have you tried to increase your gambling funds by forging a cheque, committing theft, or engaging in any other illegal activity?
13. During the past 12 months, have you repeatedly borrowed money from your family or friends to finance your gambling or to pay off gambling debts?
14. During the past 12 months, have you experienced such a strong urge to bet or gamble that you could not resist it or were unable to think about anything else?
15. During the past 12 months, have you played even though you had decided not to, or have you spent much more money on gambling or played for much longer than you originally intended?
16. How many times in your life (not only during the past 12 months) have you seriously tried to limit your gambling or stop gambling altogether?
17. Did you feel unable to concentrate or irritated while trying to limit or stop your gambling?
18. What was the longest period of time you have gone without gambling since you started trying to limit or stop your gambling?

The more “YES” answers you have to these questions, the greater the likelihood that you may have a gambling problem.

Gambling Problem Helpline 0800 800 900

Free telephone number of a specialized healthcare institution providing prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of substance-related and behavioral addictions.

Operated by: Centre for the Treatment of Drug Dependencies, Hraničná 2, 827 99 Bratislava