Gambling in Moderation at Chance: Prevention, Limits, Help

Keeping an eye on your own gambling is a task nobody else can do for you. A player who notices how often and for how much they play can recognise the warning signs of problem gambling in good time. Responsible gambling means exactly this kind of conscious, controlled approach, whose purpose is to keep the risks of excessive play as low as possible and to prevent addiction.

Players are not left on their own, though. Zákon č. 186/2016 Sb. obliges gambling operators, a group that includes CHANCE a.s., to offer tools and information that support safe play. This covers financial and time limits, guidance on the risks and on the option of self-exclusion, and the protection of minors.

Problem gambling does not appear overnight. Its signs can be sorted into four areas of life.

Health and mood. When gambling is not possible, restlessness, irritability or anxiety set in. Play may also go hand in hand with a decline in mental or physical health.

Relationships. The player hides gambling from loved ones and keeps going even when it causes conflicts.

Money. They repeatedly overshoot their own limits, borrow to gamble, try to win losses back by playing on and do not stop even when they fall into debt.

Duties and time. They play more and more often or for larger sums and neglect work, study or family as a result.

If you see these signs in yourself or someone close to you, turn to the prevention tools or contact professionals.

Chance offers responsible gambling tools to every registered player directly in the user account, as zákon č. 186/2016 Sb. requires. Which one to choose depends on what you want to restrict:

• If you want to keep deposits under control, set a deposit limit for a day, week or month. Once you have used it up, you cannot send more money to the gaming account until the period expires.
• If your concern is how much you stake or lose, choose the bet and loss limit. It applies for a period you define, and once it is reached the system stops play.
• If you are watching the clock, use a time limit per day or week. It is complemented by the reality check, a notice that appears at regular intervals and shows the time spent playing.
• If you need to step away from gambling altogether for a while, there is a time-out of 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. Until it ends you cannot log in or play; afterwards the account is active again.

You can set, lower or remove a limit yourself in the account, but any increase only applies after a protection period lasting 24 hours or more.

For moments when gambling needs to stop at once, there is the panic button. Under § 16bb of zákon č. 186/2016 Sb., gambling operators must offer it from 1 July 2024.

1. You activate the button directly in the user interface; it is available to all registered players.
2. The system excludes you instantly and automatically from all the operator's online platforms.
3. For the following 48 hours you will not take part in any gambling.
4. Along with this, you will be offered the chance to file an application for entry into the Register of Excluded Persons (RVO).

On the basis of § 16 and § 16b of zákon č. 186/2016 Sb., any player can ask to be excluded from gambling, either temporarily or for good. The request is made either in the user account or through the gambling operator.

An entry in the Register of Excluded Persons (RVO) applies to every gambling operator in the Czech Republic. Removal can be requested no sooner than one year after the entry was made.

The Register of Excluded Persons (RVO) is administered by the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic (Ministerstvo financí ČR) on the basis of zákon č. 186/2016 Sb. Anyone entered in it cannot gamble with any licensed operator in the Czech Republic.

Two groups of people end up in the register:

• those who have asked to be excluded themselves,
• people excluded by law, for example persons subject to enforcement proceedings or insolvency proceedings, or recipients of certain benefits.

An application for entry can be made in the user account with the operator, by activating the panic button and then confirming, through a data box message to the Ministry of Finance, or in person at a Czech POINT office.

Gambling in the Czech Republic is reserved for adults: under zákon č. 186/2016 Sb., only people who have turned 18 may take part. Verifying a player's age and identity is the operator's duty, and BankID or other methods serve this purpose. Compliance with the ban on minors is monitored at registration and when winnings are withdrawn.

For a quick self-assessment, you can use questions inspired by the PGSI (Problem Gambling Severity Index):

1. Do you borrow money to gamble?
2. Do you try to make up for a loss by playing again?
3. Do people close to you point out that you have a problem with gambling?
4. Do you have a guilty conscience about gambling?
5. Do you put off work, school or relationships because of gambling?
6. Do you often feel that you should be gambling less?
7. Do you end up spending more on gambling than you decided in advance?

A yes to several questions is a reason to take notice: consider the prevention tools or turn to professionals. The result is only a rough guide and does not replace a diagnosis by a specialist.

• Free, anonymous help by phone: National Helpline for Addiction, 800 350 000.
• Specialist workplace: Clinic of Addictology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, information on adiktologie.cz.
• Further professional help: Společnost Podané ruce, podaneruce.cz.

You can turn to all of these places if gambling is ceasing to be fun. They help professionally and with respect for your privacy.

Whether you have a question about this page or would like more detail, send it to contact@chance-bonus.cz.

For adults only: 18+. Only those who have turned 18 may gamble.

Official warning: Ministerstvo financí ČR states that gambling participation may lead to addiction.