Responsible gambling

Cricket should always be the main event. A bet can add a little extra to a match, but it should never be a way to make money, pay a bill or chase back what you have lost. If betting has stopped being fun for you or for someone close to you, free and confidential help is a phone call or a chat away, wherever you live.

Check in with yourself

Problems with betting rarely start with one big loss. They creep in, a slightly bigger stake to make a dull session interesting, an extra bet to win back a bad afternoon, a balance you would rather nobody saw. The questions below take two minutes and stay private your answers are worked out in your own browser and never sent to us.

Is betting still fun? A two-minute check

Answer 8 questions about the last 12 months. Be honest — nobody else sees your answers. They stay in your browser and are never sent or saved.

1Do you often bet more money, or for longer, than you planned?

YesNo

2Have you tried to cut down or stop betting and found it hard?

YesNo

3Do you bet to win back money you have lost?

YesNo

4Do you bet to escape stress, boredom or a low mood?

YesNo

5Do you hide your betting, or play down how much you bet, from people close to you?

YesNo

6Have you borrowed money, used credit or missed a bill because of betting?

YesNo

7Do you feel restless, irritable or low when you cannot bet?

YesNo

8Has betting got in the way of work, study, sleep or time with family and friends?

YesNo

If you answered yes to one or two questions, it is a good moment to set limits and take a break. If you answered yes to three or more, please talk to a free helpline.

This check is a prompt to reflect, not a diagnosis. If you are worried, a helpline can talk it through with you.

Keeping betting on cricket safe

The people who enjoy betting for years without it hurting them tend to follow the same few habits. None of them are complicated, but they work best when you decide on them before a match starts, not halfway through a collapse.

Decide your budget first and treat it as spent

Pick an amount you would happily spend on a night out, and think of it as the price of the entertainment, not money you expect to get back. When it is gone, you are done for the day. Never bet with money meant for rent, bills, food or savings, and never borrow to bet.

Watch the clock as well as the money

A Test match lasts five days and a T20 league runs for weeks, so in-play markets are open almost all the time. Set a time limit, take real breaks, and keep betting to the matches you actually wanted to watch.

Do not chase losses

Raising your stake to win back what you lost is the single most common way a bad day becomes a serious problem. The odds do not change because you are down. Accept the loss, close the app and come back another day or not at all.

Bet with a clear head

Alcohol, tiredness, stress and boredom all make it harder to stick to your limits. If you are betting to cheer yourself up or to escape something, that is a sign to stop and talk to someone, not to place another bet.

When it stops being fun

Gambling harm is not about how much you bet — it is about what betting does to the rest of your life. Common early signs are spending more time or money than you meant to, needing bigger bets to feel the same buzz, and feeling irritable or low when you cannot bet. Later, people often start hiding their betting, borrowing or juggling bills, and letting work, study or family time slip.

If any of that sounds familiar, you have not failed and you are not alone. Millions of people have been where you are, and the sooner you talk to someone, the easier it is to turn things around.

Tools that put you back in control

You do not have to rely on willpower alone. Use as many of these as you need they work best together.

Limits on your betting account

Licensed betting sites must let you set deposit limits, loss limits and session reminders. Set them in your account settings before you bet. Lowering a limit takes effect straight away; raising one usually comes with a cooling-off period, which is there to protect you.

Take a break or self-exclude

A time-out locks your account for anything from a day to a few weeks. Self-exclusion closes it for six months or more. Some countries run a national scheme that covers every licensed site in one go — for example GAMSTOP in Great Britain and BetStop in Australia. The help finder above lists the scheme for your country where there is one.

Block betting on your devices and cards

Blocking software such as Gamban or BetBlocker stops gambling sites and apps on your phone and computer, including sites without a local licence. Many banks also let you block payments to gambling companies with one switch in their app it is one of the most effective barriers there is.

Hide betting content on this site

On CricketScoreinfo.com you can turn off every odds box, betting link and offer: sign in, open your account settings and switch on Hide betting content. You will still get all the scores, stats and news.

Worried about someone else?

Gambling harm affects partners, children, parents and friends as much as the person who bets. If you are worried about someone, the helplines above will talk to you too you do not need the other person’s permission. Try to talk when you are both calm, say what you have noticed rather than what you think they are, and protect your own finances. Gam-Anon and similar groups offer support specifically for family and friends.

Under 18s

Betting is for adults only at least 18, and older in some countries. We never aim betting content at young people, and our community rules ban betting tips and promotions. If you are a parent, parental-control settings on phones and app stores can block gambling apps, and blocking software works on family devices too.

Our commitments

We only show betting sites that are licensed in your country or, where your country has no licensing system of its own, licensed by a recognised regulator elsewhere and none at all where online betting is restricted or not allowed. Every country page shows the legal age, the required safer-gambling message and where to get help locally. We earn money when readers open an account through some of our links; that never decides what we say about a bookmaker, and we will never encourage you to bet more. Read more in our advertiser disclosure and how we review bookmakers.