How to stop chasing your gambling losses
Chasing losses means betting again, often bigger, to win back money you have already lost. This guide is for anyone in Ireland who recognises that pattern in their own play and wants a working method to break it. We explain why the urge builds after a loss, give you a six-step procedure for the moment it hits, and compare the tools that hold a limit with the ones that only remind you. We also list the Irish helplines and the account protections set out in the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, as we checked them against official sources.
Why chasing losses feels like a plan
After a loss, the next bet feels like repair work rather than a new risk. You are not gambling any more, in your own head; you are getting your money back. That framing is the trap, because every game you play carries the same house edge on the next spin as it did on the last one.
A slot with an RTP of 96% returns around €96 for every €100 staked over a very long run. If you are down €200 and decide to stake €1,000 more to recover it, the expected cost of that recovery attempt is roughly €40 on top of what you have already lost. The maths never turns in your favour because you are behind.
Losses do not create a debt the game owes you.
The signs to watch for
Chasing rarely announces itself. It shows up as raising your stake after a losing run, topping up a deposit you had meant to be your last, or switching to faster games to get back to level sooner. It also shows up as a bonus claimed purely to fund another attempt, which adds wagering to the problem: a 35x requirement on a €50 bonus is €1,750 of bets before you can withdraw anything from it. If two or more of those sound familiar, treat the pattern as real rather than as a bad night, and use the procedure below the next time it starts.
Six steps to take when the urge hits
Use these in order the moment you notice you want to win something back. Each one is designed to put time or a hard barrier between you and the next deposit.
- Step 1
Stop the session at the loss
Close the game and log out as soon as you notice the urge to win back money. Do not finish the spin, the hand or the bet slip you had open. The decision is easier to keep before another result arrives. - Step 2
Write the real figure down
Note exactly how much you lost today in euro, not a rounded guess. Seeing the number on paper turns a vague feeling of being behind into a fixed cost you can accept rather than try to undo. - Step 3
Set a deposit limit in your account
Open the responsible gambling section and set a monetary limit for the period you choose. Under section 164 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024, a licensee may not let you raise or remove it during that period. - Step 4
Take a cooling-off break or self-exclude
If a limit feels too easy to work around, use the operator's time-out or self-exclusion option. Problem Gambling Ireland advises choosing the longest duration available, since some operators offer lifetime exclusion and others much shorter periods. - Step 5
Block gambling payments at your bank
AIB and Bank of Ireland customers can request a gambling block by phone, and Revolut and PTSB offer blocks inside their apps. Blocking software such as Gamban or BetBlocker adds a second barrier on your devices. - Step 6
Talk to someone the same day
Call the Gambling Care national helpline on 1800 936 725, or text Extern Problem Gambling on 089 241 5401 for a call-back. Saying the figure out loud to another person weakens the urge to chase it.
Barriers that hold versus reminders that nudge
Not every responsible gambling tool works the same way when you are chasing. Some put a hard stop in place that you cannot undo on impulse. Others only interrupt you and leave the decision with you, at exactly the moment your judgement is weakest.
We checked the wording of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 for the strongest of the account tools. Section 164 requires licensees to offer a facility to set a monetary limit, either on one activity or on all of a licensee’s activities. During the period you choose, the licensee cannot let you remove or raise that limit and cannot send you marketing that invites you to play. Any payment taken above the limit has to be refunded within 7 days.
The Act also provides for a National Gambling Exclusion Register run by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, covering every remote B2C licensee at once. Until the register is operating, self-exclusion in Ireland is handled operator by operator, so you need to exclude on each site you use. Where an operator does not hold a GRAI licence, these statutory protections may not apply to your account at all.
The comparison below sets a hard deposit limit against a reality check.
Deposit limit or reality check when chasing
Both tools sit in most account settings pages. Here is how each one behaves at the point a chase starts.
Deposit limit | Reality check |
|---|---|
| Blocks deposits once the limit is reached | Shows a pop-up and lets you carry on |
| Cannot be raised during the period you set | Can be dismissed with one click |
| Covered by section 164 of the 2024 Act | Not a specific limit duty in section 164 |
| Does not show how long you have played | Shows time played and net result |
| Set once, in advance of a session | Set once, triggered during a session |
| Applies only to that operator | Applies only to that operator |
Where to get support in Ireland
If the steps above are not enough on their own, that is common, and free support exists across the country. We checked the contact details against the support list published by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland and the Extern Problem Gambling site.
The Gambling Care national helpline is on 1800 936 725, which the GRAI lists as open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Extern Problem Gambling runs a call-back service on 089 241 5401, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, and offers free online counselling to anyone on the island of Ireland.
Gamblers Anonymous Ireland holds free meetings, with a Dublin number of 01 872 1133.
If the chasing has left you with debts, the MABS helpline on 0818 072000 can help you work through repayments without borrowing again. Families affected by someone else’s gambling can contact the Family Addiction Support Network on 087 904 6405. And if you are in distress, Samaritans answer on 116 123. You do not need to have stopped gambling, or to call it an addiction, to use any of these services; recognising that you chase losses is reason enough to ring.
Related Terms
Questions about chasing losses
What does chasing losses actually mean?
It means continuing to gamble, often with bigger stakes, to win back money you have already lost. The house edge stays the same on every bet, so the attempt usually deepens the loss.
Can I raise my deposit limit if I change my mind?
Not during the period you set. Section 164 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 says a licensee must not let you remove or increase the limit until that period ends.
What happens if an operator takes money above my limit?
Under section 164 of the Act, the licensee must refund any payment made in excess of your limit within 7 days of the limit being exceeded.
Is there one self-exclusion scheme covering all Irish sites?
The Act provides for a National Gambling Exclusion Register covering all remote licensees. Until it is operating, you need to self-exclude separately with each operator you hold an account with.
Can my bank stop gambling payments?
Yes. AIB and Bank of Ireland customers can request a gambling block by phone, while Revolut and PTSB customers can set one up inside their banking apps.
Who can I call right now?
The Gambling Care national helpline is on 1800 936 725. For free counselling, text or call Extern Problem Gambling on 089 241 5401 and they will ring you back.
More about online casinos
What we notice most often is that people stop at step two and treat the written figure as a plan. It is not. Steps three and five are the ones that physically stop a deposit, so do those before the urge comes back.