How Do I Limit the Time I Spend Playing?
Pokies are built without clocks, so the clock has to come from your side of the screen.
Set a daily timer for our site on your own device. Screen Time on an iPhone and Digital Wellbeing on Android both do it, and both can be locked with a passcode. Our two account tools deal with money and with access; neither counts minutes.
Why does time need its own control?
Because pokies are built without clocks. Rounds follow each other with no natural break, and an hour feels like twenty minutes to nearly everybody. Nothing on the screen tells you otherwise, so the clock has to come from your side of it.
A deposit limit does not do this job. It caps what goes in, and a small balance on low stakes can still last a very long evening. Time and money are separate problems, and they want separate controls.
Where is the timer on my device?
| Device | Where to find it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone or iPad | Settings, Screen Time, App Limits, then add our site under Websites | Blocks the site once the day's minutes are used |
| Android | Settings, Digital Wellbeing, then a timer on your browser or on the site | Pauses it until midnight when the time is spent |
| Windows or Mac | A site-limiting extension in your browser | Closes the tab when the daily allowance runs out |
| Any device | An alarm, set before you start | Rings whether or not you are watching the clock |
Making it hold
- Let somebody else set the passcodeA limit you can dismiss with your own code is a reminder. One that needs another person is a limit.
- Pick a time shorter than your usual sessionA timer that ends after you would have stopped anyway tells you nothing.
- Decide the end before you startA time on the clock, chosen in advance, holds better than a feeling about when enough is enough.
- Stand up when it goes offCompare the balance with what you arrived with, and make the next decision away from the screen.
Self-exclusion can be as short as a week. It freezes the account for the term, and it is not lifted early. If a timer keeps getting overridden, that is the sign to use it.
Also asked
Will a timer on my phone stop me on a laptop?
No. Each device needs its own, which is one good reason to play on one device only.
What length of session is reasonable?
Shorter than you would choose in the middle of one. Decide it beforehand, and treat the alarm as the end rather than a suggestion.
Does a deposit limit not do the same job?
No. It caps money, and a small balance can still last a long evening.
What if I keep overriding the timer?
Ask somebody else to hold the passcode, or take a week off through self-exclusion.