Gambling help: who to call, and how to set limits at Springbok

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NRGP stands for National Responsible Gambling Programme; the line is operated by the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation, and a call gets you counselling, an assessment and, where needed, a referral to treatment, all without charge. Treatment after assessment means a set of outpatient sessions, and worried relatives are helped as well.

You do not need to have lost a lot to call. Something feeling off is reason enough: the hours, the mood after a session, the secrecy. As the foundation puts it: Winners know when to stop.

Springbok's own deposit limits and self-exclusion

Two tools are on offer according to Springbok's responsible gaming page: a cap on deposits per day or per month, and a self-exclusion of any length you name, never shorter than a month. Neither is a switch in the account; you request them from Springbok directly.

1. 1

   Contact support

   Open the chat window on Springbok's site or in its lobby, or write to help@springbokcasino.co.za. Springbok says someone is on duty day and night.

2. 2

   Say exactly what you want

   A deposit limit (a rand amount per day or per month) or self-exclusion, and for how long.

3. 3

   Ask for written confirmation

   Request an email confirming the limit or exclusion and the date it starts, and keep it.

Set a limit on a calm day, not mid-session. If you catch yourself asking for one to be lifted the same evening, call the NRGP line too.

Warning signs worth taking seriously

• You keep raising your stake to get the same buzz.
• You go back the next day to win back what you lost.
• Bills, groceries or school fees have gone on gambling.
• You borrow, sell things or use credit to keep playing.
• You feel anxious, low or short-tempered when you cannot play.
• You play down or hide your gambling from the people around you.

Several of these together are a good reason to make that call.

When practice mode becomes part of the problem

Fun chips cost nothing, but they can still feed a habit. Watch for these:

• Opening fun mode to "warm up" or to find a game that feels hot before playing with rand.
• Believing a good practice run means a real session will go the same way. Each round is random; fun results carry no information about real ones.
• Using practice play to fill the gap after a limit or self-exclusion. If you have stepped away from Springbok, staying out of its lobby altogether, fun mode included, makes the break easier to keep.

Habits that keep play in proportion

• Play only with money set aside for fun, never rent, food or debt money.
• Fix a rand amount and a finishing time first; stop at whichever comes first.
• Keep cards and banking apps out of reach, so topping up takes effort.
• Skip sessions when you are upset, drinking or tired.

More on the responsible-gambling foundation's site: responsiblegambling.org.za.