The four rules
- Decide a budget before you log in. Treat it as the price of an evening out — once it's gone, you're done. No "one more deposit".
- Time-box every session. Set a timer for 30–60 minutes. When it rings, log out and walk away.
- Never chase losses. The single biggest mistake is depositing a second time after a bad run. Statistically you don't "win it back" — you just lose more.
- Never gamble with borrowed money. No credit cards, no buy-now-pay-later, no asking friends. If you need to borrow to bet, you can't afford to bet.
Warning signs
It's not just about money. Any of these patterns means it's time to step back:
- Hiding the size of deposits from a partner or family.
- Increasing your stake to feel the same buzz.
- Using gambling to avoid difficult emotions or boredom.
- Lying to yourself about how much time you spend playing.
- Sleep, work, or relationships starting to suffer.
- Gambling on credit, salary advances, or money meant for rent / school fees.
If two or more apply, stop now
Take a 30-day cool-off (see below) and talk to one of the helplines listed at the bottom of this page. Free, confidential, in Hindi, English and major regional languages.
Tools available on BC.GAME
Tool
What it does
How to enable
Deposit limit
Caps daily / weekly / monthly deposits
Profile → Settings → Limits
Loss limit
Auto-stops play after a defined loss amount
Profile → Settings → Limits
Session timer
Reminder + forced log-out after X minutes
Profile → Settings → Reality Check
7-day cool-off
Locks the account for 7 days, no marketing emails
Live chat → "cooling off"
Self-exclusion
Locks the account for 6+ months — cannot be undone early
Live chat → "self-exclusion"
Cool-off and self-exclusion are processed by the BC.GAME support team — once set, no marketing emails are sent and you cannot reverse it before the term ends.
Free helplines and resources
Service
Phone / website
Hours
Languages
iCall (TISS)
+91 9152987821
Mon–Sat, 8am–10pm
Hindi, English, +9 regional
Vandrevala Foundation
1860 2662 345
24/7
Hindi, English
NIMHANS Helpline
080-46110007
24/7
English, Kannada, Hindi
GamCare (international)
gamcare.org.uk
24/7 chat
English
Gamblers Anonymous India
gamblersanonymous.org/ga
Local meetings
English + regional
Protecting minors
Anyone under 18 must not gamble. If you share a device with children:
- Set a device password and never save the BC.GAME password in the browser.
- Log out fully after every session — don't leave the wallet visible.
- Use parental control apps (Google Family Link, Apple Screen Time, Net Nanny) to block gambling domains on kids' devices.
Self-test
The Lie/Bet questionnaire is two questions. Answer honestly:
- Have you ever felt the need to bet more and more money?
- Have you ever had to lie to people important to you about how much you gambled?
One "yes" suggests a problem worth talking through. Two "yes" answers — call a helpline this week.