Responsible Gaming at Mecca Casino

Gambling with us is a form of entertainment. It is not a way to earn an income, to recover money you have already lost, or to deal with stress, boredom or difficult news. Players who enjoy it most stake small amounts, stop when they planned to, and treat any winnings as a bonus rather than part of their budget.

We ask you to decide, before you play, how much money and how much time you are willing to spend, and to treat that decision as fixed. Our part is to make the tools that hold you to it easy to find, and to act when the way an account is used suggests that play is no longer under control.

• Set a budget from money left over after rent, bills, food and savings, never from money you need.
• Decide how long a session will last and stop at that point, whether you are ahead or behind.
• Never raise your stakes to win back a loss. The odds of a game do not change because the last round went against you.
• Do not gamble when you have been drinking, when you are upset, or when you cannot afford to lose the stake.

Every tool below is free and can be made stricter straight away. Loosening or removing a limit takes longer: a cooling-off period applies before any increase comes into force, and we may ask you to confirm the request.

Deposit limits

A deposit limit caps how much you can pay into your account over a day, a week or a month. You can hold limits over more than one period at the same time, and the strictest one applies. Once a limit is reached, no further deposits are accepted until that period resets.

Loss and session limits

A loss limit caps the net amount you can lose in a chosen period, counting your stakes against your returns. A session limit caps how long a single logged-in session can last; when the time is up you are logged out and told how long you have played.

Reality checks

A reality check is a short on-screen message that interrupts play at an interval you choose. It shows how long you have been playing and where your balance stands, then asks whether you want to carry on or stop. It is the simplest way to stop a session drifting past the time you set aside for it.

Time-outs and self-exclusion

A time-out closes your account to play for a short fixed period that you select, and cannot be lifted early. Self-exclusion runs for a longer term, is final for that term and also stops our marketing; while it lasts we will not take deposits or reopen the account, and any balance is returned using the methods shown in the cashier. When the term ends, the account stays closed until you contact us, and a further waiting period applies before play resumes.

1. Log in and open the safer gambling area from your account menu.
2. Choose the tool you want and enter the amount, the length of time or the interval.
3. Confirm the request. Stricter settings take effect immediately and are shown in your account.
4. If you cannot find a setting, or want a break applied across everything at once, ask our live chat or e-mail support@casinomecca.co.uk and we will set it for you.

Difficulties with gambling build up gradually, and they show in habits rather than in any single session. Go through the points below honestly. If several of them sound familiar, treat that as a reason to set a limit or take a break now rather than later.

• You play for longer, or stake more, than you planned to.
• You chase losses, staking more to get back to where you started.
• You borrow money, sell belongings or use money meant for bills in order to gamble.
• You hide how much you gamble from family, friends or colleagues.
• You gamble to escape stress, low mood, loneliness or boredom.
• Work, study, sleep or relationships are suffering because of gambling.
• You feel restless or irritable when you try to cut down.
• You have stopped before and gone back sooner than you intended.

The organisations below are separate from our business and will not tell us what you discuss with them. All of them help free of charge, and you do not need to be in crisis to get in touch.

• GambleAware - a charity that funds and signposts free treatment and prevention services, with self-assessment tools and plain guidance for anyone worried about their own gambling or someone else's.
• GamCare - offers free counselling, group support and practical advice for people affected by gambling, in person and online, and runs the national helpline.
• GamStop - the free national self-exclusion scheme. One registration blocks you from the online gambling sites that take part, for a fixed term you choose when you sign up.
• The National Gambling Helpline - a confidential helpline open every day, giving one-to-one support and referral to treatment for gamblers and for family members.

Registering with GamStop closes your account with us as well as your accounts elsewhere, and we cannot reopen it while your registration is active. If you ask us directly, we can set a limit, start a time-out or self-exclude you on the spot and stop all marketing. Our staff cannot provide counselling or financial advice.

We hold a gaming licence and verify every account, and only people aged 18 and over may register or play. Before a withdrawal, and at the other points set out in our terms, we check identity, age and address against the documents you supply, and we may suspend an account while that check is completed.

If you share a device with children, the steps below reduce the chance of them reaching a gambling site.

• Do not save your password in a browser other people use, and log out at the end of every session.
• Use parental control or content-filtering software to block gambling sites, and keep it switched on for each user profile.
• Keep card and e-wallet details off shared devices, and never let anyone else make deposits on your behalf.

If you believe someone under 18 has used an account with us, or that an account is being used by a person who has self-excluded, tell us through live chat or at responsiblegaming@casinomecca.co.uk. We look into every report, close any account opened by a person under 18 and return their deposits, with winnings forfeited.