Responsible Gaming

Real-money gaming is entertainment for most adults and a serious problem for some. This page describes how to set sensible limits before you play, the warning signs to watch for, and the Indian helplines that can help if gaming has stopped being fun. Earn7 is a discovery hub, not an operator — but we believe the long-term health of the Indian gaming ecosystem depends on players, operators, and platforms all taking responsibility seriously.

Our Position

Earn7 catalogues real-money gaming apps. We have a commercial interest in introducing Indian players to operators — and we also have an interest in those introductions producing players who enjoy gaming as one form of entertainment among many, not players who go bankrupt or fracture their families. Those two interests are aligned: the operators with sustainable business models are the ones whose customers keep coming back because they are still in good financial and mental health.

This page is written in that spirit. We will not pretend gaming is risk-free, hide warning signs, or omit the helplines you might need. If gaming has become a problem for you or someone in your family, scroll directly to the "Indian Helplines" section below — the rest of this page can wait.

Age Restriction

Every real-money gaming app linked from Earn7 is for adults aged 18 or older. Operators enforce this through KYC checks that require Aadhaar or PAN verification. If you are under 18, please leave this site and any linked operator. There is no rush — these games will still be here when you are old enough to play legally.

Warning Signs of Problem Gambling

Problem gambling builds gradually. The signs below are derived from the diagnostic criteria used by India's National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and international clinical literature. If three or more apply to you over the past 12 months, please reach out to one of the helplines listed further down — early intervention is far easier than late.

• Preoccupation — thinking about gaming when you should be focusing on work, family, or sleep
• Escalation — needing to bet larger amounts to feel the same level of excitement
• Loss of control — trying to cut back or stop, and failing repeatedly
• Chasing losses — depositing more after a losing session to "win back" what you lost
• Lying — hiding how much you play or how much you have lost from family or partners
• Restlessness — feeling irritable or anxious when you try to play less
• Escape — playing to relieve stress, anxiety, or low mood rather than for entertainment
• Financial fallout — borrowing money, missing bill payments, or selling possessions to fund play
• Relationship damage — arguments with family or partners about money or time spent gaming
• Work or study impact — missed deadlines, reduced performance, or absenteeism linked to gaming
• Bailouts — relying on family or friends to cover money problems caused by gaming
• Sleep disruption — playing late into the night despite needing to be functional the next day

Setting Limits Before You Play

The single biggest predictor of healthy long-term gaming is whether a player sets meaningful limits before the first deposit and sticks to them. Limits set in the heat of a losing session almost always fail. Build the structure first.

Money limits

• Monthly entertainment budget — decide how much you would spend on a month of entertainment (films, restaurants, weekend trips) and allocate a portion of that to gaming. Treat losses as the cost of that entertainment, not as a temporary state.
• Per-session deposit limit — most operators allow you to cap individual session deposits. Setting this to a fraction of your monthly budget prevents single-session blow-ups.
• Loss limit — separate from deposit limit. When net losses reach the threshold, the session ends, no exceptions.
• Never play with borrowed money — no exceptions. If you cannot afford to lose it, you cannot afford to play with it.

Time limits

• Session length cap — 60 to 90 minutes is a reasonable maximum for one continuous session. Most operators offer session reminders; turn them on.
• Weekly session cap — decide in advance how many evenings per week you will play. Three or fewer keeps gaming as a hobby rather than a routine.
• Cooling-off after a loss — after any session where you hit your loss limit, wait at least 24 hours before the next session. This breaks the chasing-losses pattern.

Context limits

• Never play under the influence — alcohol and other substances impair judgement; multiple studies show problem-gambling rates rise sharply with combined use.
• Never play to cope — gaming is for entertainment, not for managing stress, sadness, loneliness, or boredom. If you find yourself reaching for the app when you feel low, that pattern needs to break.
• Keep a record — at minimum, check your deposit and withdrawal history weekly. Self-deception thrives in opacity.

Tools Operators Should Offer (and How to Use Them)

Most licensed real-money gaming operators serving Indian players offer at least the following responsible-gaming tools. If an operator does not — that is a strong signal to choose a different platform.

• Deposit limits — daily, weekly, and monthly caps you set in account settings. Most operators require a 24-hour cooling-off period before deposit limits can be increased (but not decreased — decreases are immediate).
• Loss limits — separate from deposit limits. When net losses in the chosen period reach the cap, further play is blocked.
• Session time limits — automatic logout after a set duration, regardless of game state.
• Reality checks — pop-up notifications at intervals (every 30 or 60 minutes) showing time elapsed and net profit/loss for the session.
• Cool-off periods — temporary self-blocks of 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or longer that cannot be reversed before the period expires.
• Self-exclusion — long-term blocks (6 months, 1 year, indefinite) requiring a documented account closure and identity verification to reverse.
• Account closure — permanent option, typically requires an email request and identity confirmation.

Where to find these on any operator: Account → Settings → Responsible Gaming (or "Player Protection", "Safer Gambling"). If you cannot find them within two minutes, that is itself a warning sign about the operator.

Self-Exclusion in India

Important context: India does not currently have a centralised cross-operator self-exclusion register equivalent to the UK's GAMSTOP, Sweden's Spelpaus, or Australia's BetStop. Self-exclusion in India is operator-by-operator. A player who self-excludes from one app can still register and play at another the same day.

If you decide to self-exclude:

• Use the operator's self-exclusion tool on every platform you have used, not just the one causing the problem.
• Ask each operator's support team to confirm in writing that the exclusion is in place.
• Consider device-level blocks (see "Tools Beyond Operators" below) for an additional layer.
• Inform a trusted family member or friend so they can support you and notice if you try to circumvent the exclusion.

Tools Beyond Operators

If operator-level self-exclusion is not enough, the following independent tools add friction:

• Gamban — paid software that blocks thousands of gambling sites and apps across all your devices. ₹500-₹1,500 per year. gamban.com
• BetBlocker — free open-source equivalent with similar functionality. betblocker.org
• DNS-level blocking — services like CleanBrowsing or NextDNS can block gambling-category domains at the network level for a household.
• Bank-level blocks — some Indian banks (HDFC, ICICI, Kotak) allow you to block gambling-category merchants via their mobile app. Ask customer support how to enable it on your account.
• Trusted-friend pairing — give a family member or friend the password to your gaming accounts so re-entry requires their cooperation.

Indian Helplines

If gaming is causing distress to you or someone close to you, the resources below are staffed by trained professionals and answer faster than we can. None of them charge a fee for emotional support. All are confidential.

International: if you are reading this from outside India, the Gambling Therapy network operates a free online support service in multiple languages.

Support for Family Members

Family members of someone with a gambling problem often suffer parallel financial and emotional harm. If you are reading this because of someone else's gaming, the same helplines above accept calls from family members and can provide guidance specific to your situation. Several offer support groups (in-person in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore) where families of people with gambling problems meet weekly.

Key guidance for family members:

• Do not bail the person out financially — this typically extends rather than resolves the cycle
• Protect shared finances (separate accounts, removed authorisation on credit cards)
• Do not threaten consequences you are not prepared to follow through on
• Encourage professional help rather than relying on personal willpower alone
• Take care of your own mental health — supporter burnout is real

Underage Gambling Prevention

Children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to developing problem gambling patterns because their brains are still developing impulse control. Parents and guardians can reduce risk through:

• Device-level parental controls (iOS Screen Time / Android Family Link)
• DNS-level filters as described above
• Bank-level merchant blocks if a child has access to a payment method
• Conversations about how operators design games to maximise engagement — making the mechanics visible reduces their power

If You Are Reading This Because You Are Worried

Reaching this paragraph already tells us something — you have started to wonder whether your gaming or someone else's is becoming a problem. That worry is worth listening to. The earlier in the pattern problem gambling is recognised, the easier recovery tends to be. Pick one helpline from the list above. Call this week. The conversation is confidential and free.

Related Pages

For broader site context: our disclaimer covers jurisdictional and tax notes that affect Indian players, and our terms of service set out the conditions under which Earn7 publishes operator information. Our methodology describes how we choose which operators to feature.