Play safe
Responsible gambling
Ice Fishing runs about 90 rounds an hour. That is the fact worth sitting with before any of the others.
Speed matters more than stake
People budget by what they deposit and lose by what they stake. At 90 rounds an hour a $1 bet is $90 through the table every hour, and the house edge works on that $90 rather than on your balance. Two hours at $2 a round is $360 of turnover. Knowing that number changes how a session feels, which is the point of publishing it.
Controls worth switching on
- Deposit limits. Daily or weekly, set while you are calm. Increases usually take 24 hours to take effect, which is exactly why they work.
- Reality checks. A prompt every 30 or 60 minutes showing how long you have played and where you stand.
- Session and loss limits. The table stops you instead of you stopping yourself.
- Time out. A cooling-off period from 24 hours to several weeks.
- Self-exclusion. Longer and harder to reverse, at one operator or across a whole market through a national scheme.
Signs worth taking seriously
- Playing longer or higher than planned, repeatedly
- Depositing again after deciding you had finished
- Playing to recover losses rather than for entertainment
- Hiding how much you play or what it costs
- Money meant for something else ending up in an account
- Sleep, work or relationships taking the hit
Free, confidential help
- BeGambleAware — advice and treatment referral
- GamCare — free helpline and live chat
- Gambling Therapy — international support in many languages
- Gamblers Anonymous — peer support groups worldwide
Outside these regions, most national regulators publish a list of local services. Your doctor is also a reasonable first call and a completely ordinary one to make.
Blocking software and national schemes
Gamban, BetBlocker and GamBlock restrict access to gambling sites across your devices; BetBlocker is free. National self-exclusion schemes such as GAMSTOP in the UK, ROFUS in Denmark and OASIS in Germany cover every licensed operator in that market at once.
Under 18
Gambling is illegal for minors everywhere we publish. This site is for adults, and the simulators on it are teaching tools rather than an invitation.