Gambling is entertainment that costs money. For most people that is all it is. For some it stops being a choice, and the difference is worth knowing before it matters.
Signs worth taking seriously. Betting more than you planned or can afford to lose. Chasing losses with bigger stakes. Borrowing to play, or hiding how much you play from people close to you. Playing to escape stress or low mood rather than for entertainment. Feeling irritable when you try to cut down. Any of these on their own is a reason to stop and take stock.
Tools every operator on this site offers. Deposit limits capping what you can fund in a period. Loss and wager limits. Session reminders. Cooling-off periods that lock the account for days or weeks. And self-exclusion, which closes it for months or permanently. Set the limits when you open the account rather than when you need them — that is the moment you are thinking most clearly.
Free confidential help in the US. The National Council on Problem Gambling helpline is 1-800-522-4700, available 24 hours a day, and you can also text 800GAM. 1-800-GAMBLER reaches state-level support. Gamblers Anonymous runs free meetings in person and online, and Gam-Anon supports family members affected by someone else's gambling.
If it is someone else. You cannot make another person stop, and covering their losses usually prolongs the problem. Gam-Anon exists precisely for this and talking to people who have been through it helps more than arguing about it will.
Never gamble to solve money problems. No system, strategy or fast-paying casino changes the fact that these games are built to return less than they take. If you are gambling because you need the money, stop and call one of the numbers above.