Use this when a promise or spending limit keeps failing, gambling is becoming harder to discuss, or someone else's gambling is affecting you.
Notice the gap between the plan and what happens
You might plan a short session, then keep going; try to recover a loss with another bet; or return after deciding to stop. Look at the pattern over time, including secrecy, preoccupation and the effect on sleep, relationships and responsibilities. You do not need to wait for a financial crisis before asking for help.
Gambling disorder is a recognised behavioural addiction involving impaired control and continuing harm. Assessment considers the wider pattern and other health problems, not simply a dollar amount. Gambling can also cause harm without meeting the criteria for a disorder. This guide does not diagnose either you or someone close to you.
Work out what the next bet is being asked to do
Notice the moment before gambling: an urge to recover money, escape a feeling, fill time, join friends or seek excitement. These are possibilities to explore, not assumptions about why everyone gambles. A useful question is: 'What am I hoping will feel different after this?'
Chasing a loss adds another uncertain bet; it does not turn gambling into a reliable way to repair the loss. The immediate task is to limit further harm and obtain help with the problem that is already there.
Put support around the difficult moment
A plan can include practical barriers as well as a decision. A gambling counsellor can help you consider self-exclusion, reducing exposure to gambling prompts and ways to protect essential spending. These measures support treatment; they are not a guarantee that an urge or a workaround will disappear.
BetStop covers Australian licensed online and phone wagering providers. It does not cover every form of gambling or illegal online services. Venue self-exclusion arrangements are separate. Check the scope of each option before relying on it, and consider confidential financial counselling if debts or essential expenses are involved.
Family members need care in their own right
If another person's gambling affects you, your distress and financial concerns deserve attention even if they do not want treatment. You can seek gambling support for yourself. You are not required to lend money, take on debt or become the sole monitor of another adult's behaviour.
Where money, threats or control are part of a relationship problem, seek individual safety and financial advice before announcing changes. A worksheet is not permission to take over someone else's accounts or to attempt a confrontation that could put you at risk.
Bring the pattern into a treatment conversation
Your General Practitioner can help assess gambling alongside mood, sleep, physical health, substance use and other concerns. Depending on your needs, care may involve gambling counselling, psychological treatment and Addiction Medicine assessment. It is possible to discuss options before you feel certain about every change.
Gambling Help Online and the Gambling Helpline, 1800 858 858, offer support across Australia, including for family and friends. Use the sheet to name the pattern, the harm that needs attention and one practical step. If there is an immediate safety concern, seek urgent help instead of completing the sheet.
For health professionals
A place in the clinical conversation
For health professionals: consider gambling harm alongside substance use and mental health, including suicide risk, financial distress and family safety. Harm can warrant support without a diagnosis. The sheet is a conversation aid, not a validated screening instrument or financial assessment.
Use the sheet alongside your clinical assessment. It does not produce a diagnosis, measure risk or determine treatment. If seeking a specialist opinion, state the clinical question and relevant history using the usual referral pathway.