Name the figure while you are calm

The amount a session is worth should be decided before the lobby opens, by a version of you who has not just lost three in a row. Treat it like the cost of a cinema ticket or a round of drinks, because that is the category it belongs to, and when it is spent the evening has finished.

Watch for the recovery purchase

The tell is buying coins to get back to where you were rather than buying them to play. That single move sits at the start of nearly every account that goes wrong. If you catch yourself making it, close the tab for the day. Nothing about the odds has improved because you are down.

Remember buying is optional

Every brand on the board will post you promotional coins for nothing, and those coins redeem exactly like purchased ones. If spending has started to feel compulsory rather than convenient, spending a few weeks on postal entry only is a straightforward way to find out whether the games themselves still appeal.

Use the controls they give you

Deposit caps, session timers, cooling-off periods and permanent self-exclusion sit in the account settings at almost every operator. They are not difficult to switch on and they do work. A cap chosen on a calm Tuesday will hold far better than resolve on a bad Saturday.

Getting help

The National Problem Gambling Helpline answers on 1-800-522-4700, free, confidential and staffed at every hour. Gamblers Anonymous runs meetings in every state and online. And if somebody close to you has said something about your play, that observation is usually worth more than your own estimate.