Before You Decide to Gamble
It’s a Good Idea to Know How it Works

Gambling involves placing money on a game or an event in the future where the result is unknown and uncertain.

About two thirds of people in the United Kingdom take part in some form of gambling each year – from buying a raffle ticket to playing poker on the internet or betting on a football match.

There are two main categories of gambling – chance-based and skill-based.

Chance - Chance-based gambling is completely random and you cannot influence whether you will win or lose. All players have an equal chance of winning. Examples of chance-based gambling include the lottery, roulette, bingo and gaming machines.

Skill - In skill-based gambling, your ability can influence whether you will win or lose. Although chance is involved, the odds of winning are not the same among all players because technique, knowledge or strategy can give some an advantage over others. Examples include betting on races and playing poker or blackjack.

Risk - One thing connects all types of gambling – risk. This means that the result is never certain, winning is never a ’sure thing’, and losing is always a possibility.

Types of Gambling

Betting - A bet is a gamble in which a player stakes money on the outcome of an event, for example, who will win the World Cup or a general election.

Bingo - Bingo is a game of chance where players receive a set of numbers on a card in return for a stake and they mark them off as a caller announces numbers as they are drawn randomly.

Casino games - Casino games include table, card and machine games played in a casino. They involve playing or staking against a bank. Traditional casino games include roulette, blackjack and poker.

Gaming machines - Fruit machines, fixed odds betting terminals, slot machines, pusher and crane grab machines are all gaming machines. The player generally wins by matching the symbols, usually fruit, on the central line of three reels.

Lotteries - A lottery is a game which people enter by selecting a set of numbers that may match those drawn later for the chance of winning money or prizes.

Pools - In pools betting, players ‘pool’ their stakes and the combined sum, less what the operator takes out, is divided between the winning participants.

Spread betting - Spread betting allows people to bet on sporting events, politics or stock market movements.

Be A Responsible Gambler

If You Have A Gambling Problem

There are several sources of advice and help for anyone who develops a gambling problem.

Gambling Information Websites

Gamble Aware is managed by the Responsibility in Gambling Trust, an independent charity which funds treatment, research and education about responsible gambling.

The Gambling Commission was set up under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain.

The Betfair group of companies ('Betfair') offers a global portfolio of gambling products and services. This includes the world's leading betting exchange (a concept pioneered by Betfair), which is provided in the UK. Betfair's other betting platforms include a bookmaking operation provided from Malta and a second betting exchange in Australia.

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