Setting your own limits
Even with no money involved, casino-style games are designed to be absorbing. A few small habits keep them as one pastime among many.
Before you start
- Decide how long you want to play before you open a game, and stick to it.
- Play when you are rested and in a good mood, not to escape stress or boredom.
- Mix it up: a session of Pixtavia, then something away from a screen.
Tools on Pixtavia
Your profile has a break reminder for every 15, 30 or 60 minutes. When it appears you can carry on or take a break, which pauses the games on that tab for five minutes. Every game page also shows how long you have been here and how many rounds you have played in this visit, so time never slips by unseen. Calm mode switches off spinning and sliding animations if you prefer a quieter screen.
Signs to notice
- Playing for longer than you meant to, more and more often.
- Feeling restless or irritable when you are not playing.
- Thinking about moving on to real-money gambling to "use" what you have practised.
- Hiding how much time you spend on games from people close to you.
Free help
If any of this sounds familiar, talk to someone. The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, is free and confidential on 0808 8020 133, 24 hours a day. The responsible gaming page lists more UK organisations, including GAMSTOP, Gordon Moody, Gambling Therapy and NHS services.
Playing or success in these games does not imply future success at real-money gambling.
