If betting on LottoStar has stopped being fun, phone 0800 006 008, the counselling line of the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation. Calls cost nothing, the service is independent of any operator and it answers 24 hours a day. LottoStar also has three self-service tools, a self-test, a cooling-off period and self-exclusion, on its Responsible Betting page. You must be 18 or older to bet at all.
Signs worth taking seriously
LottoStar’s self-assessment quiz has ten yes-or-no questions. Its advice: if you answer yes to five or more, it may be time to step back. The questions include whether you bet to escape stress or boredom, chase losses with bigger bets, hide your betting, have borrowed money to bet, or have tried to stop and could not. You do not need a score to ask for help, though. One yes that worries you is enough.
LottoStar’s own tools
| Tool | Length | Can you undo it? |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling-off period | You choose, from 24 hours to 3 months | No. It runs to the end; the account reopens by itself |
| Self-exclusion | At least 6 months | No. To return you file a revocation request or a psychologist’s report |
| Self-assessment quiz | 10 questions | Private, take it any time |
Both cooling-off and self-exclusion lock the account completely: no login, no bets. Your balance and details stay on file. During self-exclusion LottoStar stops marketing messages. LottoStar suggests also closing accounts with other betting sites at the same time, which makes sense: a break on one brand is easy to undo on another.
Set them up on LottoStar’s Responsible Betting page, by e-mail to betresponsibly@lottostar.co.za or through LiveChat.
Habits that help
- Decide the amount before you deposit, and only deposit that. A R10 minimum makes topping up easy, which is exactly the risk.
- Treat bonus playthrough as spending, not as free money.
- Fast games such as Aviator, scratchcards and live game shows burn through a budget quicker than a lottery draw. Set a time limit as well as a money limit.
- Never bet to win back losses, and never bet on credit.
A note on the national register
LottoStar’s terms state that no functional national self-exclusion register is currently available to it. In practice this means you exclude yourself from each operator separately. Do it with every brand you use.
This guide does not run accounts and cannot exclude you anywhere; the steps above go through LottoStar and the counselling line.