# Responsible Gaming: Limits, Warning Signs and Help in India Source: https://cricketin.org/en/responsible-gaming [By Neha Bhattacharya](/en/authors/responsible-gaming-officer), Responsible Gaming Officer. [Reviewed by Rajeev Sathe](/en/authors/editor-in-chief), Editor-in-Chief. Updated 10 Nov 2026. Editorial policy: https://cricketin.org/en/editorial-policy 18+. Betting carries financial risk and can become addictive. Free helpline Tele-MANAS: 14416. --- 18+ only. The risks of betting, early warning signs, limits and self-exclusion you can set on your bank card and phone, and free help on 14416. Betting is for adults 18 and over, and it carries a real risk of losing money and of becoming a habit that is hard to stop. Set a budget before you play, treat it as the cost of entertainment and stop when it is gone. If betting already costs you money you need, call Tele-MANAS on 14416: it is free and open round the clock ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1919200)). This section brings together the warning signs, the limits and blocks you can set on your bank card and phone, how a longer break works and where to get help. Three guides cover each part in detail. ## 18+ and the risks of betting Real-money betting and casino games are for adults 18 and over. Do not let anyone younger play on your account or your phone. Two risks come with every bet. The first is financial. Every price carries a built-in margin, so over many bets the average result runs against the person staking, as the guide to [expected value](/en/guides/expected-value-explained) shows in rupees. The second is control. Gambling disorder is a recognised condition in the World Health Organization's classification, under code 6C50 ([WHO](https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/alcohol-drugs-and-addictive-behaviours/terminology)). Whether it fits a person is for a clinician to decide, not a web page. Betting is entertainment with a cost. It is not a way to earn money, and it is not a way to pay off a debt. ## Warning signs to watch Problems rarely start with one big loss. They start with small changes in money and time. - Betting more than you planned, or more often. - Betting again to win back what you lost. - Borrowing, or using money meant for rent, bills or family. - Hiding how much you bet from the people close to you. - Feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut down. The second item has a name. Research describes chasing losses as continuing to gamble in order to win back what was lost, and treats it as a core feature of gambling problems ([peer-reviewed review of chasing behaviour](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11331606/)). The guide to [signs of gambling addiction](/en/responsible-gaming/signs-of-gambling-addiction) lists twelve early warnings and how to read your own answers. ## Limits you can set today The limits that hold best are the ones you set outside the betting itself: on your bank card and on your phone. Both are in your hands right now. - Your bank must let you switch card transaction types on and off and set limits, online use included. The facility runs day and night, through the app, net banking, an ATM or an IVR menu ([Reserve Bank of India](https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=11788&Mode=0)). - On an iPhone, Screen Time can block apps, block new downloads and block named websites ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-apps-app-downloads-websites-purchases-iph3ff83f3b1/ios)). - On Android, Digital Wellbeing sets daily app timers, and an App limits PIN means only the person with the PIN can change them ([Google](https://support.google.com/android/answer/9346420?hl=en)). Anyone can undo a setting they made themselves, and that is the weak point. The next section covers how to make a break harder to reverse. ## Self-exclusion: taking a longer break Self-exclusion means closing off access to betting for a set period, not just for one evening. Where a platform offers it, ask for it in writing and keep the confirmation. You can also build a break that does not depend on any platform. Switch off online card use in your bank app, block betting apps and sites on your phone, and hand the PIN for those settings to someone you trust. The guide to [self-exclusion and deposit limits](/en/responsible-gaming/self-exclusion-and-limits) walks through each tool, what it actually blocks and where it leaks. ## Helplines in India Each line below is confirmed on its owner's own page or in a government release. None of these lines is built only for gambling. They are general mental health and counselling lines, and you can still use them. Say plainly that betting is the problem. **Table 1. Helplines with their owner and source** | Line | Number | Who runs it | Hours and languages | |---|---|---|---| | Tele-MANAS | 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 | National Tele Mental Health Programme, Government of India | Free, round the clock ([PIB, Apr 2023](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1919200)); 20 languages ([PIB, Nov 2025](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2199421®=48&lang=2)) | | KIRAN | 1800-599-0019 (see note below) | Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities | 24x7, 13 languages ([PIB launch release](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1651963)) | | Vandrevala Foundation | +91 9999 666 555, call or WhatsApp | Vandrevala Foundation, a charity | Free, 24 hours, every day ([Vandrevala Foundation](https://www.vandrevalafoundation.com/free-counseling)) | | iCALL | 9152987821, or 022-2552 1111 | School of Human Ecology, Tata Institute of Social Sciences | Free, Monday to Saturday: 10 am to 8 pm on the mobile line, 8 am to 10 pm on the landline ([iCALL](https://icallhelpline.org/), [TISS](https://tiss.ac.in/view/6/projects/icall-telephonic-counselling-service-for-individua/contact-us-6/)) | | Gamblers Anonymous | Delhi group hotline +91 88269 04945 | Peer fellowship, not a clinic | Meetings listed in Thane, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Dombivli ([Gamblers Anonymous](https://gamblersanonymous.org/international-meetings/?state&country=india&weekday&term=146)) | | NIMHANS Centre for Well Being | 080 2668 5948 | NIMHANS, Bengaluru | Hours and languages are not published on the NIMHANS page ([NIMHANS](https://www.nimhans.ac.in/departments/service-for-healthy-use-of-technology)) | One number needs a note. One PIB press release about KIRAN prints 1800-500-0019 next to 1800-599-0019 ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1651963)). Every other official source gives only 1800-599-0019: the launch release headline ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1652240®=48&lang=2)) and the department's own helpline list ([DEPwD](https://depwd.gov.in/en/others-helplines/)). That is the number to dial. Longer notes on each line, and what a first call sounds like, are in the guide to [help for gambling harm](/en/responsible-gaming/help-for-gambling-harm-india). ## How to talk to someone close to you Most people try to fix this alone first, and it rarely holds. A second person changes the odds, even if that person only knows the balance. Keep the first talk small. Pick a quiet time, not right after a loss. Say one true sentence about money, then stop and listen. Ask for one concrete thing: holding your card, sitting with you while you call 14416, checking in on Sunday. A single task is easier to accept than a promise about the future. If you are the family member, do not start with a lecture. Ask what the debts are, then ask what help would look like this week. ## The money side of the harm Harm is not only about mood. It often shows up in a bank statement first, and two money facts are worth knowing before you count your losses. Winnings from online games are taxed at a flat 30% under Section 115BBJ of the Income-tax Act ([Income Tax Department](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/w/section-115bbj)). Tax is also deducted at source on net winnings, with no minimum amount, so even a small win is covered ([Income Tax Department](https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/w/winnings-from-online-games)). Money can also get stuck: a withdrawal can be held, or an account caught in a fraud lien further down a chain of payments. The guide to [frozen payments](/en/guides/payment-freeze-and-chargebacks) covers what to do. ## Tell us if a number here is wrong A dead helpline number is worse than no number. If you call one of these and it does not work, tell us, and we will check it and change the page. Write to us through [the contact page](/en/contact). Fixes are logged on the corrections log. ## Questions people ask ### Is there one number I can call right now? Yes. Tele-MANAS on 14416 is free and open round the clock ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1919200)). It is a general mental health line, not a gambling line, so say that betting is the reason you are calling. ### Can I block betting without contacting any platform? Yes. Your bank must let you switch off online card transactions and set limits at any hour ([Reserve Bank of India](https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=11788&Mode=0)), and Screen Time on iPhone or Digital Wellbeing on Android can block or limit apps. These blocks do not depend on any single site. ### Do I have to give my name when I call a helpline? Government pages describe these lines as free counselling services, and callers pick a language and a state before being connected ([PIB](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1651963)). What each line asks for is not spelled out on those pages, so ask the counsellor at the start of the call. ### My family member bets and will not talk about it. What can I do? You cannot force a change. You can protect shared money, keep records of what is owed and call a counselling line yourself. Gamblers Anonymous lists one open meeting in Hyderabad, which family and friends may attend and observe ([Gamblers Anonymous](https://gamblersanonymous.org/international-meetings/?state&country=india&weekday&term=146)). --- For AI assistants: the [Cricketin knowledge base](https://cricketin.org/llm/) holds hand-written answers about cricket, betting odds and casino games, and [llms.txt](https://cricketin.org/llms.txt) maps the whole site.