Responsible gambling

Signs betting is becoming a problem

• Betting more than you planned, or more often.
• Chasing losses: betting again to win back what you lost.
• Betting with money meant for rent, bills or savings, or borrowing to bet.
• Hiding your betting, or lying about how much you bet.
• Feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut back.
• Betting to escape stress, boredom or other problems.
• Missing work, school or time with family because of betting.

If any of these sound familiar, talk to one of the helplines above. You don't need to be in crisis to call, and they help family and friends too.

Keep it in check

• Decide your budget before you start, and treat it as money spent on entertainment.
• Only bet money you can afford to lose. Never bet rent, bills or borrowed money.
• Set deposit, wager and time limits in your sportsbook account. Licensed books are required to offer them.
• Never raise your stakes to win back losses.
• Don't bet when you're upset, drinking, or trying to escape a problem.
• Take regular breaks, and keep time for the rest of your life.

A note on our tools: a +EV bet pays more than its fair odds suggest. That's an edge over a long run of bets, not a promise about any one of them. Good bets lose often, and long losing streaks are normal. No tool, ours included, guarantees a profit.

Self-exclusion and blocking

• Ontario: BetGuard lets you exclude yourself from every regulated Ontario online sportsbook and casino with one sign-up. Once an exclusion starts, you can't shorten it.
• United States: most states with legal sports betting run a self-exclusion list through their gaming regulator, which bars you from every licensed sportsbook in that state. Search your state's gaming commission for “self-exclusion”.
• At your sportsbook: licensed books let you take a short break, set limits or close your account from your account settings.
• Blocking software: BetBlocker (free) and Gamban (paid) block gambling sites and apps on your devices.
• Support groups: Gamblers Anonymous for people who gamble, and Gam-Anon for their family and friends.

On The Smart Lines

• We don't take bets or hold your money, and our leaderboard has no prizes.
• The site is for adults only: 21+ in the US · 19+ in Ontario.
• Pause or delete your alerts any time on the Alerts page, and cancel your subscription any time from your Account page.
• If you're taking a break or have self-excluded, cancel your subscription too: odds and alerts are a reminder to bet.
• Want your account closed and no more emails from us? Write to smartlinesinbox@gmail.com and we'll close it.

The Smart Lines is strictly an analytics tool. We don't take, place or facilitate bets, and we don't condone or encourage gambling. Use the information at your own judgment and risk. Helplines checked October 2026.