We at the California Lottery want everyone to enjoy playing California Lottery games, and we want everyone to play them responsibly. At the California Lottery, we believe that one problem gambler is one too many.

Most Californians gamble for fun. Most people use money from their entertainment budget to go a casino or a horse race, to play cards or bingo or to buy a lottery ticket. But, according to the California Council on Problem Gambling, a few people, about three percent of California adults, experience gambling-related problems. These people cannot safely manage any kind of wagering. They have a disease called problem gambling.

Luckily, there is help for those who think they or someone they care about might have a problem with gambling. A number of private organizations offer assistance, and so does the California Lottery.

Because the California Lottery is an agency whose mission is to provide public benefits, individuals with gambling problems and their families can find information, counseling and assistance for problem gambling at California Lottery retailers, on the Lottery's Problem Gambling Help Line and on this web site.

Be a Winner…Play Responsibly
You may be quite successful at playing games of skill or chance, but unless you manage your money well, you might spend more than you intend when you gamble.

To ensure the safety of your gaming entertainment, stay within these responsible gambling guidelines:

Responsible Gambling How-To's

• Never gamble with borrowed money.
• Work out your weekly or monthly recreation-spending budget and don't go over it. Consider any money you spend on gambling an entertainment cost.
• Only spend what you can afford to lose when playing.
• Remember that over time nearly everyone loses: significant financial gain is rarely a benefit of gambling. Instead, find excitement in taking a chance, in winning sometimes and in having fun with your friends while gambling.
• Don't gamble alone. Gamble socially, with friends, family, or colleagues while eating or enjoying other forms of entertainment. Gambling should never be essential to having a good time.
• Limit your gambling time in frequency and duration. If you gamble more frequently and for longer periods of time, you risk becoming a problem gambler.
• Gambling should be your choice. Don't let anyone pressure you into making a wager. If you struggle with addictions, you may not want to gamble at all.
• Use of alcohol or other drugs when gambling is risky. Alcohol and drugs can affect your judgement and interfere with your adherence to your predetermined limits.

• Any person who is under the legal age, which is 18 for the California Lottery and generally 21 for other types of gambling.
• Any person in recovery from compulsive or pathological gambling.
• Any person in the early stages of recovery from alcoholism or chemical dependency.
• Any person prohibited from gambling by organizational or employer policy.

• When feeling lonely, angry, depressed or under stress.
• When coping with the death or loss of a loved one.
• When trying to solve any personal or family problems.
• When trying to impress others.

Gambling should be fun. Borrowing money to play, spending above your budget or using money that you have allocated for other purposes, can ultimately lead to more significant problems for you and your family.

If you think that you or someone you care about might have a gambling problem, call: the California Problem Gambling Help Line: 

1-800-GAMBLER (800-426-2537)