A gambling losing streak isn’t about luck

Gambling losing streaks can happen to everyone; the person who plays once a month and the person who can name every RTP in the lobby. Do you know when to stop playing? Take our seven question quiz and find out if you know the right call.

 

#1. You’ve hit your loss limit for the session. What do you do?

Keep playing

Stop now

Lower your bets and keep going

Stop now. Your loss limit was set by a calmer, more rational version of you, before the session and before the losses. That version made the right call. The version of you mid-losing-streak is not the right one to be making financial decisions.

#2. Why does a $50 loss feel worse than a $50 win feels good, even though they’re mathematically identical?

It doesn't, wins and losses always feel about the same

Because losing means you're down money you already had

Because of loss aversion; the brain registers losses almost twice as heavily as equivalent gains

Because of loss aversion. This is one of the most replicated findings in behavioural economics. A 2024 meta-analysis in the Journal of Economic Literature drew on 607 empirical estimates from 150 studies and found a mean loss aversion coefficient of 1.955.

In other words: a $50 loss registers as nearly twice as significant as a $50 win, even though mathematically they cancel out.

#3. You noticed you’re on a losing streak. What’s the most effective thing to do before placing another bet?

Switch to a different game to reset your luck

Take a short break, even a few minutes

Lower your bet size and keep playing

Take a short break, even a few minutes. The pause works better than it feels like it should. A 2014 Journal of Gambling Studies study by Corr and Thompson found that a five-second pause between feedback and the next bet improved decision-making and reduced losses in a broad player sample. 

#4. Which of these are a clear signal that it’s time to stop?

You've been playing longer than you planned to

You've lost more than you planned to

You're playing to win back what you've already lost

All of the above

All of the above. Time and amount lost are both clear signals, and playing specifically to recover losses, or chasing, is the key moment where entertainment breaks down.

At that point the motivation has shifted from enjoyment to recovery, and the decisions that follow get worse, not better. All of these are clear signals to stop now, not after one more spin.

#5. True or false: setting a loss limit before a session is only useful if you have a gambling problem.

True

False

False. Loss limits work for everyone precisely because loss aversion affects everyone. The emotional state you’re in during a losing streak is not the right state for financial decisions, regardless of whether you have a gambling problem.

Setting a limit before you open a game means the calm, rational version of you is making the call, not the version that just lost four spins in a row.

#6. You’ve decided to stop for the night. What’s most likely to make that decision stick?

Keeping the app on your phone but committing not to open it

Putting physical distance between yourself and the game

Watching other people play online instead

Putting physical distance between yourself and the game. Physical distance is harder to reverse than a mental commitment. Lock your screen, put your phone in another room, close the laptop. The research on impulsive decision-making consistently shows that friction works.

The more steps between you and the behaviour, the less likely you are to act on a momentary impulse. Make stopping the easy option.

#7. ConnexOntario’s gambling support line is only for people in crisis. True or false?

True

False

False. ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600, or text CONNEX to 247247) is a free, confidential service for anyone in Ontario who wants to talk through what they’re noticing, including people who aren’t sure if they’re experiencing a problem yet.

You don’t need to have hit rock bottom to reach out, earlier is always better.

Previous

Finish

Results

You know when to stop

You’re approaching gambling with more self-awareness than most. Make sure to apply your knowledge when a session isn’t going your way.

Visit our responsible gaming page to learn even more.

You have more to learn

Some of the signals that tell you when to stop aren’t obvious, which is exactly why they get missed. The good news: all of it is learnable, and knowing it changes how sessions feel. 

Visit our responsible gaming page to learn more about responsible play. You can use our timeout tool to take a break for one day to three months, or request a self-exclusion for terms lasting from six months to five years.

How to stop chasing losses

Chasing losses is what happens when the goal shifts from entertainment to recovery. Instead of playing because it’s enjoyable, you’re playing to get back to even, and that change in motivation changes every decision that follows. 

The most effective intervention is the one that happens before chasing starts. Setting a hard loss limit before a session, and treating it as non-negotiable, removes the in-the-moment decision entirely. You don’t have to exercise willpower when you’re already frustrated, you already made the call.

If you notice you’re playing to recover rather than to enjoy, that’s the signal to stop, not to play differently. Changing games, lowering bets, or switching strategies doesn’t address the underlying motivation. The only thing that does is closing the tab.

When to stop gambling

The clearest signal isn’t how much you’ve lost, it’s why you’re still playing; gambling is designed to be entertainment. If the answer is “to win back what I lost,” that’s the moment to stop. If you feel anxious instead of entertained, irritable with people around you because of how a session is going, or you’re calculating recovery amounts instead of just playing, those are signals too.

Set a time limit and a loss limit before you open a game, and honour both. A session that ends on your terms, even a losing one, stays in the entertainment category. A session that ends because you ran out of money or lost track of time has already gone somewhere else.

Responsible gambling resources in Ontario

Ontario’s regulated iGaming market has some of the strongest player protection standards in the country, but the tools only work if you use them. Every licensed operator is required to offer deposit limits, loss limits, session timers, and self-exclusion options. If you haven’t set yours on Betty, your account settings are the place to start.

For support outside the platform, ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600, or text CONNEX to 247247) is a free, confidential service available 24/7 that connects Ontario residents to gambling support, mental health services, and addiction treatment. You don’t need to be in crisis to reach out. If you’re in crisis, 988 is available around the clock.