The Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines Risk Assessment Tool will help assess your choices. The tool was developed for people of legal gambling age who want to make more informed choices about their gambling.
The Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines
Reduce your risk of experiencing harms from gambling by following all three of these guidelines.
See how your gambling habits measure up against the recommended guidelines for lower-risk gambling:
Reduce your risk of experiencing harms from gambling by following the three guidelines shared below. It’s recommended that you follow all three guidelines at the same time.
Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines
- How Much: Gamble no more than 1% of household income
Gamble no more than 1% of your household income before tax per month.
Below is a table that shows how much you can gamble each month based on your yearly household income.
Yearly Household Income
Maximum Monthly Amount
$10,000 $8 $20,000 $17 $40,000 $33 $70,000 $58 $80,000 $67 $100,000 $83 $120,000 $100 - How Often: Gamble no more than 4 days per month
The guidelines suggest that you do not gamble more than 4x a month – which works out to roughly once a week.
- How Many: Avoid regularly gambling at more than 2 types of games
Don’t play at more than 2 types of games if you gamble on a regular basis.
Types of gambling include:
- Sports betting
- Lottery
- Scratch Tickets
- Table Games (Poker, Roulette, Craps)
- Slot Machines
- Horse Racing
- Bingo
- Online Gambling
These guidelines may not be suitable for you – you should consider gambling less than what is recommended above or not at all if:
- You experience problems from alcohol, cannabis or other drug use.
- You experience problems with anxiety or depression.
- You have personal or family history of problems with gambling.
Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines Risk Assessment Tool
What Does Safer Play Look Like?
Understand the inherent risk of gambling, recognize the signs of risky behaviour, assess your gambling habits, and more.
Get Help for a Gambling Problem.
Get advice on changing gambling behaviour, tips on how to take control of your gambling debt, how to speak to a loved one about their gambling or where to find support or a treatment centre near you.
The Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines were developed by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. To learn more about how they developed the guidelines, visit their website.