Responsible gaming

Where Nightkey stands

This is a guide to hotels, and we have no wish to see anyone gamble more. Every resort we rank repays the trip even if its gaming floor stays unvisited from arrival to departure. If you do decide to play, a handful of house rules of your own keeps the evening light.

House rules for yourself

• Find out the local minimum age for casino entry before you go; thresholds vary between countries, and identity checks happen at the door.
• Pick a spending ceiling before dinner, then leave every bank card inside the room safe.
• Put a finishing time on your phone alarm and step outside between rounds.
• Money that has gone stays gone: no chasing, no borrowing to keep playing.
• Stay off the floor if you are exhausted, rattled or a few drinks in.

When it stops being fun

Overshooting your ceiling, keeping play secret from family or friends, or growing irritable on days without it are signals the habit may be slipping out of your hands. A lot of resorts allow guests to ban themselves from the gaming area, and the front desk can set that up.

Help that costs nothing

• Gambling Therapy: multilingual web chat and advice, reachable from any country, at gamblingtherapy.org
• Gamblers Anonymous: fellowship meetings held in many countries; find one through gamblersanonymous.org
• Gam-Anon: support for relatives and friends of someone who gambles, at gam-anon.org
• Your local helpline: most places have a free and confidential service; a GP, pharmacist or community health centre can point you to it.