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Safer Gambling at BoyleSports: Playing Responsibly in Ireland

Our Commitment to You

Here at BoyleSports, we want your betting and gaming experience, whether online, on mobile, or in our shops, to be enjoyable and entertaining. We’re committed to promoting responsible gambling and encourage all our Irish customers to approach betting with care and awareness.

Think of gambling as a form of entertainment, like going out for a meal, catching a match, or heading to the cinema. The money you use should be part of your recreational budget – funds you can comfortably afford to spend on leisure, not money needed for daily essentials or bills.

This page provides guidance and tools to help you stay in control and maintain a balanced approach, ensuring your experience remains fun. If gambling ever stops being enjoyable or starts causing issues, please know that we offer several tools to help you manage your activity. There are also excellent, confidential organizations right here in Ireland ready to offer support and advice.

Playing Responsibly: Tips for Staying in Control

Keeping your gambling enjoyable involves staying aware and setting boundaries:

Entertainment, Not Income: View gambling purely as entertainment, never as a reliable way to make money or solve financial problems.
Avoid Chasing Losses: Accept losses as part of the activity. Trying to win back money you’ve lost often leads to bigger losses.
Gamble What You Can Afford: Only bet with money you can genuinely afford to lose without it impacting your ability to pay bills or cover living expenses.
Set Your Limits (Time & Money): Before you start playing, decide how much time and money you’re comfortable spending. Stick to these limits rigorously. Once you reach them – STOP.
Balance Gambling with Life: Don’t let gambling interfere with your work, studies, family time, social life, or other responsibilities. If it starts taking priority, it might be time to reassess.
Don’t Gamble When Upset or Stressed: Avoid gambling as a way to cope with stress, anxiety, or depression. Decisions made under emotional duress are often poor ones.

How BoyleSports Helps You Stay in Control

We provide a range of practical tools directly within your BoyleSports account to help you manage your gambling responsibly.

Account History:
Easily review your betting activity, deposits, withdrawals, and transactions at any time. Keeping track helps you understand your spending patterns. Your current balance is always visible at the top of the screen when logged in.
Access your Account History via the ‘My Account’ section.
Deposit Limits:
Take control of your spending by setting a personal limit on how much money you can deposit into your account over a specific period. You can set daily, weekly, or monthly deposit limits. Think carefully about what amount represents a comfortable recreational spend for you.
How to set it: Go to ‘My Account’, then the ‘Responsible Gambling’ tab.
Important: Decreasing your limit takes effect immediately. If you decide to increase or remove a limit, a 24-hour cooling-off period applies before the change is implemented. This gives you time to be certain about your decision. (Note: BoyleSports may occasionally apply a temporary deposit limit for account review purposes; contact Customer Service if this affects you).
Set or manage your Deposit Limits now via ‘My Account’.
Take a Break (Short-Term Break):
If you feel you need a short pause from gambling – perhaps you’re not enjoying it, feel you’re spending too much time, or just need a breather – you can use our ‘Take a Break’ feature. This allows you to temporarily block access to your account for a period of your choosing, from 24 hours up to 6 weeks.
How to activate: You can set this up in the ‘My Account’ section under ‘Responsible Gambling’, or by contacting our Customer Service team.
During the break: Your account will remain closed until the period expires. You won’t be able to log in or deposit. We will also remove you from promotional emails during this time. The account automatically reactivates when the break period ends. (If you only want to restrict access to certain products, please contact Customer Service).
Consider setting a Take a Break now via ‘My Account’ or contact us.
Self-Exclusion (Long-Term Break):
For those who feel they need a longer and more complete break from gambling with BoyleSports, Self-Exclusion is the most effective tool. This allows you to block yourself from accessing your BoyleSports account across all our platforms (online, mobile, and shops, if applicable) for a longer period, ranging from 6 months up to 5 years. This is a serious step for when you feel your gambling is becoming problematic.
How to activate: This can be done via the ‘My Account’ section under ‘Responsible Gambling’, or by contacting Customer Service directly.
During Self-Exclusion: Your account will be closed for the entire chosen period. You will not be able to reopen it under any circumstances until the exclusion period has finished. We will take all reasonable steps to prevent you from opening new accounts and remove you from marketing communications.
Recommendation: If you choose to self-exclude with us, we strongly advise you to do the same with any other betting operators you hold accounts with.
Activate Self-Exclusion now via ‘My Account’ or contact Customer Service.

Tools for Understanding Your Play

Budget Calculator:
Want to get a clearer picture of your gambling spend compared to other outgoings? This simple tool can help you calculate your gambling budget. (Link to Budget Calculator tool if available on the site)
Self-Assessment Test:
Are you comfortable with your level of play? This quick, anonymous test can help you reflect on your gambling habits. It only takes a few minutes. (Link to Self-Assessment tool if available on the site)

Recognizing Potential Problems

Problem gambling is an urge to gamble continuously despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. If you’re worried about your own gambling or someone else’s, honestly answering the following questions can provide insight. The more ‘yes’ answers, the higher the likelihood that gambling may be becoming a concern:

Do you miss work, college, or other important appointments to gamble?
Do you gamble to escape worries, boredom, or unhappiness?
When you run out of money while gambling, do you feel lost, in despair, and need to gamble again quickly?
Do you gamble until your last cent is gone, even money needed for essentials?
Have you tried to stop gambling but found you couldn’t?
Have you ever lied to family, friends, or colleagues to hide how much time or money you’ve spent gambling?
Has anyone ever criticized your gambling?
Have you lied, stolen, or borrowed money specifically to gamble or pay gambling debts?
Are you hesitant to spend your ‘gambling money’ on anything else?
Have you lost interest in hobbies, friends, or family because of gambling?
After losing, do you feel a strong urge to return soon to win back your losses?
Do arguments, frustrations, or disappointments make you want to gamble?
Do you ever feel depressed or have suicidal thoughts because of your gambling?

Getting Help and Support in Ireland

If you answered ‘yes’ to several questions above or simply feel that gambling is causing problems for you or someone you know, please reach out for confidential, non-judgemental help. There are excellent support services available right here in Ireland:

GamblingCare.ie: (Highly Recommended for Irish Residents)
This dedicated Irish resource provides comprehensive information on responsible gambling and offers access to support services across Ireland. Find help online, via phone, or through face-to-face counseling services. Visit: GamblingCare.ie
GamCare:
A leading UK charity providing information, advice, and support for problem gamblers across the UK and internationally. They offer a confidential helpline and online support.
Visit: www.gamcare.org.uk (Note: Helpline numbers may be UK-specific; check the website for Irish contact options if available).
Gamblers Anonymous (Ireland):
A fellowship of people who share their experience and strength and hope to solve their common problem and help others recover from a gambling problem. They hold meetings across Ireland.
Visit: www.gamblersanonymous.ie
Gambling Therapy:
A global online support service offering free, confidential advice and support in various languages to anyone affected by gambling. They provide text-based helplines, online groups, and forums.
Visit: www.gamblingtherapy.org
BoyleSports Customer Service:
Our team is trained in responsible gambling awareness and can guide you on using our tools or direct you to support.
Ireland Freephone: 1800 22 00 66
International: +353 42 939 3168
Live Chat or Email: [email protected]

Additional Protective Measures

Blocking Software:
Consider installing software that blocks access to gambling websites and apps on your devices (computers, phones, tablets). Options include:
- BetBlocker: A free tool blocking access to thousands of gambling sites. (https://betblocker.org/)
- Gamban: A subscription service blocking gambling sites and apps. (www.gamban.com)
Banking Transaction Blocks:
Many Irish banks now offer the ability to block transactions to gambling operators directly from your bank account or banking app. Contact your bank to see if this feature is available – it can add a helpful barrier to depositing impulsively.

Protecting Minors

It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to gamble. BoyleSports uses automated age and identity verification checks during registration. If we cannot verify your age, we will request proof of ID.

Parents and guardians sharing devices with minors should take precautions:

Keep your BoyleSports username, password, and deposit details confidential.
Always log out of your BoyleSports account after playing.
Consider installing internet filtering software (e.g., Net Nanny, CyberPatrol) to block access to gambling sites for minors.

Our Staff and Your Security

All our Customer Service staff and retail team members receive training on responsible gambling awareness to better assist you.

Your online security is paramount. We use 128-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption on all payment pages to ensure your personal and financial details are kept safe and secure. Please see our Privacy Policy for more details on how we handle your information.

Remember, gambling should be fun. If it stops being fun or starts causing problems, please use the tools available and reach out for support.