Help · Alberta
Getting help with gambling in Alberta
This page covers who to call about gambling in Alberta and how provincial self-exclusion works. It also points to the help desks inside each casino.
The Addiction Helpline and 211 Alberta are both free. This guide takes no bets and keeps no accounts, so nothing here asks anything of you.
Two free lines, open around the clock
You can reach the Addiction Helpline, which Recovery Alberta runs, at 1-866-332-2322. The service costs nothing, keeps calls confidential and takes them 24/7. Problem gambling is part of what it covers. A call is a reasonable first step, even when the worry still feels small.
A second option is 211 Alberta, which is likewise free, confidential and available 24/7. You can phone 211, send the text INFO to 211, or use the chat at ab.211.ca. Its staff refer people to gambling support, among other kinds of help.
Free · confidential · 24/7
Self-exclusion through AGLC
AGLC runs Alberta's Self-Exclusion Program, and enrolment happens online only, at selfexclusion.ca. You pick the scope: Alberta's racing entertainment centres and casinos, regulated online gaming, or both of these.
Six months is one option for the length of a term; the others are one year, two years and three years. The exclusion starts immediately. Because there is no way to end it early, the length is worth thinking about before you choose. Questions can go to AGLC's self-exclusion line at 1-844-468-8034.
Inside each casino and racing entertainment centre, GameSense Advisors work beside a GameSense info centre. GameSense is AGLC's responsible gambling program. An advisor is one more person to ask, face to face.
Signs worth taking seriously
- Spending more on gambling than you planned, and doing it more than once.
- Going back to win lost money, the pattern usually called chasing losses.
- Hiding play, or the amounts involved, from people close to you.
- Borrowing money, or using money meant for other things, in order to gamble.
- Feeling restless or irritable on the days you are not playing.