Chasing losses: why it escalates and how to stop

What chasing looks like

You lose €50 on Saturday. On Sunday you place €100 "to get back to zero". It loses too, so you look for something, anything, to bet on in the evening. That is chasing. It rarely feels like a decision; it feels like fixing a mistake.

Researchers and help services treat it as one of the clearest warning signs of a gambling problem. The Problem Gambling Severity Index, a standard screening questionnaire, asks directly: in the last 12 months, have you gone back another day to try to win back the money you lost? Our guide to signs of problem gambling covers the full questionnaire.

Why it escalates: a martingale in disguise

If you always try to win back everything you lost plus a little, your stakes follow the martingale pattern, even if you never meant to use a "system". At odds of 2.00, starting with €10:

After six losses you are €630 down, chasing a €10 win, and the seventh bet would need €640. Six losses in a row sounds rare. It is not: at bookmaker odds of 2.00 the true chance of each bet winning is a little below 50% because of the margin; say 48%. Six losses in a row then happen with a probability of 0.52⁶ = about 2%, or once in roughly 50 attempts. Over 100 attempts, the chance that it happens at least once is about 86%.

Real chasing is messier than this table, but it has the same shape: small wins most of the time, and rare losses large enough to wipe them out. The maths does not change because the stakes feel justified.

Chasing with sure bets

Sure bets do not protect you from chasing. The trap just looks different. One leg of a sure bet is placed, the second price drops before you get to it, and you cover at worse odds or not at all. The temptation afterwards is to raise the next stakes "to make it back quicker", or to place the open leg without cover and hope.

A sure-bet margin of 1 to 2% does not recover a €100 loss quickly. Trying to speed it up with larger stakes puts more money at risk on every failed leg, voided bet or limit. Fixed stakes and a fixed bankroll, set before you start, are the protection. Our guide on what to do when a leg fails covers the calm way to handle it.

Warning signs

• You bet to win back money, not because the bet itself makes sense.
• Stakes after a loss are higher than your usual stake.
• You deposit again on the same day after losing a deposit.
• You bet on sports or markets you would normally ignore, because something is on right now.
• You hide losses, or round them down when someone asks.
• You borrow money, or move money meant for bills, to keep betting.
• You feel restless or irritable when you cannot bet.

One of these on a bad evening is a signal to pause. Several of them over weeks is a reason to talk to someone; help is free and confidential.

Practical stops that work

Willpower is weakest right after a loss, so the useful tools are the ones you set up while you are calm.

• Deposit and loss limits. Licensed bookmakers offer them in the account settings. Lowering a limit usually works at once; raising it takes a waiting period. At tipp3 in Austria, for example, an increase takes effect only after 72 hours.
• A break (cool-off). A time-out of days to months. tipp3 offers breaks of one, three or six months; while the break runs, you cannot place bets.
• Self-exclusion. A longer block that usually cannot be lifted early. In Austria there is no central register for sports betting, so you exclude yourself with each bookmaker; see self-exclusion in Austria. In Slovakia the regulator ÚRHH runs the register of excluded persons; a self-exclusion lasts at least six months and covers all licensed operators (guide in Slovak). In Spain the RGIAJ register of the DGOJ covers all operators with a Spanish licence.
• A 24-hour rule. After any loss you want to win back, no new bet until the next day.
• Bank blocks and blocking software. Many banks can block card payments to gambling merchants; blocking apps can stop betting sites on your devices.
• Cancel subscriptions. If you take a break, cancel any betting tools too, ArbVantage included; it takes one click in the account settings.

The difference between limits you set yourself and limits a bookmaker sets on you is explained in our bookmaker limits guide.

Free help

• Austria: Spielsuchthilfe Vienna 01 544 13 57, free counselling · Anonyme Spieler 0660 123 66 74 · Telefonseelsorge 142, 24/7.
• Slovakia: Linka pomoci pre problémy s hraním 0800 131 000, free, 24/7 · ÚRHH register information line 0800 127 000 · Linka dôvery Nezábudka 0800 800 566, 24/7.
• Spain: FEJAR 900 200 225, free and anonymous · crisis line 024 · jugarbien.es, the regulator's information site.
• Germany: BIÖG gambling helpline 0800 1 37 27 00, free.
• UK: National Gambling Helpline (GamCare) 0808 8020 133, free, 24/7.

Our responsible gambling page lists more services, including help for family members.

Frequently asked questions

What does chasing losses mean?

It means betting more, or more often, to win back money you have already lost. It is one of the clearest warning signs of a gambling problem and is asked about directly in standard screening questionnaires.

Why is chasing losses dangerous?

Trying to win back everything plus a little makes stakes grow like a martingale. At odds of 2.00, six losses in a row starting from €10 means €630 lost while chasing a €10 win, and such runs are not rare.

How do I stop chasing losses?

Set deposit and loss limits while you are calm, use a 24-hour rule after any loss you want to win back, take a break or self-exclude if needed, and talk to a free helpline.

Can I chase losses with sure bets too?

Yes. After a failed leg, the temptation is to raise the next stakes or leave a leg uncovered. Fixed stakes and a fixed bankroll, decided in advance, are the protection.

Sources

• Gambling Commission (UK): Problem gambling screens (PGSI)
• Federal Ministry of Finance (Austria): help services by federal state
• tipp3: Spielerschutz (limits, breaks, self-exclusion)
• ÚRHH (Slovakia): Register vylúčených osôb
• DGOJ (Spain): RGIAJ self-exclusion register
• GamCare: National Gambling Helpline

As of October 2026. Phone numbers and opening hours can change; check the provider before calling. Calculations by ArbVantage.

Betting involves risk, sure bets included. Only bet money you can afford to lose. If betting stops feeling good, our responsible gambling page lists free help.

Not betting, legal or tax advice. 18+. As of October 2026. See our disclaimer.