What should I do if I feel anxious or depressed after a gambling session?

Feeling anxious or down after a session is more common than most people talk about — and it's worth taking seriously, not brushing off. What you're describing sits at the intersection of two things that genuinely interact: the emotional mechanics of gambling itself, and your broader mental health. Here's how to think about each layer, and what you can actually do.

Why gambling can leave you feeling worse

Wins and losses both trigger neurological responses — the anticipation and reward cycles that make gambling engaging are the same ones that can leave you emotionally depleted afterward. A losing session can stoke regret, shame, and a sense of helplessness. Even a winning session sometimes produces a strange flatness once it ends. Neither reaction means something is seriously wrong, but if that anxious or depressed feeling is showing up regularly after you play, that pattern is worth paying attention to.

One honest self-check: ask whether the emotional low is tied to a specific outcome (lost more than you planned, played longer than intended) or whether it arrives regardless of how the session went. The former might point to a need to tighten your session limits; the latter is a signal that gambling may be aggravating an underlying mental health concern that deserves its own attention.

Practical steps you can take right now

If the feeling is acute — you're in real distress after a session — step away from the screen, change your physical environment, and give yourself time before making any decisions about playing again. The urge to "fix" a bad session by jumping back in is one of the clearest warning signs to resist.

On the tools side: every licensed online casino operating in Ontario's regulated market lets you set deposit, loss, or session time limits directly in your account. Using those before you play — not in the moment — removes a lot of the conditions that produce post-session regret. If you want a harder stop, BetGuard (betguard.ca) is Ontario's centralized self-exclusion service, launched in 2026, that lets you opt out of all regulated Ontario online gambling platforms in a single step, with term options ranging from six months to several years.

Getting support — and what's available in Ottawa

If anxiety or depression after gambling is affecting your day-to-day life, you don't need to figure it out alone. ConnexOntario is a free, confidential service funded by the Government of Ontario that helps people find mental health, addiction, and problem gambling support services across Ontario. They're reachable at 1-866-531-2600, by phone, chat, text, or email, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For those in the Ottawa region specifically, ConnexOntario offers free, 24/7 confidential support, counselling referrals, and treatment options. You do not need a doctor's referral, and you can reach out at any time. You're not required to give your name or any identifying information — you have the option to provide your postal code if you'd like them to recommend services near you, but it's not required.

For the mental health dimension specifically — the anxiety and depression piece, separate from gambling — anxiety and depression are among the most common mental health conditions Ontarians face, and individuals aged 18 and older can access the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program to get confidential cognitive behavioural therapy and other services free of charge. ConnexOntario can point you toward that program and others like it. You can also text ConnexOntario at 247247.

CAMH provides specialized services for Ontarians whose gambling has led to difficulties in their life, including relationships, finances, self-care, and work — and these services are free and support both individuals and their family members.

Playing on a site registered in Ontario's regulated market (look for the iGaming Ontario and BetGuard logos at the bottom of the page) means you have access to in-account responsible gambling tools — deposit limits, cooling-off periods, and self-exclusion — that offshore sites simply don't offer. That infrastructure exists precisely for moments like this.