Responsible gambling
Gambling carries a risk of losing money and developing harm. Casino games generally favour the operator over time. If you choose to gamble, never use money needed for bills or essentials; choosing not to gamble is always an option.
For some people it stops being entertainment. If that is where you are, or where someone close to you is, help is free, confidential and available now. You do not need to have hit a crisis point to use it.
Get help now
National Gambling Helpline — 0808 8020 133. Free, confidential, open 24 hours a day, every day. Run by GamCare, with live chat at gamcare.org.uk.
Find local support — GamCare’s support finder lists services and practical tools for people affected by gambling.
Gamblers Anonymous — peer support meetings across the UK, in person and online.
Free NHS gambling clinics take referrals in England, including self-referrals. Your GP can help you find one.
Signs worth taking seriously
Harm builds gradually, and it is easier to notice in a list than in your own week. Any of these is worth pausing over:
- Gambling for longer or with more money than you intended.
- Chasing losses, or gambling to win back what you have already lost.
- Borrowing, selling things or using money set aside for bills.
- Hiding how much you gamble, or lying about it.
- Feeling restless or irritable when you try to stop.
- Gambling to escape stress, low mood or boredom.
- Missing work, study, sleep or time with people because of it.
If any of these signs feels familiar, consider stopping and speaking to a trained adviser. You do not need to wait for the situation to become a crisis.
Tools you can switch on today
Deposit limits. Every UK-licensed casino must let you set a limit on what you pay in. Reductions apply straight away. Increases are deliberately slow, which is the point.
Time-outs. A short break, typically from 24 hours to six weeks, locking you out of the site. Useful when you want a pause rather than an ending.
Reality checks. On-screen reminders of how long you have been playing, at an interval you choose.
Self-exclusion. A longer commitment, from six months upward, with the account closed for the full term. It cannot be reversed early, which is what makes it work.
GAMSTOP. One free registration excludes you from every online gambling site licensed in Great Britain, for a minimum of six months, one year or five years, with an auto-renewal option for five-year exclusions. Check how exclusions continue and how removal works before choosing a period. Register at gamstop.co.uk.
Blocking software. BetBlocker is free and blocks thousands of gambling sites across your devices. Gamban is another option; check current pricing and access arrangements. The former free TalkBanStop offer has ended.
Bank blocks. Most UK banks let you block gambling transactions from the app, often with a cooling-off delay before the block can be lifted.
Why ownership matters here
This is the one part where our subject overlaps with your safety. A break or self-exclusion set with one operator may not cover another brand, even one owned by the same group, and it may not cover sites outside Great Britain.
If you are taking a break, check the scope directly with the operator and register with GAMSTOP as well. Moving to a sister site to keep playing defeats the purpose of the break you decided to take.
If it is someone else
The National Gambling Helpline supports family members and friends, not only the person gambling. GamCare also runs support groups for affected others.
You are not responsible for fixing it, and covering someone's losses rarely helps. Protecting your own finances is a reasonable thing to do while you support them.
Under 18s
Online casino gambling is restricted to adults aged 18 or over in Great Britain, and this site is intended for adults. Free filtering software including BetBlocker, and parental controls in your operating system and browser, can restrict access on shared devices.