Gambling should be entertainment you can afford. For some people it stops being that. This page sets out the tools available to keep it in check, and where to get free, confidential help if it has gone further than you want it to.
Get help now
- National Gambling Helpline — 0808 8020 133. Free, confidential, open 24 hours a day, every day. Run by GamCare. You can also use their live chat at gamcare.org.uk.
- GambleAware — advice, tools and support at gambleaware.org.
- NHS — the NHS runs specialist gambling clinics across England. Your GP can refer you, or you can refer yourself.
- Gamblers Anonymous — peer support meetings across the UK at gamblersanonymous.org.uk.
- GamFam and Gam-Anon — support for family members and friends affected by someone else’s gambling.
Blocking yourself from gambling sites
GAMSTOP is a free national self-exclusion scheme. Registering at gamstop.co.uk blocks you from every online gambling site licensed in Great Britain, for six months, one year or five years. It cannot be reversed before the period ends. It takes a few minutes to set up.
Blocking software such as Gamban or BetBlocker goes further, blocking gambling sites and apps across your devices. Many banks — including Monzo, Starling, Lloyds, Barclays, NatWest, HSBC and Santander — also let you switch on a gambling block in their app, which declines gambling transactions on your card.
Tools inside your account
Every operator licensed in Great Britain must offer these, and using them is free:
- Deposit limits — a cap per day, week or month. Increases are deliberately slow to take effect; decreases apply immediately.
- Loss and spend limits — a ceiling on what you can lose in a period.
- Reality checks — a pop-up reminding you how long you have been playing.
- Time-outs — a short break, from 24 hours up to six weeks.
- Self-exclusion — closing your account with that operator for at least six months.
Setting a deposit limit when you open an account, rather than later, is the single most effective thing most people can do.
Signs worth taking seriously
Gambling may be becoming a problem if you are spending more than you planned or can afford, chasing losses, borrowing money or selling things to gamble, hiding it from people close to you, gambling to escape stress or low mood, neglecting work, family or health, or feeling anxious, irritable or guilty about it.
If several of those sound familiar, it is worth talking to someone. The helpline above is free, confidential and staffed by advisers who do this all day — you do not need to be in crisis to call, and you will not be judged.
Practical habits
- Decide what you can afford to lose before you start, and treat it as the cost of the entertainment.
- Set a time limit as well as a money limit.
- Never gamble to win back losses — this is how small losses become large ones.
- Do not gamble when you are upset, stressed, bored or drinking.
- Never borrow money to gamble.
- Keep gambling as one thing you do, not the main thing you do.
Under 18s
It is illegal for anyone under 18 to gamble in Great Britain. If children use your devices, consider parental controls and make sure gambling accounts are not left logged in.
Last reviewed on 24 September 2026. Provided in good faith and not legal advice.