Warning signs
Harmful gambling rarely starts suddenly. It is worth pausing if any of these sound familiar:
- Spending more money or time on betting than you intended.
- Chasing losses by betting more to win money back.
- Borrowing money, or using money meant for bills, to gamble.
- Feeling anxious, irritable or low when not gambling.
- Hiding betting from family, friends or a partner.
Tools that help
Every site licensed by the Gambling Commission must offer deposit limits, reality checks, time-outs and self-exclusion. Set a deposit limit before your first bet. For broader protection, GAMSTOP lets you exclude yourself from all GB-licensed online gambling sites for six months, one year or five years with a single registration. Many UK banks also let you block gambling transactions from within their app.
Free UK support
| Service | What it offers |
|---|---|
| National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133 | Free, confidential advice 24 hours a day, run by GamCare. |
| GamCare | Live chat, counselling and the National Gambling Support Network. |
| NHS gambling support | Information on NHS gambling clinics and referral. |
| Gambling Therapy | Free online support in several languages. |
| Gordon Moody | Residential and online treatment programmes. |
Supporting someone else
Gambling harm affects families and friends too. The same services offer support to people worried about someone else's gambling, and you do not need the gambler's permission to seek advice for yourself. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999.
To understand how betting sites build these protections into their accounts, see our in-play and mobile guide.