If gambling is affecting your money, wellbeing or relationships, you can get support now. You do not need to wait until the problem becomes severe or know exactly what help to ask for.
Talk to someone: the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 is free and available 24 hours a day. GamCare also offers online support and can explain treatment options.
Urgent danger: if you cannot keep yourself or someone else safe, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent mental-health support when it is not an emergency, use the NHS urgent-help guidance.
Notice what gambling is changing
Warning signs can include repeatedly trying to recover losses, using money needed for essentials, increasing stakes, hiding spending or finding it difficult to stop. Distress about gambling matters even when the amount lost looks small to someone else. GamCare’s signs-of-harm guide can help you reflect on what is happening.
A useful starting sentence when contacting support is simply: “I am worried about my gambling and I would like help deciding what to do next.” You can also contact support because of someone else’s gambling.
Put a barrier between the urge and the next bet
Different tools cover different routes to gambling. Combining them can make an intended break easier to maintain.
| Tool | What to understand |
|---|---|
| Operator self-exclusion | Ask the business which accounts and brands it covers, and obtain confirmation. |
| National online self-exclusion scheme | A separate registration intended to restrict access to participating GB-licensed online gambling services. |
| Venue exclusion | Physical bookmakers, casinos, bingo venues and arcades have their own arrangements. |
| Device blocking | Software can restrict gambling websites and apps on the devices where it is installed. |
| Bank gambling block | Ask your bank which payments it blocks and what limitations apply. |
GamCare’s self-exclusion guidance links to the relevant schemes and explains operator and venue options. Closing one account is not automatically the same as registering for national online self-exclusion. Do not assume any one measure blocks every site and payment route.
If you have already excluded yourself, keep that decision in place. Looking for another website or payment method can undermine the break. Tell a support adviser if an urge to bypass a restriction is difficult to manage.
Protect essential spending
Keep money for housing, food, bills and other essentials separate from gambling. Review bank statements and gambling-account records to understand the full spending pattern, including small transactions that add up. Gambling is not a way to repay a debt.
GamCare’s money guidance covers budgeting, spending priorities, banking tools and access to specialist debt support. Its Money Guidance Service is not itself a debt-advice service, but it can explain referral options. Ask for the help that matches the problem rather than trying to recover the money with another bet.
Limits can help, but they are not a guarantee
A deposit limit controls a defined type of transaction on the account where it applies. It may not describe total losses, time spent or activity on other accounts. A reminder can make time visible without ending the session. Read what each control actually does.
If you repeatedly raise a limit, top up after losing or move to another account, take that as a reason to seek support and consider a complete break. There is no stake size or betting strategy that makes gambling harmless.
Treatment and support for family or friends
The NHS gambling-support page explains specialist clinics in England and how to self-refer or ask a GP about services in your area. It also lists support for people affected by someone else’s gambling.
If you are worried about someone close, explain what you have noticed without trying to diagnose them. You can offer to help them contact a service while also seeking support for yourself. Keep your own essential finances protected and ask a qualified adviser about debts or shared financial concerns.
This page provides routes to independent support. BettingWow does not provide counselling, operate exclusion schemes or manage gambling accounts. The services linked above can explain their own availability, confidentiality and eligibility.