Responsible Gambling

The core rule

Only play with money you can afford to lose. Never borrow money, never chase losses, never use gambling as a way to cover income gaps or relieve stress. If you're making exceptions to those rules, that is the warning sign.

Signs that gambling is no longer fun

• You're spending more than you planned, more often than you planned.
• You find yourself chasing losses, or depositing again after you said you'd stop for the night.
• Gambling is interfering with work, relationships, sleep, or bills.
• You feel anxious, low, or secretive about how much you're playing.
• You've borrowed money, used a credit card (which is banned on UKGC-licensed gambling sites), or hidden statements to keep gambling going.

If one or more of these feels familiar, please use one of the free services below. You don't need to hit rock bottom to qualify for support — these services are for anyone who's worried about their gambling, including family members.

Self-exclusion tools

• GamStop — the UK's official national self-exclusion scheme. One registration blocks you from every UKGC-licensed online casino, sportsbook, and bingo site for 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years. Free. Sign up at gamstop.co.uk.
• Gamban — a blocking app that installs on your phone and laptop. It blocks tens of thousands of gambling sites worldwide, including offshore casinos that GamStop can't cover. Paid subscription but many UK NHS clinics and charities offer it free. gamban.com.
• BetBlocker — a free blocking app from a UK registered charity. Covers over 20,000 gambling sites. betblocker.org.
• Bank-level gambling blocks — most UK banks (Monzo, Starling, Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest and others) let you turn off card payments to gambling merchants from your banking app. This stops transactions at the card level even if the operator is offshore.

Deposit, loss, and time limits

Every UKGC-licensed operator is required to offer deposit limits, loss limits, session time limits, and reality checks. These are available inside your account under "Responsible Gambling", "My Limits", or similar. Setting a limit is free, takes seconds, and only becomes easier to raise after a cooling-off delay — which is the point.

Our recommendation for new accounts: set a daily or weekly deposit limit before your first deposit, so future-you doesn't have to make that decision during play. You can always lower the limit; raising it requires a 24-hour delay on UKGC sites.

Free, confidential support

• GamCare — runs the National Gambling Helpline 24/7 on 0808 8020 133. Free, confidential, no caller ID needed. Also runs live chat, a peer-support forum, and one-to-one treatment. gamcare.org.uk.
• BeGambleAware — independent information and signposting to regional services. begambleaware.org.
• GambleAware Safer Gambling Week resources — guides for players and family members.
• NHS Gambling Harms Clinics — specialist NHS clinics across England, Wales, and Scotland offering free treatment. Referral via GP or self-referral on the NHS website.
• Gordon Moody — residential treatment for severe gambling addiction. gordonmoody.org.uk.

Supporting someone else

If you're worried about a family member, partner, or friend, GamCare's helpline and live chat are available to affected others as well as players. GamFam runs peer-support groups specifically for family members and partners at gamfam.co.uk.

Age verification

Gambling is strictly 18+ in the UK. Every UKGC-licensed operator is required to verify age before any deposit, play, or withdrawal is allowed. We don't cover operators that target or serve under-18s, and we link to operators only where age verification is enforceable.

What this page is not

This is a practical signposting page, not medical advice or a substitute for professional help. If you're in crisis, please call GamCare on 0808 8020 133 (24/7) or the Samaritans on 116 123 (24/7).