Safer Gambling
Gambling is for adults aged 18 or over. It is entertainment with a real risk of losing money, not a way to earn income or recover financial losses. This page contains no casino offers because support should be easy to reach without sales pressure.
Simple limits before you play
- Decide a spending and time limit in advance and do not increase it after a loss.
- Do not gamble with borrowed money or money needed for rent, bills, food or savings.
- Take regular breaks and avoid gambling when upset, under pressure or affected by alcohol or drugs.
- Use the operator’s deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion tools. Your bank may also offer a gambling payment block.
Signs that it may be time to stop
Warning signs include chasing losses, hiding gambling, borrowing to gamble, spending longer than planned, missing responsibilities, or feeling anxious or distressed about gambling. You do not need to wait for a crisis before asking for help.
Free UK help and blocking tools
- National Gambling Helpline (GamCare): free, confidential support 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133, with chat and further support at gamcare.org.uk.
- GAMSTOP: free self-exclusion from gambling websites and apps licensed in Great Britain at gamstop.co.uk.
- NHS: treatment information and support options at NHS gambling addiction support.
- GambleAware: information and a support finder at gambleaware.org.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent mental-health help that is not an emergency, use NHS 111 online or call 111 and select the mental-health option where available.
Helping someone else
Speak calmly, avoid judgement and encourage the person to contact a specialist service. Protect shared finances where appropriate and seek support for yourself as well; GamCare supports people affected by someone else’s gambling.
Support details checked: 31 August 2026.
