Support and Self-Exclusion

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Quick answer Free, confidential help is available right now. Call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or use GamCare’s live chat or WhatsApp. If you are on GAMSTOP and tempted by sites that are not, you are not alone, and the urge will pass.

Who can help, and how?

What can you do in the next ten minutes?

1. Put the phone down, or close the laptop, for ten minutes. Urges rise, peak and fall.
2. Call or message the helpline. You do not need a reason beyond “I want to gamble and I do not want to”.
3. Move money out of reach if you can, for example into a savings account that takes time to access.
4. Tell someone where you are and how you feel.

How do you make self-exclusion stronger?

GAMSTOP blocks your access to accounts on UK-licensed gambling websites and apps. Sites that are not licensed in Great Britain are outside it. These extra layers close that gap.

• Keep GAMSTOP current. GAMSTOP says to keep your details up to date “so the block can continue to protect you”. You can extend your registration from your account.
• Install blocking software on every phone, tablet and computer you use. BeGambleAware lists free tools.
• Ask your bank whether it can block gambling payments on your card.
• Self-exclude from betting shops if you bet in person. GAMSTOP links to GAMSTOP Betting Shops from its homepage.
• Remove temptation from your feeds. Unfollow gambling accounts and use your social media ad settings to limit gambling ads.

What if you have already gambled at a site not on GAMSTOP?

A relapse is not the end of recovery. Stop depositing, save your records, and ask your bank about blocking further gambling payments. You can report the site to the Gambling Commission in confidence. Most of all, talk to someone today. The helpline hears from people in exactly this situation every day.

If you are worried about someone else

Gam-Anon UK and Ireland runs meetings for “anyone who has been affected by a loved one’s gambling problem”, and says what is shared in its rooms is kept confidential. The National Gambling Helpline supports family members too. GAMSTOP explains how you can register your own details so they cannot be used by someone else to gamble.

• Choose a calm moment to talk, not the middle of a loss.
• Say what you have noticed and how it affects you, rather than blaming.
• Protect your own money, for example with separate accounts.
• Get support for yourself, whatever the other person decides.

Is gambling affecting you?

These questions are not a diagnosis, but they can help you see where you are. Do you gamble to win back losses? Do you hide your gambling? Have you borrowed to gamble? Do you feel restless when you try to cut down? Has gambling hurt your money, work, sleep or relationships? If any answer is yes, a conversation with the helpline is a good next step.