Responsible gambling: free, confidential help in the UK
If gambling has stopped being fun, or you are worried about someone else, you do not have to deal with it alone. Every service below is free, and none of them will judge you.
Where to get free help
The quickest first step is a phone call. The National Gambling Helpline is free, open day and night, and staffed by trained advisers who can talk things through, help you make a plan or point you to local treatment.
GamCare is the charity behind the helpline. As well as phone support, it offers online chat, forums and structured counselling, and can arrange treatment close to where you live. NHS gambling services in England provide specialist treatment for people with more serious gambling problems, including the National Problem Gambling Clinic in London and regional NHS gambling clinics; they accept referrals from GPs and from people themselves. Gamblers Anonymous and GamAnon are peer groups: nobody there is paid to help, but everybody there has been through something similar.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call 999 or talk to Samaritans, free and at any hour, on 116 123.
Practical tools that put a barrier in the way
Willpower is hard to rely on in the moment. The tools below work because they make gambling slower or impossible when you have decided in advance that you do not want to. This site has no accounts and takes no bets, so none of these are set here: they are offered by gambling companies, banks and national schemes.
- Deposit limits. Gambling companies licensed in Great Britain must let you set a limit on how much you can deposit each day, week or month. Lowering a limit takes effect straight away; raising it involves a waiting period.
- Time-outs and reality checks. You can take a short break from an account, or set reminders that tell you how long you have been playing.
- Self-exclusion. GamStop blocks you from all online gambling companies licensed in Great Britain for six months, one year or five years. Casinos, betting shops and bingo venues run their own schemes for gambling in person.
- Bank gambling blocks. Many UK banks and card providers let you block gambling payments from your app, often with a delay before the block can be lifted.
- Blocking software. Apps and browser tools can stop gambling websites and apps from opening on your phone or computer.
Signs that gambling is causing harm
There is no single line between gambling for fun and gambling that has become a problem, but these are common signs, in yourself or someone close to you:
- spending more money or time than you meant to, and finding it hard to stop;
- chasing losses, gambling again to win back money already lost;
- borrowing money, missing bills or selling things to gamble;
- feeling anxious, irritable or low when you are not gambling;
- hiding gambling from family or friends, or lying about how much you spend;
- gambling to escape stress, loneliness or other worries.
Recognising one or two of these is a reason to talk to someone, not a reason for shame. The helpline hears from people at every stage.
Why gambling is a cost, not an income
Every page on this site shows the same thing from a different angle: each bet pays a little less than its true odds. That gap, the house edge, means that the longer you play, the more certainly your results drift towards a loss. A European roulette wheel keeps 2.70% of everything staked on it. A slot returning 96.04% keeps about 4p in every pound, so an hour at £1 a spin and one spin every six seconds costs about £23.76 on average. Lotteries return less still: in April 2024 to March 2025, 55p of each pound spent on the National Lottery went back as prizes.
Wins happen, and they are part of what makes gambling exciting, but they do not change the average. The only sensible way to think of gambling is as paid entertainment: decide what you can afford to spend before you start, treat that money as gone, and stop when it is. The house edge explained page shows how that cost adds up game by game, and the RTP calculator works it out for any stake and session length.
Where to go next
Getting help: questions people ask
Is the National Gambling Helpline really free?
Yes. Calls to 0808 8020 133 are free, and the line is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. It is run by GamCare, and you do not have to give your name. You can call about your own gambling or about someone else's.
What is the difference between GamStop and a time-out?
A time-out is a short break, usually from a day to a few weeks, that you set with one gambling company. GamStop is a self-exclusion scheme that covers every online gambling company licensed in Great Britain at once, for a period you choose, and it cannot be cancelled early.
Can I get help if I do not think I am addicted?
Yes. You do not need a diagnosis, or to have lost a particular amount, to call the helpline or talk to a counsellor. Many people get in touch because gambling has started to worry them, and early help is usually the easiest.
How can I help someone else who gambles too much?
Talk to them calmly at a time when they are not gambling, and avoid lending money to cover losses. The helpline gives advice to family and friends as well as to gamblers, and GamAnon runs support groups specifically for the people close to someone with a gambling problem.
Does knowing the odds make gambling safer?
It makes the cost clearer, which helps, but it does not remove the risk. Every casino bet has a house edge, so the more you stake, the more you are expected to lose. Knowing that a European wheel keeps 2.70% of every stake is useful only if it helps you decide how much you are willing to spend.