Responsible Gambling

Tools every licensed UK operator must offer

These are requirements, not favours. If you cannot find them in an account, that is itself a reason to question the operator.

• Deposit limits — daily, weekly or monthly caps you set yourself. Increases are subject to a cooling-off period; decreases take effect immediately.
• Reality checks — periodic reminders of how long a session has run.
• Time-out — a short break, typically from 24 hours up to six weeks.
• Self-exclusion — blocking access for a minimum of six months. It cannot be reversed early.

Signs worth taking seriously

None of these require a crisis to be worth acting on. Setting a limit early is far easier than unwinding a problem later.

• Gambling with money set aside for something else.
• Chasing losses, or staking more to recover an earlier loss.
• Borrowing money to gamble, or hiding how much has been staked.
• Gambling to escape stress, low mood or boredom.
• Feeling unable to stop once a session has started.

Practical steps

• Set a deposit limit before you play, not during a session.
• Decide the amount you are willing to lose, and treat it as the cost of the entertainment.
• Do not gamble while drinking, upset, or trying to recover a loss.
• Take breaks. Use reality checks rather than relying on noticing the time.
• Use gambling-block features offered by your bank on your debit card.

Where to get free, independent help

The National Gambling Helpline is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133. It is run by GamCare and is independent of gambling operators and of this site.

GambleAware provides advice, self-assessment tools and routes into treatment. GAMSTOP is the national self-exclusion scheme — one registration blocks you from every online operator licensed in Great Britain, for a minimum of six months.

If someone else's gambling is affecting you, all three support family members and friends too, not only the person gambling.

• National Gambling Helpline — 0808 8020 133, free and confidential, 24 hours a day.
• GambleAware (gambleaware.org) — advice, self-assessment and treatment referrals.
• GAMSTOP (gamstop.co.uk) — self-exclude from every UK-licensed online operator at once.
• Your bank — most UK banks can block gambling transactions on your debit card.

A note on what this site is

We are a comparison publisher and we are paid commission by some of the operators we list. That is disclosed on every page that links to one. The support services above are not: we have no relationship with them, and we receive nothing if you contact them.