If gambling is affecting you or someone you know, free support is available in Great Britain at any hour. The GamCare National Gambling Helpline is on 0808 8020 133, free, 24 hours a day. This page lists the main help lines, websites and tools, explains what each is for, and covers how to get support for someone else. Nothing here is a reason to gamble. All of it is about getting support.
GamCare National Gambling Helpline
The National Gambling Helpline is run by GamCare. It is a free information, advice and support service that gives you someone to talk to about your gambling. The number is 0808 8020 133, and the Gambling Commission's website says it is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Commission lists 0808 2819 265 for Wales.
GamCare's website at gamcare.org.uk also has live chat, and sections for people affected by someone else's gambling, for women, for children and young people, and for the armed forces community. It has a forum and chatrooms, a recovery toolkit, and pages on self-exclusion, blocking software and managing your money.
BeGambleAware
BeGambleAware, the site run by the charity GambleAware, provides free advice, tools and support to help keep people safe from gambling harms. Its site has several tools:
- a short set of questions that gives an insight into how gambling might be affecting you or someone you care about
- a spend calculator that shows the time and money spent on gambling and gives suggestions for reducing risk
- questions for people affected by someone else's gambling, with information on what they can do
- a service finder that points to free, confidential support near you.
The main site is begambleaware.org.
GAMSTOP
GAMSTOP is the national online self-exclusion scheme. It is a tool more than a help line, but it appears here because many people use it together with a call or a chat. Registration blocks accounts with online gambling companies licensed in Great Britain for the period chosen. The GAMSTOP page explains how it works, and the service itself is at gamstop.co.uk.
Other tools worth knowing
Self-exclusion is only one layer. Bank gambling blocks, blocking software, venue schemes and operator time-outs all help in different ways. The other self-exclusion page explains how they fit together, and a helpline adviser can advise on which suit you.
Support for someone else
A person who is worried about a partner, parent, child or friend can use the same services. Practical steps include:
- Call the helpline yourself and ask for advice, even if the person does not know you are calling.
- Use the pages for affected others on the GamCare and BeGambleAware websites.
- Look at what GAMSTOP says about supporting a loved one, including how a person can register for themselves.
- Protect shared money: check joint accounts, cards and online banking, and ask the bank what payment controls it provides.
- Keep your own wellbeing in view. Support exists for the family member as well as for the person who gambles.
For young people, the age 18 plus page covers the rules and what parents can do.
Choosing between a call, a chat and a website
Different services suit different moments. A call gives you a person straight away, which helps if you feel in crisis or find typing hard. Live chat suits someone who cannot talk where they are, for example at work or at home with others around. The websites suit a quiet hour when you want to read, take a short questionnaire or see what support exists near you.
None of these choices is permanent. You can start with a questionnaire, call the next day, and add a GAMSTOP registration the week after. Support services expect people to come back more than once, and there is no penalty for asking a question that turns out to be small.
When a call is the right step
Many people wait to call until things feel serious. There is no required level of seriousness. Reasons to call include chasing losses, hiding gambling from others, borrowing to gamble, feeling low or anxious after gambling, or gambling more than you meant to. If you are in immediate danger, call 999.
If you have already excluded yourself
Some people who have joined GAMSTOP later search for sites outside the scheme. A site with no UKGC licence is not covered by GAMSTOP, and a UK player there loses the self-exclusion check, the UKGC complaint route and ADR, stake limits and affordability checks. Playing there is not an offence for the player, but the protections are the point of the scheme. If you feel pulled that way, tell an adviser. They have heard it before. Our pages on casinos not on GAMSTOP and trust and safety explain the gap as information only.
Gambling help
This page is the help section, so use it. Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over. Call GamCare on 0808 8020 133 (free, 24 hours) or go to GamCare, block your online accounts with GAMSTOP, and use the tools at BeGambleAware.