Play responsibly

What gambling addiction is

Problem gambling is the point at which betting stops being a choice. It is a recognised medical condition, not a failure of willpower, and it is treated seriously by health services in most countries.

It rarely arrives suddenly. What usually happens is a gradual shift: stakes creep up, losses get chased, and the time and money involved grow past what was intended.

Warning signs

The following are common signals. Recognising several of them in yourself, or in someone close to you, is a good reason to seek advice.

• Betting more than you can comfortably afford to lose
• Chasing losses with bigger stakes to try to win them back
• Borrowing money, selling possessions or missing bills in order to bet
• Hiding the extent of your betting from family or friends
• Feeling anxious, irritable or low when you are not betting
• Betting to escape stress, boredom or low mood rather than for enjoyment
• Losing interest in work, study, relationships or hobbies
• Trying to stop and finding that you cannot

Practical steps you can take

If you want to stay in control, or regain it, these measures are effective and available immediately.

Set limits before you bet

Decide what you can afford to lose and treat it as the cost of entertainment, not an investment. Licensed operators are required to offer deposit, loss and time limits — set them at the start, when you are thinking clearly, rather than mid-session.

Keep betting money separate from money meant for bills, and never borrow to bet.

Take a break or self-exclude

Every licensed operator must let you take a timeout or close your account, and must honour it. Self-exclusion is stronger than a timeout: for a period you choose, the operator must refuse your custom and stop marketing to you.

Many jurisdictions also run a national scheme that excludes you from every licensed operator at once, rather than one at a time. The organisations below can tell you what exists where you live.

Use blocking software

Blocking tools installed on your phone and computer prevent gambling sites from loading at all, and are deliberately hard to switch off. Used alongside self-exclusion they remove the option in a moment of temptation.

Your bank may also be able to block gambling transactions on your card, which many banks now offer as a standard setting.

Where to get help

Support is free and confidential, and you do not need to be in crisis to use it. The organisations below are independent of us and of any operator.

United Kingdom

GamCare runs the National Gambling Helpline, open around the clock, at gamcare.org.uk. GambleAware offers advice and a directory of local treatment at gambleaware.org, and GAMSTOP at gamstop.co.uk excludes you from every operator licensed in Great Britain in a single request.

United States

The National Council on Problem Gambling runs a confidential national helpline reachable by calling or texting 1-800-GAMBLER, with further resources at ncpgambling.org. Individual states also operate their own programmes.

Canada

The Responsible Gambling Council publishes prevention and treatment resources at responsiblegambling.org, and each province runs its own free helpline and counselling service.

Australia

Gambling Help Online offers free counselling by phone and web chat at any hour at gamblinghelponline.org.au, along with a national self-exclusion register.

South Africa

The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation provides free counselling and treatment, and operates a national helpline. Details are at responsiblegambling.org.za.

Anywhere else

Gamblers Anonymous runs peer support meetings in most countries, in person and online, and can be found at gamblersanonymous.org. Gam-Anon offers the same for family members affected by someone else's gambling.

If you are in immediate distress or having thoughts of harming yourself, contact your local emergency services or a crisis line straight away rather than waiting for a gambling service to open.

Protecting people under 18

Gambling is for adults. Betting under the legal age in your country is illegal, and operators are required to verify age before allowing a deposit or paying out.

If children use your devices, parental control software can block gambling content, and you should keep payment details out of reach of shared accounts.