Responsible Gambling⁠

Need help now? Call the National Gambling Helpline free on 0808 8020 133, 24 hours a day, every day, or chat online at gamcare.org.uk. If you are in crisis or worried about your safety, call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time, or 999 in an emergency.

Keep it fun

• Only bet with money you can afford to lose. Set a budget before you start and stop when it is gone.
• Decide how long you will spend, and take breaks. In-play betting moves fast, so set your limit before the match starts.
• Never chase losses: a bet to win back what you have lost usually loses more.
• Never borrow, or use money meant for bills, to gamble.
• Do not bet when you are upset, stressed, lonely or have been drinking.
• Treat any winnings as a bonus, not income. Betting is never a way to solve money worries.
• Keep betting as one thing you enjoy among many, not instead of them.

Signs it may be becoming a problem

Be honest with yourself. In the last twelve months, have you:

• bet more than you could really afford to lose?
• needed to bet larger amounts to get the same excitement?
• gone back another day to try to win back money you lost?
• borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?
• felt that you might have a problem with gambling?
• had gambling cause you stress, anxiety or other health problems?
• been criticised for your betting, or told you have a problem, whether or not you thought it was true?
• had gambling cause money problems for you or your household?
• felt guilty about the way you gamble, or what happens when you do?

Other warning signs include hiding how much you bet, losing sleep or time at work over it, and feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut down. If any of this sounds familiar, it is worth talking to someone. Help is free, confidential and non-judgemental.

Tools that help you stay in control

• Your bookmaker's safer gambling tools. Every bookmaker licensed in Great Britain must let you limit how much you deposit, and most also offer loss and time limits, reality checks and a full history of your account. Set them when you join, before you need them.
• Take a break or self-exclude. A time-out pauses your account for a short period. Self-exclusion closes it for at least six months, and the bookmaker must not market to you while it lasts.
• GAMSTOP excludes you from every online gambling site and app licensed in Great Britain in one go, for six months, one year or five years. It is free: gamstop.co.uk.
• Betting shops. The Multi-Operator Self-Exclusion Scheme (MOSES) excludes you from the betting shops you choose with one call: 0800 294 2060, or see self-exclusion.co.uk.
• Bank gambling blocks. Many UK banks and card providers let you block payments to gambling companies in their app. Some make you wait before you can lift the block.
• Blocking software such as Gamban or BetBlocker stops gambling sites and apps opening on your devices.

Free, confidential support

• National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare: 0808 8020 133, free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, plus live chat and WhatsApp at gamcare.org.uk. Advisers can refer you to free treatment in England, Scotland and Wales.
• NHS gambling services. Specialist NHS clinics treat gambling problems in England, and you can refer yourself. See Help for problems with gambling on the NHS website, or ask your GP.
• GambleAware.org: advice, self-help tools and a finder for support near you.
• Gordon Moody: residential and online treatment for people most severely affected by gambling.
• Gamblers Anonymous: free peer-support meetings across the country and online.

Worried about someone else?

Gambling problems affect families, friends and colleagues too. The National Gambling Helpline supports anyone affected by someone else's gambling. Gam-Anon runs support groups for family and friends, and GamFam offers peer support for families.

Money worries

If gambling has left you in debt, free and confidential advice is available. Never pay for debt help.

• StepChange Debt Charity: 0800 138 1111
• National Debtline: 0808 808 4000
• Citizens Advice

If you are struggling to cope

If gambling is affecting your mental health, call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time, contact NHS 111 or your GP, or call 999 if you or someone else is in danger.

Under 18?

It is illegal to bet with a bookmaker if you are under 18, and our betting content is not for you. Parents and carers can use device controls and blocking software to keep gambling sites off children's devices. Young people worried about gambling, their own or someone else's, can talk to an adviser on the National Gambling Helpline, or to Childline on 0800 1111.

Our commitments

• Our betting content is for adults aged 18 and over. Every odds and offer block says so and links to free help.
• We only show offers from bookmakers licensed by the Gambling Commission, with their significant terms beside them.
• Odds and offers are labelled as advertising and kept apart from our journalism. We never present prices as tips, or suggest betting is a way to make money or solve problems.
• We do not aim betting content at under-18s, or use players or anything with particular appeal to young people to promote it.
• If you are worried about any betting content on our site, tell us at admin@englandexpects.com.

Complaints about a bookmaker

Contact the bookmaker first and use its complaints process. If you are still unhappy after eight weeks, or once it has given you its final decision, you can take the dispute free of charge to the independent alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider named in its terms. The Gambling Commission does not settle individual disputes, but you can tell it about a bookmaker you think is breaking the rules, and check any licence on its public register. Complaints about gambling adverts go to the Advertising Standards Authority.

Last updated 24 October 2026