Gambling is not a way to earn money or a solution to money problems. Treat any money you spend as money you may lose. If gambling is affecting your finances, relationships, work or health, take action rather than trying to win back losses.
Signs to look for
A problem can show up in observable changes. You may be:
- spending more time or money gambling than you planned;
- chasing losses or increasing stakes to try to recover money;
- hiding gambling, transactions or losses from people close to you;
- borrowing money, missing bills or using money set aside for essentials;
- struggling to stop, or feeling restless when you try;
- neglecting work, sleep or relationships to gamble;
- returning to gambling after deciding to stop.
One sign is enough to pause and review what is happening. Several signs, or any immediate risk to your finances or safety, call for help now.
What you can do now
If you are gambling at this moment, close the game and sign out. Do not deposit more or try to recover losses. Use the account controls to set a financial limit or choose self-exclusion. Ask someone you trust to sit with you while you do this, and tell them plainly what has happened. If gambling has put essential bills at risk, prioritise those bills and speak to someone who can help you manage them.
UK-licensed casinos must provide responsible gambling tools, including self-exclusion. Remote operators must prompt new customers to set a financial limit before their first deposit and provide accessible account-level limit controls. These tools can restrict access or spending; they do not replace support from another person or a qualified service.
Where to turn
Start with the casino where you have an account. Open its responsible gambling or account settings and use the limit or self-exclusion controls. If you cannot find them, contact the operator through its own support channel and ask for immediate help applying them.
If the operator does not deal with a complaint, UKGC licensees must offer an internal complaints process and access to an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service. Ask the operator for its complaints procedure and the approved ADR service available for your dispute. If you need to check who licenses the site, a remote operator must show its licence details and link to its public register licence information. Use that link to verify the operator rather than relying on a logo or claim on a page.
No independently verified external support organisation or contact details are available to list here. Do not rely on a guessed number or unverified address. For immediate support, tell a trusted person now and ask them to help you find a recognised gambling support service through an official source.
Checks and safeguards in Britain
Operators must verify a customer’s age before allowing deposits into a gambling account. UK-licensed casinos cannot accept credit cards for gambling, including credit-card funds routed through certain payment services or wallets. These restrictions do not prevent gambling harm.
Online slot autoplay is banned in Britain. Slot spins must last at least 2.5 seconds, and the maximum total stake in a game cycle is £2 for someone under 25 or £5 for someone aged 25 or older. These rules limit certain features; they do not make gambling safe.
If gambling is causing harm, stop and seek help. A limit is not a cure.