Betting should be something you do for enjoyment, with money you can afford to lose, and stop when it stops being enjoyable. This page brings together the free UK services that help when gambling becomes a problem, whether for you or for someone you care about. BookieFinder is an information service and not a treatment provider; the organisations below are.
If you need to talk to someone now, the National Gambling Helpline is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, every day, on 0808 8020 133. It is run by the charity GamCare and also offers live chat at gamcare.org.uk.
Signs that gambling may be a problem
Problem gambling rarely announces itself. These are the patterns support services most often describe:
- betting more money, or more often, than you meant to;
- chasing losses, or returning to win back money you have lost;
- borrowing money, selling things or missing bills in order to bet;
- hiding how much you bet from family or friends;
- feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut down;
- thinking about betting when you are doing other things;
- betting to escape worry, low mood or boredom.
One of these on its own does not mean you have a problem. Several together, or one that keeps happening, is a good reason to talk to someone.
Free support services
| Service | What it offers | Contact |
| National Gambling Helpline (GamCare) | 24-hour phone and live-chat support, free counselling, support for family members | 0808 8020 133, gamcare.org.uk |
| NHS gambling clinics | Specialist assessment and treatment in England, Scotland and Wales; you can refer yourself | Search “NHS gambling treatment” or ask your GP |
| Gamblers Anonymous | Peer-support meetings across the UK, in person and online | gamblersanonymous.org.uk |
| Gordon Moody | Residential and intensive treatment programmes for severe gambling harm | gordonmoody.org.uk |
| GamFam and GamAnon | Support for partners, parents and children of people who gamble | gamfam.co.uk, gamanon.org.uk |
| BeGambleAware | Information, self-assessment tools and a directory of local services | begambleaware.org |
Excluding yourself from betting shops
Self-exclusion is an agreement between you and gambling operators that they will refuse to let you gamble with them for a set period. In Great Britain there is one scheme for betting shops and a separate one for online gambling.
GamStop Betting Shops (formerly known as MOSES, the Multi-Operator Self-Exclusion Scheme) covers high street betting shops. It is free and works over the telephone: call 0800 294 2060. The team asks which shops you use or might realistically use, and your exclusion is applied across those premises regardless of which bookmaker runs them. The exclusion lasts a minimum of 12 months. You can add shops to an existing exclusion, and you can renew it after a year. Our guide to [self-exclusion from betting shops](/guides/self-exclusion-betting-shops/) walks through the process step by step.
GamStop covers online gambling sites and apps licensed in Great Britain. Register free at gamstop.co.uk with your name, date of birth, address and email, and choose six months, one year or five years. Every licensed online operator must check the register and block you.
Both schemes rely on you as well as the operator. Staff will stop you if they recognise you or your details, but the commitment is yours.
Blocking tools
- Bank gambling blocks. Most UK banks, including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Monzo, NatWest, Santander and Starling, let you block gambling transactions on your debit card from within the banking app. Most apply a cooling-off period before the block can be lifted.
- Gamban and similar software blocks gambling websites and apps on your devices. Gamban is free to UK residents through the TalkBanStop partnership with GamCare and GamStop.
- Credit cards cannot be used for gambling in Great Britain, in shops or online, under a Gambling Commission rule that took effect on 14 April 2020.
Rules that protect you in a betting shop
Betting shops in Great Britain are licensed by the Gambling Commission and by the local council. Among other things, licensed shops must:
- refuse to serve anyone under 18, and most operate a “Think 25” policy, asking for identification from anyone who looks under 25;
- display information about responsible gambling and where to get help;
- allow you to set limits on gaming machines, and cap stakes on the highest-stake machines at £2 per spin;
- take part in the betting shop self-exclusion scheme described above;
- refuse to accept credit cards.
If a shop does not follow these rules, you can report it to the Gambling Commission at gamblingcommission.gov.uk.
Worried about someone else
You do not have to wait for the person who gambles to seek help. The National Gambling Helpline supports family members and friends in their own right, and GamFam and GamAnon exist specifically for them. Practical steps that support services suggest include talking about what you have noticed without blame, protecting your own finances, and getting support for yourself.
About the information on BookieFinder
Everything on this site is for people aged 18 and over. We list shops, opening hours and factual information about bookmakers so that people who choose to bet can do so with accurate information. We do not encourage anyone to bet, and where we list a bookmaker’s offer it is marked as commercial content with its full conditions. If you are excluded from gambling, or trying to cut down, we would rather you used the services on this page than the rest of this site.
Page last reviewed: 21 September 2026. Contact details are checked against the organisations’ own websites; please tell us if any have changed.