Responsible Gambling

You have to try and notice the following facts if you don’t want to become addicted to gambling:

• Betting more than you planned, or chasing losses to win money back.
• Spending money meant for bills, rent or food.
• Borrowing money or selling things to fund betting.
• Hiding how much you bet from people close to you.
• Feeling anxious, low or irritable when you are not betting.
• Betting to cope with stress rather than for fun.

If any of this sounds familiar, the support below is free and confidential.

Most betting sites let you set safety controls right inside your personal account. They are managed by each app individually, so they don’t connect to any central system or other sites:

• Deposit limits. Choose how much you can pay in per day, week or month.
• Time and session limits. Limit how long you spend in the app.
• Cooling-off periods. Take a short break where you cannot bet.
• Account self-exclusion. Shut your account for a set period. On an offshore site this only covers that one site, not others.

It is best to set these up early, before you start playing. However, because these settings only work on one site at a time, they are weaker than UK rules and will not block you on other apps.

Gamstop is a free UK service that blocks you from all UK-licensed gambling sites with just one registration. The important thing to know is that Gamstop only works on UK sites. The apps reviewed here are based offshore, so Gamstop won’t stop you from opening an account with them. If you used Gamstop to stop gambling, signing up on an offshore site ruins that protection and can put you at a risk. The safest choice is to strengthen your blocks, not try to bypass them.

If you want a barrier that also covers offshore apps, two things work regardless of where a site is licensed:

• Gamban. Paid software you install on your phone, tablet and computer. It blocks gambling sites and apps at the device level, including offshore ones, so it reaches sites Gamstop cannot. GambleAware has rated it highly effective on the devices it is installed on. Betfilter and GamBlock are similar tools.
• Bank gambling blocks. Most major UK banks let you switch on a gambling block in their mobile app. It stops card payments to gambling sites, including offshore ones, and often adds a delay before it can be turned off.

Used together, a device blocker and a bank block give you a layer of protection that does not depend on any operator honouring an exclusion list.

You do not have to sort this out alone. All of the following are free.

• National Gambling Helpline — 0808 8020 133. Run by GamCare, open 24 hours a day, every day, by phone or live chat. Free and confidential support and referral to treatment across England, Scotland and Wales.
• GamCare — gamcare.org.uk. Information, advice, one-to-one support and free treatment for anyone affected by gambling harm.
• BeGambleAware — begambleaware.org. Guidance, a self-assessment, and a route into support in your area.
• Gamblers Anonymous — gamblersanonymous.org.uk. Local and online peer support groups.
• GAMSTOP — gamstop.co.uk. Free self-exclusion from all UK-licensed gambling sites.
• Gamban — gamban.com. Device-level blocking software that also covers offshore sites.

Support is also there for family and friends affected by someone else’s gambling, through the same helpline.

Gambling is strictly for adults aged 18 and over. If you share devices with anyone under 18, use device parental controls and a blocker like Gamban to keep gambling apps and sites out of their reach. Never let a minor bet through your account.

Set your limits before you start, keep betting to money you can afford to lose, and treat any session as entertainment with a cost, not an investment. If it stops feeling that way, the helpline above is open right now.

18+. Gambling involves risk. When the fun stops, stop.