Free gambling support

The National Gambling and NHS Wales Helplines provide free support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

England and Scotland:
0808 8020 133

Wales:
0808 2819 265

You can also find information and support through GamCare and GambleAware.

You do not need to wait until gambling has reached a particular level before asking for help.

If you need urgent mental health help

If gambling is seriously affecting your mental health and you need urgent help, use the appropriate NHS urgent mental health service.

In England, you can use NHS 111 online or call 111 and select the mental health option.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E.

More information is available from the NHS urgent mental health support service.

NHS gambling treatment

Specialist treatment is available if gambling is causing problems.

In England, the NHS operates specialist gambling treatment clinics with teams that can provide treatment, recovery support and help with related mental health needs.

You can self-refer to some NHS gambling services or ask your GP about support available in your area.

See the NHS guide to help for problems with gambling for current treatment and referral information.

Self-exclusion

Self-exclusion is a way of asking gambling businesses to prevent you from gambling with them for a set period.

GAMSTOP is the national online self-exclusion scheme. It can be used to block access to gambling websites and apps operated by participating licensed gambling companies.

All online gambling companies licensed to provide remote gambling to people in Great Britain are required to participate in GAMSTOP.

Separate multi-operator self-exclusion schemes are also available for some land-based gambling, including betting shops, casinos, bingo venues and adult gaming centres.

Blocking gambling websites and payments

Additional tools can make it harder to access gambling or spend money on it.

The NHS recommends measures such as:

• using gambling-blocking software such as Gamban;
• asking your bank whether it can block payments to gambling businesses;
• using self-exclusion services; and
• dealing with gambling-related debt rather than leaving it unaddressed.

Different banks and blocking services work in different ways, so check the current options available to you.

If gambling is affecting your finances

Gambling problems can also lead to debt, missed bills or difficulty covering everyday costs.

If that is happening, getting independent debt advice can help you understand your options.

Citizens Advice provides information about gambling-related money problems, debt and ways to limit gambling spending.

The NHS also advises dealing with debts rather than ignoring them and points people towards independent debt-support services.

If you are affected by someone else’s gambling

Support is not limited to the person who gambles.

If a partner, family member or friend’s gambling is affecting you, organisations including GamCare and NHS gambling services can also provide support and information for people affected by someone else’s gambling.

The NHS also lists services including GamAnon, GamFam and Gambling with Lives for people affected by another person’s gambling.

What Slotathon can and cannot do

Slotathon researches and explains slot mechanics. We do not provide gambling treatment, counselling, financial advice or crisis support.

We also cannot access gambling accounts, impose gambling limits, process self-exclusion requests or resolve disputes with gambling operators.

If you need help with gambling, please use one of the specialist services on this page rather than contacting Slotathon for support.

If you have found a factual error in one of our articles or have research evidence to share, you can use our Contact page instead.

Keeping this information current

Support services, phone numbers and access arrangements can change.

We periodically check this page against official sources, but if you find that a contact detail or service listed here has changed, please let us know.