Responsible Gambling

Tools That Help You Stay in Control

Casinos offer tools, but the strongest ones are those you set up yourself. These five work best in combination:

• A budget – an amount you could lose without it hurting, fixed before you play and never added to once a session starts. It is what the evening costs, not money you plan to win back.
• A time limit – an alarm on your phone, or a session limit or reality check in the account if the casino has them.
• A single-casino exclusion – a break or self-exclusion on one account. It covers that account alone, and may not extend to other sites owned by the same company.
• The national scheme – GAMSTOP, which reaches every online operator with a UK Gambling Commission licence in one go, but no site licensed elsewhere.
• Blocks – a gambling block from your bank and blocking software on your devices. Both sit on your side of the screen, and they also help keep anyone under 18 at home away from gambling.

Of the five, the single-casino exclusion is the weakest: it stops at the edge of one account. Blocking software covers every gambling site its list includes, wherever the site is licensed, and a bank block halts card payments to gambling, though crypto still gets through.

UK Gambling Commission licensees have to offer deposit limits. Elsewhere it is up to each casino, so see what an account lets you cap before you pay in, and set the cap while you are calm rather than when you already need it.

How GAMSTOP Works and What It Leaves Out

GAMSTOP is a free national scheme that lets you exclude yourself from online gambling in Great Britain. You register once and pick 6 months, 1 year or 5 years; from that point every online operator with a UK Gambling Commission licence must refuse you.

The end of the period does not end the exclusion. You need to contact GAMSTOP to reactivate, and a cooling-off period passes before your access returns. Northern Ireland has a separate gambling law.

The scheme does not reach land-based venues, and it is not linked to sites licensed outside Great Britain. A casino without a UK Gambling Commission licence will not see your registration, so there the only barriers are the ones you put up yourself.

If you have registered with GAMSTOP, there was a reason, and it still counts. This site is no way around your exclusion, and our comparison of non GamStop casinos is not written for you. Free help is there now: GamCare's National Gambling Helpline takes calls on 0808 8020 133 at any time of day and also runs live chat, and Samaritans can be reached on 116 123 around the clock.

Bonus Terms That Make Stopping Harder

Before a bonus turns into money you can withdraw, you have to bet it many times over, and keeping you betting is exactly what it is designed to do. As an illustration, 35x on a £40 bonus comes to £1,400 of stakes. Watch for these features:

• Short deadlines – only a few days to complete the wagering, which pushes sessions longer and stakes higher.
• Daily and weekly offers – deposit spins every day, reloads on set days and weekly tournaments that build a habit of returning.
• Cashback on losses – a slice of your losses handed back as bonus money with wagering attached, so a loss becomes a reason to keep playing.
• Loyalty ladders – points and levels earned by how much you stake, with points that expire to hurry you along.
• Rewards for frequent deposits – prizes for making a certain number of deposits in a week, which reward paying in, not winning.

When a bonus starts deciding when you play, say no to it. With a non-sticky bonus your own money is used first, so you can still stop and withdraw before the bonus part starts; a sticky bonus cannot be withdrawn and locks your whole balance into its rules.

Where to Find Free Help

You can contact any of these services, and so can friends and family who are worried about you:

• GamCare National Gambling Helpline – 0808 8020 133, free, open 24 hours, with live chat too.
• GambleAware / BeGambleAware – clear information about gambling harm and an online self-assessment.
• NHS National Gambling Support Network – NHS treatment for gambling problems.
• Gamblers Anonymous – group meetings run by people in recovery.
• GamFam and Gam-Anon – support aimed at families affected by someone's gambling.
• Samaritans – 116 123, day or night, for anyone finding things hard.
• NHS 111 – the NHS line to call when you need help and are unsure who to ask.

Banks can help too. Most UK banking apps, Monzo and Starling included, let you switch on a gambling block that cannot be lifted for 48 hours or more, though crypto deposits slip past it. On your devices, Gamban (paid) and BetBlocker (free) stop gambling sites from loading.

A Quick Self-Check

Be honest with yourself. A single yes means it is time to pause; more than one means it is time to ring the helpline:

• Money – has gambling taken more than you set aside, or money meant for rent and bills?
• Chasing – do you go back to win back losses?
• Time – do sessions overrun, or keep you up late?
• Secrecy – do you play down or hide your gambling from people close to you?
• Mood – do you bet to escape worry, or feel worse once you stop?
• Workarounds – have you tried to get past a limit, a block or your GAMSTOP registration?

Deciding Where You Stand

If you play within a budget, with limits switched on and plenty of time for the rest of life, keep it that way and recheck your limits whenever a casino updates its terms. If anything in the self-check felt familiar, your first call should be the free GamCare helpline on 0808 8020 133.

If you have decided to stop, close every route at once, since each layer covers a gap the others miss:

1. Cash out – withdraw any remaining balance first, so nothing is left waiting.
2. Self-exclude everywhere – at each casino where you hold an account, including those outside GAMSTOP.
3. Join GAMSTOP – to be refused by every online operator with a UK Gambling Commission licence.
4. Turn on your bank's block – in the app, where it takes 48 hours or more to undo.
5. Add blocking software – Gamban or BetBlocker on each phone, tablet and computer you use.

We are not counsellors and cannot step in on a casino account. Our about us page explains how we work, and if something here is confusing or outdated, write to our editors.