Safer play
Responsible gambling
Free, confidential support for gambling problems is available across Great Britain. This page describes how the team works: our team tests casinos and checks every fact before a page is published. Big Licence is not a casino or a regulator, takes no bets and gives no advice to gamble, as the About Big Licence page explains.
- Help lines
- Free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
If gambling is a problem
The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, gives information, support and counselling on 0808 8020 133 in England and Scotland. In Wales, the NHS Wales Helpline is on 0808 2819 265.
BeGambleAware runs a service finder: enter a postcode to find free, confidential support near you, whether the gambling is yours or someone else's. It also has a Friends and family check-in, a set of short questions for people affected by another person's gambling.
In England, the NHS offers specialist gambling treatment clinics. Their teams of psychiatrists and psychologists treat gambling problems, support recovery and help families and friends. You can self-refer, or ask a GP about services in your area. If gambling is seriously affecting mental health and help is needed urgently, the NHS points to urgent mental health services. Gamblers Anonymous is a local support group using the 12-step approach, and GamAnon holds meetings for people affected by someone else's gambling.
Not sure whether gambling is a problem? The NHS questionnaire asks about betting more than you can afford to lose, chasing losses, borrowing money to gamble and feeling guilty about it. A total of 8 or higher means you, or those closest to you, are likely to be experiencing gambling-related harms. A total between 1 and 7 means gambling might still be having a negative impact.
Tools that help
- Self-exclusion: GAMSTOP is free and blocks access to accounts on gambling websites and apps for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. A registration can be extended from the GAMSTOP account, and details should be kept up to date so the block continues. GAMSTOP Betting Shops is a separate service for blocking betting shops.
- Blocking software: Gamban blocks access to gambling websites and apps on your devices.
- Bank blocks: a bank can be asked to block payments to gambling websites and apps.
- Time and money: the Gambling Commission's safer gambling page lists guides on controlling the time and money spent gambling, and on viewing playing history and restricting or blocking gambling activity.
- Self-assessment and spend calculator: BeGambleAware has a gambling harms self-assessment of 7 quick questions with tailored advice, and a calculator that shows time and money spent gambling, with recommendations to reduce risk.
- Gambling ads: guides cover limiting gambling-related content on X, Facebook and YouTube.
- Money habits: pay important bills, such as a mortgage, on payday before gambling, using direct debits or standing orders, and leave credit cards at home.
Our rule on self-exclusion
Big Licence does not recommend any casino as a way around self-exclusion.
If you think we are wrong
If a regulator changes a rule, or a fact on this page is wrong, the team reads the regulator's own page or register again and corrects the page. The same goes for a help line, number or tool described here. Send the correction to info@biglicence.co.uk.
Sources
- Big Licence team checks of the licences we cover
- gamstop.co.uk Used for safer gambling help.
- gambleaware.org Used for safer gambling help.
- gamblingcommission.gov.uk Used for the UK Gambling Commission's own pages and public register.
- nhs.uk Used for games.