Getting help

The National Gambling Helpline is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133, staffed by trained advisers who can talk through your situation, explain the tools available such as self-exclusion, and refer you on to treatment services if that is what you want. Advisers also run a live chat service for anyone who would rather not speak on the phone, and calls do not appear on itemised phone bills.

GamCare provides structured treatment across England, Scotland and Wales, including individual sessions, group programmes and support specifically for family members and friends affected by someone else's gambling rather than only for the person gambling themselves. Support does not require you to have reached a crisis point, and it is free at the point of use.

BeGambleAware publishes self-assessment tools that can help you get a clearer picture of your own gambling before deciding what to do next, along with a directory of local and national services across the UK. Gamblers Anonymous runs peer support meetings, both in person and online, based on shared experience rather than clinical treatment, which some people find easier to start with than a formal service.

You do not need to decide you have a serious problem before contacting any of these services. Reaching out to ask a question, to understand a tool like a time-out or GAMSTOP, or to talk about someone else's gambling rather than your own are all reasonable uses of a free and confidential helpline.

If you are in crisis and need to talk to someone urgently for reasons that go beyond gambling, contact Samaritans free at any time on 116 123, or call 999 in an emergency where there is immediate risk to life.