Safer gambling

Basic rules

• Set a budget before you start and never exceed it.
• Never gamble with money needed for bills and essentials, or with borrowed money.
• Never chase losses by increasing your stakes.
• Set time limits and take regular breaks.
• Do not gamble under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or while upset or stressed.
• Treat the money staked as the price of entertainment, not as an investment.

Warning signs

• Gambling for longer or with more money than you planned.
• Hiding your gambling from family or friends.
• Borrowing money or selling possessions in order to gamble.
• Feeling irritable or anxious when you are not gambling.
• Neglecting work, studies or personal relationships.
• Gambling to escape problems, stress or low mood.

Tools at licensed operators

Every operator licensed by the Gambling Commission must offer deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, and must step in if your play shows signs of harm. Most also provide reality checks, loss limits and a history of your deposits and losses.

UK rules add further protections: credit cards cannot be used to gamble, online slots are limited to £5 per spin (£2 for players aged 18 to 24), and features that speed up play, such as autoplay and turbo spins, are banned.

Self-exclusion with GAMSTOP

GAMSTOP is a free national self-exclusion scheme. Once registered, you are blocked from every gambling website and app licensed in Great Britain for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. It is one of the most effective steps for anyone who wants to stop.

You can register online at gamstop.co.uk in a few minutes. Blocking software for your devices and gambling blocks offered by most UK banks can add a further layer of protection.