Gambling is a paid form of entertainment, not a way to earn money or solve money problems. You can lose the money you stake. Do not gamble with money needed for bills, food, rent, debt repayments or other essentials.
Signs that gambling is becoming a problem
Look for changes in what you do, not only how you feel. Warning signs include:
- spending more time or money gambling than you intended;
- increasing stakes to try to recover losses;
- borrowing money, selling possessions or using money set aside for essentials to gamble;
- hiding gambling, losses or transactions from people close to you;
- repeatedly trying to stop or cut back, then returning to gambling;
- missing work, study, appointments or time with other people because of gambling;
- feeling compelled to gamble when you are worried about money or other problems.
One sign can be enough to take action. You do not need to wait until debts or other serious consequences appear.
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Take action now
If you are gambling through an online account, open its responsible gambling or account controls. UK-licensed casinos must provide responsible gambling tools, including self-exclusion. Remote operators must also provide accessible account-level financial limit controls and prompt new customers to set a financial limit before their first deposit.
Set a limit that prevents further spending you cannot afford. If you want to stop gambling with that operator, use its self-exclusion tool. Follow the on-screen steps and check that the exclusion is confirmed. If you cannot find the controls, contact the operator through the help or contact section of its website or app and ask how to set a limit or self-exclude.
If you are trying to act but find yourself reopening the account or looking for another place to gamble, tell someone you trust what is happening and ask them to stay with you while you take the steps above. Do not borrow money or gamble more to try to recover losses.
This page has no verified external support-service contact details to provide. Do not rely on an unverified number or address. For help with a particular gambling account, use that operator’s own support channel. UKGC licensees must provide an internal complaints process and access to an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution service if you need to dispute how a complaint was handled.
Age and account safeguards
You must meet the legal minimum age to gamble in the UK. Operators must verify a customer’s age before allowing them to deposit funds into a gambling account. Do not use another person’s account or provide false details to get around checks.
UK gambling rules also restrict how online slots and payments work. Online slot autoplay is banned in Britain, and each online slot spin must last at least 2.5 seconds. For an online slots game, the total you may stake in a game cycle is capped at £2 if you are under 25, or £5 if you are 25 or older. At least 2.5 seconds must pass from the start of one game cycle before the next can begin. Remote gambling operators cannot accept credit-card payments for gambling, including credit-card funds routed through a money service business. They cannot accept wallet payments if the wallet allows credit-card funds to be used for gambling.
These restrictions do not remove the risk of losing money. If gambling is affecting your finances or daily life, use the account controls and seek direct support rather than trying to win back losses.