At MyBettingSites.co.uk we want gambling to stay a form of entertainment. The tools and support on this page can help you stay in control of how much time and money you spend, and there is free, confidential help available if gambling has stopped feeling like a choice.
Get help now
National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133
Free, confidential advice, 24 hours a day, for anyone affected by gambling – including friends and family.
If you would rather not speak on the phone, TalkBanStop offers the same support over WhatsApp.
Is gambling becoming a problem?
It can be hard to judge from the inside. These questions are a starting point:
- Is your gambling affecting your own or your family’s wellbeing?
- Are you betting more than you can afford to lose?
- Are you chasing losses?
- Are you prioritising gambling over other hobbies and interests?
If you answered yes to any of these, it is worth reaching out. The National Gambling Helpline is free and confidential, and you do not need to have made up your mind about anything before you call.
Three tools to help you stop gambling
These three tools can stop you gambling from today, which gives you the time and headspace to plan your recovery and get the support you need. TalkBanStop can guide you through all three.
2. Register with GAMSTOP
GAMSTOP is the national self-exclusion scheme. One registration covers every UK-licensed gambling site.
Tools to manage your gambling
UK-licensed betting sites have to offer a set of tools that let you cap what you spend and how long you play for. They are free, they are in your account settings, and using them does not restrict anything else about your account.
Deposit limits
Since 31 October 2025, every UK-licensed betting site has had to ask you to set a financial limit before you make your first deposit, and make it easy to change that limit afterwards. You are not obliged to set one, but it is one of the most effective things you can do. You can set limits daily, weekly or monthly. A request to lower your limit takes effect immediately; a request to raise it takes 24 hours.
Cool-off periods
A cool-off lets you step away from gambling entirely, from a single day up to 30 days, and six weeks with some operators. Your account reopens once the period ends. If you want something longer or permanent, use GAMSTOP instead.
Profit and loss
Shows what you have actually won or lost over a period you choose. Worth checking even if you think you know the answer – most people’s estimate is wrong.
Reality check
Gambling costs time as well as money, sometimes a lot of it. A reality check interrupts you after a period you set – 20 minutes, an hour, whatever you choose and prompts you to log out, review your activity or carry on.
Where else to get support
- GambleAware – information, self-assessment and routes into free treatment
- GAMSTOP – the national online self-exclusion scheme
- GamCare – runs the National Gambling Helpline and free treatment services
- Gambling Therapy – advice on problem gambling in multiple languages
The UK Gambling Commission’s safer gambling advice covers how to check a business is licensed and how to use the tools above to manage your activity.
Safer gambling guides
- How to spot a person with a gambling disorder, and how to help
- Time management
- Recovering from gambling addiction: an interview with Steve Girling
- When gambling becomes a coping strategy
- Your gambling behaviour: a reflection exercise
- Understanding the brain mechanisms of problem gambling
- How do I limit my risk of experiencing negative consequences due to gambling?
This page was last reviewed on 10 Sep 2026 12:54 PM. Gambling is for over-18s only.