Responsible Gambling

Need help right now?

If gambling is causing you harm, free and confidential help is available today. You do not need a diagnosis, a referral or a reason to call.

National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133. It is run by GamCare, and it is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, every day.

If you want to stop gambling online immediately, register with GAMSTOP. It is free, takes a few minutes, and blocks you from every gambling website and app licensed in Great Britain at once.

Our commitment

GambleGuru reviews and compares gambling sites. We are not a gambling operator, we do not hold your money and we cannot set limits on your accounts. What we can do is tell you the truth about the sites we cover.

That means publishing what an offer really costs, naming slow payouts and hidden fees, saying plainly when an operator's terms work against you, and never presenting gambling as a way to make money. If a casino scores badly, we publish the low score.

Gambling should be entertainment you can afford. It is not an income, an investment or a way out of financial trouble.

What responsible gambling actually means

It means deciding in advance what you are willing to lose, and treating that money the way you treat the cost of a night out. Spent for the enjoyment, not expected back.

Every game covered on this site is built with a mathematical edge in the operator's favour. Over time, that edge wins. Any single session can end in profit; the long run cannot. Understanding that is the difference between gambling as entertainment and gambling as a plan.

Practical rules that help

• Set your budget before you deposit, not while you are playing. Decide the amount when you are calm and the account is empty.
• Only gamble money you can afford to lose. Never rent, bills, food, or borrowed money.
• Never chase losses. Raising stakes to win back what you lost is the most common route from entertainment to harm.
• Set a time limit as well as a money limit. Long sessions blunt judgement.
• Do not gamble while upset, stressed, bored, or after drinking.
• Set your deposit limit on the first day. Setting a limit before a losing run is far easier than during one.
• Keep gambling money separate from everyday money. Do not leave a balance in an account you check daily.
• Take real breaks. If stopping for a week is uncomfortable, that is worth acting on.

Warning signs

Gambling harm builds gradually. These signs are worth taking seriously, in yourself or someone close to you:

• Spending more money or time than you intended, repeatedly
• Chasing losses, or gambling to win back what was lost
• Borrowing money, selling belongings, or gambling with money meant for something else
• Hiding how much you gamble, or lying about it to people who care about you
• Gambling to escape stress, loneliness, anxiety or low mood
• Missing work, study, family time or sleep because of gambling
• Feeling anxious, irritable or restless when you try to stop
• Money worries, unpaid bills, or debt that gambling caused or worsened

If several of these apply, contact one of the services listed below. They are free, confidential, and the people answering have heard it before.

GAMSTOP: national self-exclusion

GAMSTOP is the strongest single tool available to gamblers in Great Britain, and it costs nothing.

One registration blocks you from every online gambling operator licensed by the Gambling Commission, so you do not have to exclude yourself site by site. You choose a minimum period of six months, one year or five years, and licensed operators are then required to prevent you opening or using an account for that time.

Two things are worth understanding before you register.

You cannot cancel it early. There is no appeal and no customer service override. That is the point of the scheme, so choose the period you actually need rather than the shortest one.

It covers Gambling Commission licensees only. It does not block unlicensed offshore sites, betting shops, or lottery tickets and scratchcards bought in person. Pair it with blocking software and a bank gambling block to close those gaps.

If a website invites you to gamble while you are registered with GAMSTOP, that is a sign it is not licensed in Great Britain, and that none of the protections attached to a licence apply to you there.

Other tools you can use today

Operator limits. Every licensed gambling site offers deposit limits, loss limits, session reminders and time-outs in your account settings. Reductions apply immediately, while increases are delayed by design. Use that in your favour and set the lower limit now.

Blocking software. Gamban and BetBlocker block gambling sites and apps across your devices. BetBlocker is free.

Bank blocks. Most UK banks and app-based accounts let you switch off gambling transactions on your card, usually with a cooling-off delay before the block can be lifted. Check the card controls in your banking app or ask your bank.

Credit is off the table by law. Gambling with a credit card has been banned in Great Britain since April 2020. If a site offers to take your credit card, treat that as a serious warning sign about the site.

Check the licence. Any operator you use should appear on the Gambling Commission's public register. If it does not, none of the protections above apply to you.

Where to get help in the UK

Support is also available for family members and friends. Gambling harm affects the people around the person gambling, and these services support them too. You do not have to wait for someone else to ask for help before you look for it yourself.

You must be 18 or over

Gambling in the UK is strictly for adults aged 18 and over. It is illegal for anyone under 18 to gamble, and licensed operators are required to verify age and identity.

If children use your devices, protect them. Never leave a gambling account logged in, do not save gambling passwords in a shared browser, and use parental controls or blocking software on shared computers, tablets and phones.

What this means for our reviews

Responsible gambling is not a page written to satisfy a checklist. It shapes what we publish.

We state wagering requirements in money, not only as multiples, so the real cost of a bonus is visible. We publish payout delays, withdrawal fees, cancellation windows and limits. We cover only operators licensed by the Gambling Commission. We do not describe gambling as a way to make money, and we do not hide a poor rating behind a promotion.

If you find something on this site that overstates an offer or understates a risk, tell us and we will correct it.

Contact us

Questions about this page, or something you believe we have got wrong? Use our contact page.

If you need help with gambling itself, please contact one of the services above rather than us. They are trained, free and confidential. 0808 8020 133, at any hour of any day.