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 when you are 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 UKGC-licensed operator must offer deposit limits, and most also provide loss limits, session time limits, reality checks, time-outs and self-exclusion. Operators must also monitor accounts for signs of harm and step in when they see them.

Reducing a limit takes effect immediately. Increasing one is subject to a cooling-off period, so the decision is not made in the heat of the moment.

Online slots carry a maximum stake of £5 per spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 per spin for players aged 18 to 24, and credit cards cannot be used to gamble.

Self-exclusion with GAMSTOP

GAMSTOP is a free national scheme. Once you register, you are blocked from every online gambling site licensed in Great Britain at the same time, for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. It is the single most effective step for anyone who wants to stop gambling online.

Most UK banks also let you block gambling transactions on your debit card from their app, and blocking software such as Gamban can stop gambling sites loading on your devices.