Gambling and your wellbeing

Recognising when gambling stops being enjoyable

Gambling is meant to be entertainment – something you choose to do for fun, not something you feel you have to do. When it starts taking up more time, money or headspace than you intended, or when you're gambling to cope with stress or low mood, that's a signal worth paying attention to.

A few honest questions can help you check in with yourself. Do you find yourself thinking about gambling between sessions? Are you spending more than you planned, or chasing losses by betting again? Do you feel guilty or anxious about your gambling? Are you hiding it from people close to you? If yes answers are stacking up, it's time to take action rather than hope things shift on their own.

Taking control: the tools you can set right now

Gambling sites licensed in Great Britain must offer you tools to manage your play. These aren't optional extras – they're there for you to use whenever you need them.

Deposit limits let you cap how much money moves from your account to the site each day, week or month. Set the limit before your first deposit, and stick to it. If you raise it later, most sites make you wait a cooling-off period – that pause is there to help you, not hinder you.

Time-outs lock you out of your account for a period you choose – usually a few days to a few weeks. You can't log in or gamble, and you can't reverse the time-out early. This is different from self-exclusion, which is permanent until you actively ask to rejoin.

Self-exclusion closes your account for a fixed term (usually six months to five years) or indefinitely. Once it's active, you cannot gamble on that site, withdraw money or log in, even if you change your mind tomorrow. Use it when you need a hard stop.

Set these limits on the site itself – you control them, and they work immediately. If you're finding it hard to stick to limits you've set, that's itself a sign to reach out for help.

Blocking access when willpower alone isn't enough

If you want to stop gambling altogether, blocking software removes temptation by stopping you reaching gambling sites from your device. Two free or low-cost options work across most devices and browsers.

GamStop is a national scheme run by the UK gambling regulator. It blocks you from every site licensed in Great Britain at the same time. Register once, and you're self-excluded across the whole licensed market for the period you choose – six months, one year, five years or permanently. You cannot undo it early.

Gamban is a paid subscription service that blocks gambling sites on your phone, tablet, computer or router. It works on any device and blocks unlicensed sites too, not just the licensed ones. BetBlocker is free software that does the same job – it blocks gambling content on any device you install it on. Both let you set a recovery period: if you try to unblock, you have to wait (typically 48 hours) before the block lifts, giving you time to reconsider.

Blocking software is especially useful if you share a device with family or housemates. It stops accidental clicks and protects younger people in your household from stumbling onto gambling sites.

When to reach out for support

Talking to someone – whether a friend, a family member or a professional – is often the hardest step, but it's also the one that changes most. You're not weak for struggling, and you're not alone. Thousands of young people in the UK are dealing with gambling harm right now.

Reach out to someone you trust first – a parent, partner, friend or flatmate. You don't need to have all the answers or a plan worked out. Say what's happening and ask for help. If that feels too big a step, or if you've tried and it hasn't helped, contact one of the support services below.

Free confidential support – where to go today

GamCare provides free, confidential support by phone, email and webchat. Call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 (24 hours, seven days a week, free from any phone). They won't judge you, they won't push you into anything, and they can help you figure out your next step.

BeGambleAware (https://www.begambleaware.org) offers practical tools, information and links to local services. You can explore it on your own time.

Gordon Moody (https://www.gordonmoody.org.uk) provides residential and online treatment programmes for people with serious gambling problems. They work with young adults and can help even if you've been struggling for a long time.

If you're in crisis – having thoughts of harming yourself or others – contact emergency services on 999, or text SHOUT to 85258 to reach the Shout Crisis Text Line (24/7, free, confidential).

Protecting shared devices

If you live with family, flatmates or housemates, make sure younger people in your home can't accidentally – or deliberately – access gambling sites. Parental-control software like Net Nanny or Qustodio lets you block categories of websites from shared computers or tablets. Set it up once, and it protects everyone under 18 in the household.

Looking after yourself while you change things

Gambling often fills a gap – boredom, stress, loneliness, or a need to escape difficult feelings. When you stop, that gap is still there. Fill it with something else: exercise, time with people you care about, a hobby, creative work, learning something new. Small, regular things work better than waiting for motivation.

If you're struggling with low mood, anxiety or other mental health challenges, those need attention too. Your GP can refer you to talking therapies on the NHS, often free and waiting times are getting shorter. Dealing with one problem at a time is fine – start with whichever feels most urgent.

If you've built up gambling debts, that's solvable too. StepChange (https://www.stepchange.org), National Debtline (https://www.nationaldebtline.org) and Citizens Advice all offer free debt advice. Contact them – they've helped thousands of people, and you're not the first.

Questions to ask yourself

• Am I spending more money on gambling than I can afford to lose?
• Do I feel anxious or guilty after I gamble?
• Have I tried to cut down or stop, and found I couldn't?
• Am I gambling to escape difficult feelings or problems?
• Have people close to me expressed concern about my gambling?
• Am I borrowing money or using credit to gamble?
• Do I lie to people about how much I gamble or how much I've lost?
• Has gambling affected my work, study, relationships or health?

If you answered yes to any of these, contact a support service today. You don't need to wait until things get worse.

Next steps – and you're not alone

Take one action this week: set a deposit limit if you haven't already, register with GamStop if you're ready to stop, or reach out to one support service – even just to listen to what they say. You're not making a permanent decision; you're taking control back.

Thousands of students and young adults are learning to gamble safely or to stop altogether. The fact that you're reading this means you're already taking it seriously. That matters.