Safer gambling
Responsible Gambling
This site is for adults aged 18 and over. Betting should be entertainment paid for with money you can afford to lose. Here is how to keep it that way, the tools bookmakers must offer, and where to get free, confidential help.
On this page
Get help now
If gambling is causing you or someone close to you harm, help is free and confidential:
| Organisation | What it offers | How to reach it |
|---|---|---|
| GamCare — National Gambling Helpline | Free, confidential advice and support, 24 hours a day | 0808 8020 133 or live chat at gamcare.org.uk |
| BeGambleAware | Information, self-assessment and signposting to treatment | begambleaware.org |
| GamStop | Free self-exclusion from all UK-licensed online gambling sites for six months, one year or five years | gamstop.co.uk |
18+
You must be 18 or over to gamble in the UK and to use this site. We do not knowingly show gambling content to anyone under 18, and our Ask Cheltenham assistant will not engage with a user who indicates they are under 18. If you are aware of a person under 18 using gambling services, the bookmaker concerned and the Gambling Commission both have reporting routes.
Keeping betting as entertainment
- Decide a budget before the meeting — money you can afford to lose entirely — and treat it as spent when you set it.
- Never chase losses. Festival week has 28 races over four days; a losing Tuesday does not create a debt that Wednesday must repay.
- Set limits in advance. Deposit limits, time limits and reality checks exist in every licensed bookmaker's account settings. Set them before you need them; the cooling-off period on increases is there to protect you from the moment.
- Do not bet to escape. If you are betting to change how you feel rather than for entertainment, stop and talk to someone.
- Do not borrow to bet. Credit-card gambling is banned in Great Britain; do not route around that with loans or overdrafts.
- Take breaks. Time-outs from 24 hours to six weeks are available at every licensed bookmaker.
Warning signs
- Betting more money, or more often, than you intended.
- Chasing losses.
- Borrowing, selling possessions or missing bills to fund betting.
- Hiding betting from family, friends or colleagues.
- Betting to escape stress, low mood or problems.
- Feeling anxious, irritable or low when unable to bet.
- Others expressing concern.
If any of these feel familiar, the helpline number above is the next step. It is free, it is confidential and the people who answer are trained for exactly this conversation.
The tools, and how to use them
| Tool | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit limit | Caps what you can deposit per day, week or month | Bookmaker account settings |
| Loss limit / spend limit | Caps net loss or spend over a period (where offered) | Bookmaker account settings |
| Reality check | Reminds you how long you have been logged in and what you have staked | Bookmaker account settings |
| Time-out | Blocks your account for 24 hours to six weeks | Bookmaker account settings |
| Self-exclusion (single operator) | Closes your account with that bookmaker for a minimum period | Bookmaker account settings or customer service |
| GamStop | Self-exclusion from every UK-licensed online gambling site at once | gamstop.co.uk |
| Bank gambling blocks | Many UK banks let you block gambling transactions on your card | Your banking app |
What this site does
- A responsible-gambling message with these support links appears near every bookmaker link.
- Tips are presented as opinions with a public record — never as certainties. See how our tips work.
- We never use language that implies betting is a way to make money, that a bet is guaranteed, or that losses should be chased.
- We rate bookmakers partly on the quality of their safer-gambling tools. See how we rate bookmakers.
- We do not target, and do not knowingly market to, anyone under 18 or anyone who has self-excluded.
For someone worried about another person
GamCare supports family and friends as well as those who gamble. The helpline number is the same: 0808 8020 133.