Responsible gambling

Set your limits before you register

Every operator licensed by the UK Gambling Commission must offer tools that let you cap your own activity. Use them on day one, before the first deposit, while the decision is still unemotional.

• Deposit limits — a hard ceiling per day, week or month. Reductions apply immediately; increases are delayed by a cooling-off period, by law.
• Loss limits — cap net losses over a period, which is a truer measure of cost than deposits alone.
• Session reminders and reality checks — an on-screen prompt telling you how long you have been logged in and what you have spent.
• Time-out — a short cooling-off break of 24 hours up to six weeks. Your account reopens automatically afterwards.
• Self-exclusion — a longer block of six months or more with the individual operator, which cannot be reversed early.

GAMSTOP: one registration, every British operator

GAMSTOP is the free national self-exclusion scheme for Great Britain. A single registration blocks your access to every operator licensed to serve British consumers — for six months, one year or five years. It cannot be undone before the period expires, which is precisely what makes it effective. Register at gamstop.co.uk.

Both brands reviewed on this website are connected to GAMSTOP, as their British licences require. We would not cover an operator that was not.

Signs worth taking seriously

Harm rarely arrives suddenly. It is worth pausing if you recognise any of the following:

• Gambling with money set aside for rent, bills, food or debt repayments.
• Chasing losses — increasing stakes to recover money already lost.
• Borrowing, selling possessions or hiding transactions to fund it.
• Lying to family, friends or colleagues about how much time or money is involved.
• Feeling restless, irritable or anxious when trying to cut down.
• Gambling to escape stress, loneliness or low mood rather than for entertainment.
• Losing interest in work, study, relationships or activities you used to enjoy.

None of these mean anything is wrong with you as a person. They mean a habit has changed shape, and free help exists specifically for this.

Practical steps that work

• Block gambling transactions with your bank. Most UK banks, including Monzo, Starling, Lloyds, NatWest, HSBC and Barclays, offer a free gambling block in their app.
• Install blocking software. Gamban and BetBlocker restrict access to gambling content across your devices; BetBlocker is free.
• Remove stored payment details from your browser and your accounts so that depositing requires deliberate effort.
• Tell someone. Isolation makes the problem heavier. One honest conversation changes the odds considerably.
• Keep a written record of deposits and withdrawals for one month. Most people are surprised by the net figure.

Protecting children

Never let a person under 18 use your account or watch you gamble as entertainment. Use device-level parental controls and consider filtering software such as Net Nanny, Qustodio or the free tools supplied by your internet provider. Keep payment cards and passwords out of shared reach.

Help for someone else

If you are worried about a partner, relative, friend or colleague, you can call the National Gambling Helpline yourself on 0808 8020 133. GamCare runs dedicated support for affected family members, and Gam-Anon holds meetings specifically for the people around a gambler.