Home › Free support resources
Everything on this page is free to use and independent of us. We receive no payment, commission or referral fee from any organisation listed here, and none of them pays to appear.
If you need to talk to someone now: the National Gambling Helpline is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133. If life is at immediate risk, call 999. Samaritans are free on 116 123, any time.
The free national online self-exclusion scheme. One registration blocks you from every gambling website and app licensed in Great Britain, for six months, one year or five years. It cannot be reversed early.
Run by the National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme Ltd · gamstop.co.uk
Most UK banks and building societies now offer a switch in their app that declines gambling transactions. Many add a 48-hour cooling-off period before it can be turned off again. It is free and takes about a minute.
Ask your bank, or look for “gambling block” in your banking app settings
Blocking tools sit on your phone, laptop or router and prevent gambling sites loading at all. Some are free; the paid ones are typically a few pounds a month and are harder to uninstall on impulse, which is the point.
Ask us at intake which setup suits your devices
Multi-operator schemes let you self-exclude from betting shops, casinos, arcades and bingo venues in a chosen area with a single request, rather than approaching each venue individually.
Ask any venue, or contact the relevant trade scheme directly
Delete saved cards from browsers and app stores, unsubscribe from operator marketing, close dormant accounts, and turn off notifications. These are the routes people use at 1am when the main barriers are up.
We walk through this list in session one
Temporarily handing day-to-day financial control to a partner or family member is common in early recovery and is not a failure. It works best with a written agreement and an agreed review date.
Covered in our family & partner programme
Free, confidential support 24 hours a day by phone or live chat, for people who gamble and for those affected by someone else’s gambling. It is the single best first call if you are not sure what you need.
0808 8020 133 · operated by GamCare
The NHS operates specialist gambling treatment clinics across England, with services also available in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Treatment is free at the point of use. Self-referral is possible in most areas.
Search “NHS gambling clinic” or ask your GP
Free peer-led fellowship meetings, in person and online, based on a twelve-step approach. No fees and no registration. Many people use GA alongside therapy rather than instead of it.
gamblersanonymous.org.uk
Peer support meetings specifically for the partners, family members and close friends of people who gamble. Free to attend and independent of the gambler’s own participation in anything.
gamanon.org.uk
A UK charity providing free residential and intensive treatment for people experiencing the most severe gambling harm, including dedicated provision for women.
gordonmoody.org.uk
A GP can screen for the anxiety, depression and sleep problems that so often sit alongside gambling harm, and can refer you into NHS talking therapies. Gambling is a recognised health issue and there is no reason to hide it.
Free · NHS
Free, independent debt advice and managed debt solutions. They deal with gambling-related debt regularly and will not lecture you about it.
stepchange.org
Free confidential debt advice by phone and web chat, run by the Money Advice Trust, with clear written guides on dealing with creditors.
nationaldebtline.org
Free advice on debt, benefits, housing and consumer problems, available locally across the UK as well as online.
citizensadvice.org.uk
Organisation names are used descriptively to help you find genuine free support. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or in partnership with any of them, and all names and trade marks remain the property of their respective owners. Details were checked when this page was last updated; please verify contact information on each organisation’s own website before relying on it.
Book a free, no-obligation 20-minute intake call. We will talk through what is happening, answer your questions and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.