Staying In Control
Players in Great Britain have three tools for keeping gambling in its place: a deposit limit, a time-out and self-exclusion. Every operator licensed by the Gambling Commission has to offer all three inside the account, and free confidential help is available at any hour on 0808 8020 133.
Limits And Time-Outs
A deposit limit caps what can go into the account over a period you choose. It works best set before you play rather than after a bad night, because an increase does not take effect straight away while a reduction does.
A time-out is a short break: the account is locked for a set period and nothing you do reopens it early. That is the point of it. Use it when the session has stopped being a break from the day and become the day.
Both tools sit in the account alongside the option to close the account altogether. If you cannot find them, that is itself a verdict on the operator.
Self-Exclusion With GAMSTOP
GAMSTOP is the free national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling in Great Britain. One registration applies across every operator licensed by the Commission, so there is no list to work through site by site.
You choose six months, one year or five years. The registration cannot be lifted early, and the minimum period runs to the end whatever you decide in week three. Accounts are closed and balances returned by the operator.
GAMSTOP covers online gambling. Betting shops, bingo halls and arcades run their own schemes, and staff there will explain how to join one.
Where To Get Help
The National Gambling Helpline is free and confidential, run by the charity GamCare, on 0808 8020 133. Advisers talk to players and to the people around them, and they do not need you to have decided anything before you ring.
BeGambleAware publishes advice and routes into treatment for anyone affected. The Commission's licence conditions also require operators to act when a customer shows signs of harm, which is why a site may pause an account and ask questions.
Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over, and it is entertainment that costs money rather than a way to make it. Losses do not come back by playing on, and no bonus on this site or any other changes that.