Safer gambling
A casino evening is paid entertainment. These are the habits that keep it that way, and the people to call when it stops being fun.
National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133. Free, confidential, 24 hours a day, every day, run by GamCare. Live chat is available on its website.
Before you go
- Fix a budget you can afford to spend completely, and leave bank cards at home if you doubt yourself.
- Fix a leaving time. Floors that never close make it easy to lose track.
- Do not go when you are upset, drunk, or hoping to solve a money problem.
- Every game on the floor has a built-in house edge. No system changes that.
Warning signs
- Spending more money or time than you planned, more than once.
- Going back to recover what you spent the last time.
- Hiding visits or spending from people close to you.
- Borrowing, selling things or missing bills to fund play.
- Feeling anxious, irritable or low when you are not playing.
If two or more of these sound familiar, talk to someone now. It costs nothing.
Self-exclusion from land-based casinos: SENSE
SENSE (Self-Enrolment National Self-Exclusion) lets you bar yourself from every participating land-based casino in Great Britain in one step, for a minimum of six months. You can enrol at any casino reception or through the scheme directly. Staff are trained to handle it discreetly.
Other free support
- GamCare: helpline, live chat, counselling and a forum.
- NHS gambling services: specialist clinics across England, with self-referral.
- Gamblers Anonymous: peer meetings throughout the United Kingdom.
- GAMSTOP: if you also gamble online, this free service blocks you from licensed gambling websites and apps.
Worried about someone else
The helpline and GamCare support partners, relatives and friends as well. You do not need the other person’s agreement to call.
Under 18
Nobody under 18 may enter a casino. This website is written for adults and is not directed at children or young people.