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Safer gambling · Support

Getting help for gambling problems

Support should be easy to find and easy to understand. Start with what you need now, then choose the route that fits.

Last reviewed: 13 August 2026

Your location

Support routes update to match where you are.

Help for someone else's gambling

I'm worried about someone else's gambling

Practical guidance for protecting yourself, talking about gambling and finding support in your own right.

Friends & Family

Start here

What kind of help do you need?

Choose the closest match. You do not need to know the name of a service before you start.

Gambling-specific support · England

National Gambling Helpline

Gambling-specific support for people in England. It does not replace emergency or urgent mental-health services.

0808 8020 133

Free and confidential, 24/7

Call free

Prefer not to call?

You can start by typing one sentence.

GamCare offers live chat and WhatsApp with a Helpline adviser 24/7.

"I'm worried about my gambling and I'm not sure what help I need. Can you talk me through my options?"

Young people

Childline: 0800 1111. Childline offers general confidential support, including 1-to-1 chat and private messages. It is not a specialist gambling-treatment service.

Recognised support organisations

Choose a support route

Availability and service roles differ by location. These routes apply to England.

Clinical treatment

NHS gambling services

Specialist NHS services for gambling-related harms in England. Local referral routes vary.

Helpline and gambling-harm support

GamCare

Helpline services, online support and referral to other specialist services in Great Britain.

Specialist treatment

Gordon Moody

Structured specialist programmes, including residential treatment for severe gambling problems.

Peer support

Gamblers Anonymous

Peer-led meetings for people seeking support from others with lived experience of gambling problems.

What happens next

You do not need to have everything worked out first.

01

Make contact

Explain what is happening in your own words.

02

Talk through options

The service can explain available support, treatment or practical routes.

03

Choose the next step

You can decide what you are ready to do next.

Practical controls

Add practical barriers alongside support.

Bank controls, self-exclusion and blocking software can add friction while support addresses the wider problem.