If you need gambling help in the UK, the fastest route is the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. It is free, confidential, and open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also use live chat or WhatsApp on the same number. One conversation can set up free counselling, a free blocking app licence, and free self-exclusion from every gambling site licensed in Great Britain. You do not need a GP referral, and you never pay.
Treatment in the UK is free at the point of use. There is no reason to pay a private clinic, and no reason to wait until things get worse. This page sets out every free route: the helpline, NHS clinics, counselling, residential care, blocking tools, debt advice, and support for families. Every number and rule below was checked against the organisation’s own website on the date at the foot of this page.
Written from published clinical sources. This article has not been reviewed by a clinician — see our editorial policy. Nothing here is medical advice.
How to find gambling help in the UK today
Three actions cover most of what you need, and all three are free. You can do them in any order, but many people find the middle one hardest to undo later, which is exactly why it works.
- Talk. Call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. Advisers give brief support and refer you into free treatment. GamCare, which runs the helpline, says it is open “24 hours a day, every day of the year – completely free of charge”.
- Block. Register with GAMSTOP, the national online self-exclusion scheme. Ask the helpline for a free Gamban licence as well, which blocks gambling apps and sites on your devices.
- Treat. Ask for a referral to counselling, or self-refer to an NHS gambling clinic. You do not need to see a GP first.
If you want the same steps in more detail, with a script for the first call, read our step-by-step guide to getting help.
The National Gambling Helpline
The helpline is the front door to the whole system. It is run by the charity GamCare, and the number is 0808 8020 133. Calls are free from landlines and mobiles. There is also live chat and WhatsApp on the same number, which matters if you cannot speak freely at home.
You do not have to be in crisis to call. Advisers talk to people who have gambled once and frightened themselves, people who have hidden losses for years, and people ringing about someone else. They give brief support, then refer you to a free service near you. GamCare describes this as “free, confidential one-to-one support for anyone affected by gambling harm, including family and friends”, available across England, Scotland and Wales.
Advisers can also arrange the two practical tools at once, through a joint scheme called TalkBanStop. GamCare states that Gamban blocking software, covering “up to 15 devices”, is “available free for anyone calling the National Gambling Helpline”, alongside free GAMSTOP registration. Asking for both on the first call saves a week of hesitation.
Free NHS treatment for gambling
England has a network of specialist NHS gambling services. The NHS lists them by region and says plainly: “You can self-refer to a gambling clinic near you. Or you can ask a GP for information.”
| NHS service | Who it is mainly for |
|---|---|
| National Centre for Behavioural Addictions and National Problem Gambling Clinic | Ages 13–18 from anywhere in England; adults 18+ living in Greater London |
| NHS Northern Gambling Service | North of England |
| NHS Southern Gambling Service | South of England |
| NHS West Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic | West Midlands |
| NHS East Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic | East Midlands |
| NHS East of England Gambling Service | East of England |
| NHS South West Gambling Service | South West England |
Source: the NHS gambling addiction support page, which lists these services and their self-referral routes. Catchment areas change, so check the service’s own page before you assume you are out of area.
The London clinic is the clearest example of how referral works. Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust accepts referrals from anyone experiencing gambling harm aged 13 to 18 from anywhere in England, and adults aged 18 or over living in Greater London. It also runs a Family and Friends service for people affected by someone else’s gambling. Referrals cannot be accepted without “explicit consent from the client”, so a worried relative cannot refer someone who has not agreed.
Counselling, online therapy and residential care
NHS clinics are not the only free option, and for many people they are not the first one. A wider network of charities provides free structured counselling, usually faster to access.
One-to-one and online counselling
GamCare delivers free one-to-one counselling in six regions of Great Britain, plus “online treatment supported by regular contact with a gambling support practitioner”. It describes itself as part of the National Gambling Support Network, the group of charities providing free treatment. If you are not sure which service covers you, the helpline will tell you.
Residential treatment
Gordon Moody provides “advice, counselling, online support or a structured residential treatment course”. Residential care means living at a treatment centre for a period of intensive therapy. It is the most intensive option in the UK, and it is reached by online application form, by the helpline, or on 01384 241292. Most people never need it; for those who do, it exists and it is not a private purchase.
Peer support
Gamblers Anonymous Great Britain runs free peer meetings using a twelve-step approach, and lists 0330 094 0322 for enquiries. Its sister organisation Gam-Anon supports family and friends. Peer support works well alongside counselling rather than instead of it, and you can attend a meeting while you wait for an appointment.
Why UK gambling treatment changed in 2026
For twenty years, most gambling treatment in Britain was paid for by voluntary donations from gambling companies. That has ended. A statutory levy on gambling operators commenced on 6 April 2025, collected by the Gambling Commission. Paying it is a condition of holding a licence, not a choice.
The government’s response to its levy consultation set the split: 50% of funding to NHS England “and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, to commission treatment and support services, working collaboratively with the third sector”, 30% to prevention, and 20% to research through UK Research and Innovation.
The practical change followed a year later. NHS England states that “from 1 April 2026, NHS England took commissioning responsibility for the treatment of gambling-related harms in England”, covering the full pathway from referral and triage to aftercare. From April 2027, integrated care boards are expected to lead regional commissioning.
What this means for you is simple, and worth saying plainly: the service you reach is funded by a legal charge on the gambling industry, not by donations it can withdraw. What it also means is that some charities have changed what they offer, or stopped offering it, as funding moved. If a service you used before has closed, the helpline can tell you what replaced it.
Blocking yourself: GAMSTOP and device blocks
GAMSTOP is the national online self-exclusion scheme. It is “a free tool that enables people who live in the UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) to exclude themselves from all licensed gambling websites and apps”. You choose a minimum period: six months, one year, five years, or five years with auto-renewal.
Two details catch people out. First, “once registered, you cannot remove the exclusion during the minimum period”. That is the point of it. Second, nothing switches back on automatically at the end. GAMSTOP says the exclusion “will not automatically be removed at the end of your minimum exclusion period. It will remain in place for a further seven years” unless you actively contact GAMSTOP to remove it, on 0800 138 6518.
GAMSTOP covers online operators licensed in Great Britain. It does not cover betting shops, casinos, or websites operating outside that licence. Those gaps matter, and we set out what each scheme does and does not reach in our global self-exclusion guide. Blocking software such as Gamban, free through the helpline, and a gambling block from your bank close some of the remaining gaps.
Help for family and friends
You do not need to be the person gambling to get free help. The National Gambling Helpline takes calls from partners, parents, adult children and friends, and GamCare’s free one-to-one support explicitly includes “family and friends”. The London NHS clinic runs a separate Family and Friends service. Gam-Anon runs peer meetings for relatives.
Two things are worth knowing before you call. You cannot refer an adult into treatment without their consent. And support for you is worth having on its own terms, whatever the person you are worried about decides to do.
Debt and money problems
Gambling debt and gambling harm are two problems, and they need two different kinds of help. Free, regulated debt advice is separate from treatment, and using one does not replace the other. MoneyHelper, the government-backed money guidance service, covers gambling and debt and can point you to free regulated advisers.
Avoid any company that charges a fee to manage your debts, or that advertises a quick fix. Free advice of the same quality exists, and paying for it while you are already losing money makes the problem worse.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
GamCare’s free treatment covers England, Scotland and Wales, and the helpline is the route in for all three. Under the levy, NHS England commissions treatment in England, with separate arrangements for Scotland and Wales.
Northern Ireland is different. Its gambling laws are separate from Great Britain’s, and so is its treatment provision. Extern Problem Gambling offers free counselling, described as eight sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy-focused work, to people in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland affected by gambling, including families. Current contact details are on Extern’s own page. GAMSTOP registration is open to people living in Northern Ireland as well as Great Britain.
How common is gambling harm in Great Britain?
One figure is quoted constantly, and it is usually quoted wrongly. In its third annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain, published on 16 July 2026, the Gambling Commission reported that “the level of the population reporting a PGSI score of 8 or more is stable over the three years (2.4 percent in 2025)”. The GSGB is a push-to-web survey, which people complete themselves online, with around 20,000 respondents a year.
Two cautions come from the Commission itself. Its guidance on using GSGB statistics says they should not be used “as a measure of addiction to gambling”, and should not be used “to provide direct comparisons with results from other gambling or health surveys”, because differences in survey design and method “can lead to misleading comparisons”. The PGSI is a screening questionnaire that flags risk. It does not diagnose anyone, and 2.4% is not a count of people who are addicted.
That is why you will see very different British figures depending on the survey. It is a question of method, not of one number being a lie. Our glossary of responsible gambling terms explains the PGSI and other instruments, and our article on gambling addiction covers how a clinical diagnosis actually works.
Free UK support at a glance
| Service | What it does | How to reach it |
|---|---|---|
| National Gambling Helpline (GamCare) | Support, brief intervention and referral into free treatment; 24/7 | 0808 8020 133, live chat or WhatsApp |
| NHS gambling services (England) | Specialist clinical treatment | Self-refer, or ask a GP |
| Gordon Moody | Counselling and residential treatment | 01384 241292 or online application |
| GAMSTOP | Self-exclusion from GB-licensed gambling sites and apps | Register free online |
| Gamban (via TalkBanStop) | Blocks gambling sites and apps on up to 15 devices | Free licence via the helpline |
| Gamblers Anonymous GB | Free peer meetings, twelve-step approach | 0330 094 0322 |
| Extern Problem Gambling (NI) | Free CBT-focused counselling | Contact details on Extern’s site |
| MoneyHelper | Free regulated debt advice routes | Online |
| Samaritans | Emotional support, any time, any reason | 116 123 |
If you are struggling right now and do not know where to start, Samaritans is free on 116 123, “open 24 hours a day”, and free from landlines and mobiles even with no credit. You do not have to be suicidal to call, and the number will not show on your phone bill.
What to do in the next hour
- Call 0808 8020 133, or open the live chat if you cannot talk.
- Ask for a free Gamban licence and GAMSTOP registration in the same conversation.
- Ask your bank to switch on its gambling block.
- Ask for a referral to free counselling, or self-refer to an NHS gambling service.
- Tell one person you trust. Secrecy is what keeps this going.
None of this costs money. None of it requires you to have stopped already. If you want to compare routes in other countries, see our global directory of gambling helplines.
Last reviewed: 3 October 2026. Sources checked on this date.