If you need help right now
Call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 — free from any UK phone, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You do not need to have decided anything before the call. The people at the other end are trained to listen and to walk you through the options at your pace.
National Gambling Helpline
Operated by GamCare and funded through the industry's charitable contributions and the emerging statutory levy, the National Gambling Helpline provides confidential telephone and online support to anyone affected by gambling harm — whether that is the person gambling or a family member. Advisers can talk through your immediate situation, help you register for GAMSTOP if that is what you want, refer you to face-to-face counselling near you, and stay on the line for as long as the call requires.
The helpline is 0808 8020 133. It is free from all UK landlines and mobiles, does not appear on itemised bills, and does not require you to give your name if you would rather not. There is also an online chat function at gamcare.org.uk.
GamCare
GamCare is the UK's largest gambling-harm charity, established in 1997. Beyond the helpline, GamCare provides free one-to-one counselling — in person at treatment centres across the country, and via video for people who cannot access in-person sessions. Sessions typically run over an eight-to-twelve-week course, sometimes longer for more complex situations. All counsellors are trained specifically in gambling-related harm.
GamCare also runs online support groups, an active online community forum where people at different stages of their recovery can share experiences, and specific programmes for young people, women, and people in the armed forces. Its website (gamcare.org.uk) is a good starting point for exploring the range of services.
NHS gambling clinics
The NHS operates a growing network of gambling clinics providing free treatment on the standard NHS basis. The National Problem Gambling Clinic in London — the first of its kind and still the largest — has been operating since 2008. Regional clinics have opened progressively over the last several years in Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Milton Keynes, and elsewhere, with more planned.
Access is via GP referral in most cases, but many of the clinics also accept self-referral directly. Treatment typically combines cognitive behavioural therapy, group work, and — where clinically indicated — support for co-occurring conditions such as depression, anxiety, or substance misuse. All treatment is confidential and free at the point of use.
Gordon Moody
Gordon Moody, established in 1971, is the UK's specialist residential-treatment provider for severe gambling problems. Programmes typically run for several weeks, combining group therapy, one-to-one counselling, and structured aftercare planning. Gordon Moody runs specific programmes for men, women, and — from a partnership with Deal Me Out — young adults.
Residential treatment is not the right first step for everyone, but for people whose gambling has reached a severity where community-based treatment has not been enough, it can be transformative. Referral is via the National Gambling Helpline or directly through Gordon Moody's website (gordonmoody.org.uk).
BeGambleAware
BeGambleAware is an independent charity that commissions and funds prevention and treatment services across Great Britain. Its website (begambleaware.org) is a comprehensive information resource covering everything from basic advice through to detailed self-assessment tools and pathways into treatment. The charity does not itself deliver counselling — it commissions services from providers including GamCare, Gordon Moody, and the NHS.
Gamblers Anonymous
Gamblers Anonymous (GA) is a peer-support fellowship based on the twelve-step model. Meetings run across the UK, both in person and online, and are free, non-professional, and open to anyone who has a desire to stop gambling. The GA experience is different from professional treatment — it is a community of people at various stages of their own recovery, sharing experience without offering clinical advice — but for many people it is the sustaining framework that makes long-term recovery possible.
Meeting listings are available at gamblersanonymous.org.uk. Newcomers are welcome at any meeting; you are not expected to speak or share until you are ready.
Support for family and friends
Gambling harm rarely touches only the person gambling. Family members, partners, and close friends often experience their own form of harm — financial, emotional, or both — and the routes to support for them are sometimes overlooked.
GamAnon is the peer-support fellowship for family members, working alongside Gamblers Anonymous. Meetings run across the UK and online. GamCare offers specific counselling for family members, both as part of the person gambling's treatment and as a standalone service. Gordon Moody has family-support programmes attached to its residential services. And BeGambleAware's helpline route (0808 8020 133) is open to family members as well as to the person gambling.
Gambling Therapy
Gambling Therapy operates internationally and offers multilingual online support — chat, forums, and email support — for people affected by gambling harm. It is worth knowing about for anyone whose first language is not English, for people outside the UK, or for anyone who prefers online-only support. The service is free and confidential.
Financial and debt support
Gambling harm is often accompanied by significant debt. StepChange (stepchange.org, 0800 138 1111) and Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk) both provide free, impartial debt advice, including specific expertise in gambling-related debt. They can help you understand your options — including debt management plans, insolvency, or negotiation with creditors — and neither charges any fee for the service.
How the services fit together
You do not need to figure out which service is right for you before you make contact. Any of the routes above will lead you to appropriate support. The single most useful first step, if you have not already taken it, is a call to the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. From there the advisers can help you decide what makes sense — self-exclusion via GAMSTOP, one of the personal control tools set out in our gambling controls guide, counselling with GamCare, NHS treatment, residential care with Gordon Moody, peer support through GA, or a combination.
None of these services will judge you. None of them will pressure you into a particular path. All of them are free at the point of use.
Take care of yourself. If you are reading this because you are worried, that concern itself is worth listening to.
Last reviewed on by Dr. Rowan Fairweather, Behavioural Research Lead.