Course de l'Espoir Genève · Editorial article

Getting Gambling Support in the UK: Free, Confidential Help

Last updated 15 January 2026

If you are here because gambling — whether on a UKGC-licensed site or a non GAMSTOP one — is causing you or someone close to you concern, this article is the practical directory. Every service listed is free, confidential, and available without a referral. You do not need to have hit any financial threshold, and you do not need to have received a formal diagnosis. Early contact is consistently associated with better outcomes.

National Gambling Helpline

The National Gambling Helpline is the front door to the UK gambling-support ecosystem. It is run by GamCare and reachable free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on 0808 8020 133. For text support, text NGH to 85258. Live chat is available at gamcare.org.uk.

Advisers can talk through what you are experiencing, discuss immediate practical steps (bank blocks, GAMSTOP registration, Gamban installation), and refer you into GamCare's own treatment programme or an NHS pathway. There is no script that you have to follow to be helped, and calls are not recorded in a way that follows you into any other setting.

GamCare treatment services

Beyond the helpline, GamCare provides free structured treatment through its network of partner providers across the UK. Delivery formats include one-to-one counselling (in person or online), CBT-based group programmes, and residential treatment for higher-severity cases. Access is via the helpline or via self-referral through the GamCare website. Waiting times vary by region and demand but are typically short compared with NHS mental-health referrals.

NHS gambling clinics

The NHS operates specialist gambling clinics in London, Leeds, Manchester, Sunderland, Southampton, Stoke, and other cities, with a national network in ongoing expansion. These clinics offer clinical assessment and multi-disciplinary treatment including psychological therapy, family therapy, and — where appropriate — pharmacological support for co-occurring conditions. Access is by self-referral through the NHS website at nhs.uk. No GP referral is required.

Gamblers Anonymous

Gamblers Anonymous (GA) runs member-led peer-support meetings across the UK, in person and online. The programme is based on the twelve-step model. It is free, there is no membership, and there is no data collection. For many people, GA meetings sit alongside professional treatment rather than replacing it. Meeting finder at gamblersanonymous.org.uk.

BeGambleAware and directory services

BeGambleAware is an independent charity that commissions the National Gambling Treatment Service and runs the main public-awareness campaigns. Its website at begambleaware.org is the most complete directory of UK-wide services, including local providers, family support, and financial-vulnerability help.

Family and friends support

Gambling harm affects families as much as individuals. GamCare runs a dedicated friends-and-family service reachable through the main helpline, and GamFam (gamfam.co.uk) offers peer-led support specifically for family members. You do not need the affected person's permission to use these services, and advisers will not push you into confrontational conversations if you do not want them.

Financial support

StepChange (stepchange.org) and Citizens Advice both offer free debt-advice services that are experienced in gambling-related debt. Both can help with breathing-space applications under the Debt Respite Scheme, which gives you legal protection from creditor action for 60 days while you get advice. If your gambling has led to debt, addressing the debt in parallel with the gambling is important — one without the other rarely resolves the underlying pressure.

What to expect from a first contact

A first call to the National Gambling Helpline typically lasts 15 to 30 minutes. The adviser will ask what has brought you to call, what has been happening, what is most concerning you right now, and what you would like to happen next. There are no wrong answers. You will not be asked to make any commitment on the call. If you want to be referred into treatment, that can be arranged; if you want to talk it through and come back another time, that is fine too.

The one thing worth doing before you call is to have a rough sense of what a first small step might look like — whether that is enabling your bank's gambling block, registering with GAMSTOP, or downloading Gamban. Small first steps compound. Our alternatives article covers each of these in practical detail.

You are not alone in this

The most recent Health Survey for England data estimated that around 2.5% of adults experience some level of gambling-related harm and around 0.5% meet the criteria for "problem gambling" as clinically defined. The absolute numbers are large, and the support services above exist because gambling harm is a widely-recognised public-health issue rather than an individual failure. If you have read this far, you have already done the harder part.

Frequently asked questions