Signs of harm
It's not always obvious when gambling becomes a problem. Some signs to be aware of, in yourself or someone else:
- Spending more than you can afford, or more than you intended.
- Chasing losses — making bigger bets to win back what you've lost.
- Lying to friends or family about how much you're playing or losing.
- Borrowing money to gamble, or using money meant for bills.
- Feeling restless, anxious, or irritable when you can't play.
- Trying to cut back and failing, more than once.
- Gambling to escape from problems, low mood, or stress.
- Hiding the activity from people you live with.
If two or more of these feel familiar, please call the National Gambling Helpline — 0808 8020 133. They will not judge you.
Deposit limits — how to set them
Every operator in our test base offers free, self-imposed deposit limits. You can set a limit on what you can deposit per day, per week, or per month. Once set, the limit can be lowered immediately but takes 24 hours to raise (a UKGC-mandated cooling-off period).
To set a limit on any of our top 10 operators, log into your account and navigate to Settings → Responsible Gambling → Deposit Limits. The path is similar across all UK-licensed operators. If it's hard to find, that operator has a problem and you should consider a different one. (We score this in our reviews.)
Reality-check timers
A reality-check timer is a pop-up that interrupts your session at intervals you set (typically every 15, 30 or 60 minutes). It tells you how long you've been playing and how much you've spent. You can pause or end the session.
We recommend setting one. The default at most operators is 60 minutes; we generally drop ours to 15 or 30. The friction is low and the benefit is substantial.
Take-a-break
Most operators offer a "take a break" feature — a temporary self-exclusion from 24 hours up to 6 weeks. Use this if you feel you're playing too much but aren't ready to commit to full GAMSTOP exclusion. During the break period your account is locked, you cannot deposit, and you typically receive no marketing emails.
Full self-exclusion
If you want to stop entirely, register with GAMSTOP for a single national self-exclusion. You choose 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years. Every UKGC-licensed operator (all 78 in our test base) will block your account automatically. You cannot reverse it within the period.
Operators are also legally required to provide their own self-exclusion option. If you want to exclude from a single operator without affecting your account at others, do that through the operator's own settings. But for most people, GAMSTOP is the right answer — it covers everything at once.
"The best deposit limit is the one you set before you need it."
Helping someone else
If you're worried about a family member or friend, both GamCare and Gordon Moody offer structured support for affected others. You don't need to be the gambler to access help — being close to someone with a gambling problem is itself something support services are trained to address.