Get help when gambling causes harm
Early support plus real barriers to betting protect mental health, relationships and essential spending.
The number, drawn
Why it matters
Gambling can drive debt, distress and relationship breakdown. WHO estimates that 1.2% of the world's adult population has a gambling disorder, and that around 11.9% of men and 5.5% of women experience some level of harm from gambling, so harm reaches far beyond diagnosed cases. NICE recommends specialist support, psychological treatment and practical ways to block access to gambling. That population figure describes how common the problem is, not how well treatment works.
How to do it
- Tell a trusted person or a gambling support service as soon as gambling is causing harm.
- Use account self exclusion, blocking software and bank payment blocks together, not one at a time.
- Get specialist treatment and separate debt advice instead of trying to win losses back.
Gambling related distress can turn urgent. Seek immediate crisis support if you feel unsafe or have thoughts of suicide.
Do it
Pick the time you have. Anything beats nothing.
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Rehearse your opening words to a support service: "Gambling is affecting my life and I need help stopping the harm."
5 minutes
Find a gambling support service in your country and begin a call, chat or referral; help is available before you reach a crisis.
15 minutes
Check your bank's gambling-payment block and ask how to activate it; keep essential payments accessible.
30 minutes
With a support service, start arranging self-exclusion and device blocks, and identify a free debt-advice contact.
A plan
Put support and barriers together
- Contact a specialist service and tell a trusted person if safe; seek urgent crisis help if you feel unsafe.
- Arrange bank blocks, self-exclusion and device blocking with support, rather than relying on willpower alone.
- Follow up on treatment and debt advice, reviewing where access or urges still cause difficulty.
In real life
- Ask your bank about blocking gambling payments while arranging specialist support.
- Use self-exclusion and device blocking alongside treatment, and get separate help with debts.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeTrying to win losses back can deepen the problem: contact support and debt advice instead.
- Common mistakeOne access block can leave other routes open: discuss several barriers with a support service.
Trusted guides
Check usSources
- Evidence grade
- A Meta-analyses of randomised trials, or a major guideline consensus.
- Basis
- WHO 2024 evidence summary and NICE NG248, the national treatment guideline published January 2025
- The number
- About 1.2% of the world's adults are estimated to have a gambling disorder (WHO, 2024)
- Outcome
- estimated adults with a gambling disorder worldwide
- Comparison
- Share of all adults, not a treatment effect
- Tier 1 guidelineGamblingWHO, 2024
- Tier 1 guidelineGambling-related harms: identification, assessment and management, NG248NICE, 2025
General health information, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Personalization changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess your medical risks. Follow the cautions and consult a qualified clinician when needed.