Keep it a spare-time thing

Tools built into every licensed site

Because these operators are UKGC-licensed, they're required to give you ways to stay in control. You'll find most of them tucked in the account settings:

• Deposit limits — cap what you can pay in per day, week or month.
• Time-outs — lock yourself out for anywhere from a day to six weeks.
• Reality checks — pop-ups that tell you how long you've been playing.
• Self-exclusion — shut an account for a set period with no way to reopen it early.

GAMSTOP covers the lot at once

If setting limits site by site feels like too little, GAMSTOP is a free national scheme that blocks you from every UK-licensed gambling site in one go, for six months, one year or five years. It takes a few minutes to register and can't be reversed until the period you chose runs out — which is rather the point.

Signs worth taking seriously

Gambling is a problem when it stops being fun and starts being a chase. Spending more than you meant to, borrowing to keep going, hiding it from people close to you, or playing to escape rather than to enjoy it — any of those is a reason to pause. It has nothing to do with willpower, and it's far more common than most people let on.

Free, confidential help

The National Gambling Helpline runs on 0808 8020 133, round the clock, and it's free and confidential. The organisations below can help too — whether you're worried about your own gambling or someone else's.