Gambling Helplines and Addiction Support in the UK

Compulsive gambling can affect your health and relationships and leave you in debt. But when does gambling become a problem? Many people gamble for the buzz, to win money or to socialise — but if you're betting more than you can afford to lose, borrowing money to gamble, or feeling it take over daily life, it's time to reach for support.

Statistics published in October 2025 from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain by the Gambling Commission reveal that 1.4 million people are struggling with a gambling problem. It is twice as likely to affect people with mental health issues, and there is a strong link between gambling problems and suicide — up to 496 suicides are linked to gambling every year in the UK alone.

If gambling is affecting your mental health, talk to your doctor — and if you're having thoughts of suicide, please go to our I Need Help Now page now. Recovery from gambling harm is absolutely possible, and free, confidential help exists today.

Where can I get free gambling addiction support?

• GamCare — free information, advice and support, including a forum with 24/7 online messaging support and a really useful online Recovery Toolkit. They also support friends and family of someone with a gambling problem.
• Gamblers Anonymous — supporting people experiencing compulsive gambling since 1957, with support groups, meetings, forums, chat rooms and recovery programmes.
• National Problem Gambling Clinic — NHS treatment for people in England aged 13 and over experiencing gambling harms. You can refer yourself, and the team also assesses the needs of partners and family members.
• Northern Gambling Service — specialist addiction therapy and recovery for people affected by gambling addiction and other mental health problems, including help for friends and families, with regional services across the North.
• Gordon Moody Association — helps people reclaim and rebuild their lives free from gambling addiction in safe, supported environments, through effective therapies, intervention and counselling.
• BetKnowMore UK — support led by people with lived experience of gambling harms, trained to help others using CBT techniques, motivational interviewing and intensive mentoring.
• Recover Together — a UK charity rebuilding lives after gambling harm, tackling isolation and providing practical tools, coping strategies and skills to rebuild relationships, employability and a fulfilling life.
  

What if gambling has left me in debt?

StepChange provides free, confidential debt advice. Money worries and gambling harm often feed each other, so tackling both together really helps — see also our Debt & Mental Health page.

Support for families — and those bereaved by gambling-related suicide

• Gambling With Lives — set up by parents Pete and Sadie Keogh, who lost their 34-year-old son to suicide linked to gambling addiction. They campaign for better regulation and awareness, and support families bereaved by gambling-related suicide.
• Beacon Counselling Trust — free support for gambling-related harms and suicide bereavement, plus prevention work through education and training.
• Ygam — an award-winning charity providing evidence-based education to help prevent gaming and gambling harms in young people.
  

Hearing from people who've been there

Football Untold is a podcast series exploring the experiences of football players with gambling problems — frank conversations about addiction, deceit, and finding a new life away from betting.

To talk to The Jordan Legacy, email hello@thejordanlegacy.com.