Responsible gambling

Get help now

• National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare. Free and open 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133, with live chat at gamcare.org.uk.
• GamStop at gamstop.co.uk — free self-exclusion covering every online site licensed in Great Britain.
• BeGambleAware at begambleaware.org — information on treatment and support.
• NHS gambling services — specialist clinics for gambling harm, which you can refer yourself to without going through a GP.
• Gamblers Anonymous at gamblersanonymous.org.uk — peer support meetings in person and online.

If you are worried about someone else's gambling, GamCare and Gam-Anon both support family and friends. You do not need the person who gambles to be ready first.

Tools every licensed site must give you

These are conditions of holding a Great Britain licence, not favours. Every site we list has to offer them, and they are free.

• Deposit limits — daily, weekly or monthly. Reductions apply immediately; increases go through a cooling-off period.
• Time-outs — a short break, typically from a day to six weeks.
• Reality checks — periodic reminders of how long you have played and where you stand.
• Self-exclusion — a longer block with that operator, usually a minimum of six months, often covering every brand it runs.
• Account closure — on request, at any time.

The most effective moment to set a deposit limit is when you open the account, before there is any reason to argue with yourself about it.

How GamStop works

GamStop is the national online self-exclusion scheme. You register once, choose six months, one year or five years, and every operator licensed to offer online gambling in Great Britain must block you for that period.

It cannot be cancelled early, which is the point of it. At the end of the period you have to take deliberate action for accounts to reopen. It covers licensed online gambling only, so it does not extend to betting shops or venues.

Sites that advertise themselves as "non-GamStop" exist specifically to sell to people who have decided to stop. We do not list them and we never will. Our guide to safer gambling tools and GamStop goes into more detail, including bank blocks and blocking software that back self-exclusion up.

Signs worth taking seriously

This is not a diagnosis, but it is worth pausing if several of these are familiar:

• Gambling to win back losses rather than for entertainment.
• Staking more, or more often, than you planned to.
• Borrowing money, selling things, or using money meant for something else.
• Hiding how much you gamble from people close to you.
• Feeling anxious, irritable or low when you are not gambling.
• Gambling to escape stress, boredom or low mood.

The helpline above is free, confidential, and not there to judge anyone.

Under 18s

Gambling is illegal for anyone under 18 in Great Britain. Every site we list must verify age before allowing play. If you share a device with children, consider parental control software and keep payment details out of saved browser data.

What this site is

Casino Menu is a comparison site, not a treatment service and not an operator. We list only sites licensed in Great Britain, and every one of them must offer the tools above. Using them is not an admission of anything. It is just sensible.