Gambling is entertainment, not income

GAMSTOP self-exclusion

GAMSTOP is the free national scheme. Register once and every UK-licensed online operator must block you for the period you choose — six months, one year, or five. It applies across all of them at the same time, so you don't have to exclude site by site. Signing up takes a few minutes and you can do it before things get out of hand, not just after.

Limits you can set yourself

Every licensed operator has to offer tools to cap your own play. The ones worth setting on day one are deposit limits, which stop you putting in more than a set amount, and reality checks, which pop up to tell you how long you've been playing. Time-outs let you lock yourself out for a day up to six weeks if you just need a short break.

Signs it's stopped being fun

• Chasing losses, or playing to win back money rather than for enjoyment.
• Spending more time or money than you planned, more than once.
• Hiding how much you play from people close to you.
• Borrowing, or putting off bills, to keep playing.

If any of those sound familiar, the National Gambling Helpline is free and open around the clock on 0808 8020 133. You don't need to be in crisis to call — talking it through early is exactly what it's there for.