Safer Gambling: Limits, Blocks and Free Help for UK Players

Who should not use an offshore offer

Leave the offers alone, and use the help further down this page instead, if any of these is true for you:

• You have self-excluded, through Gamstop or directly with any casino.
• You use GamBan, a bank gambling block or another blocker to keep away from gambling.
• You are under 18.
• You are trying to win back money you have lost.
• You would be gambling with borrowed money, or with money meant for bills.

The first two matter most. Gamstop works through casinos licensed in Great Britain, and the offshore casinos we write about hold licences from elsewhere, so a Gamstop exclusion will not stop them accepting a deposit from you. A blocker on your phone or at your bank is a decision you made for a reason. Nothing on this site will help you get round it.

A five-minute check on your own gambling

Think back over the last few months and answer honestly:

• Have you spent more money or time on gambling than you meant to?
• Have you gone back another day to win back what you lost?
• Have you borrowed, used credit or dipped into money for bills?
• Have you hidden how much you gamble from people close to you?
• Do you feel restless or irritable when you try to cut down?
• Do you gamble to get away from stress, worry or low mood?

One yes is reason enough to talk to someone this week. The helpline listed below is free and confidential, and you do not need to be in crisis to call it.

Tools that put a barrier in the way

Barriers work best in layers, because each one closes a different gap. Choose at least two and set them up today.

The combination that covers most ground is Gamstop for licensed sites, GamBan on every device and a block on each bank card. Do all three in one sitting, while the decision feels clear.

Limits and breaks inside a casino account

Casinos licensed by the Gambling Commission have to give you tools, and some protections apply whether you switch them on or not:

• Since 31 October 2025, a new customer has to be asked to choose a deposit limit before paying in for the first time.
• The most you can stake on an online slot is £5 a spin from age 25, or £2 a spin between 18 and 24.
• No bonus may carry wagering above 10x, a rule in force since 19 January 2026.
• A slot session must show your running wins or losses and how long you have been playing.
• Time-outs and longer breaks sit in the account’s safer gambling settings.

None of those UK rules binds a casino licensed outside Great Britain. If you use one anyway, settle your limit for the month before the first deposit, write it down somewhere you will see it, and treat reaching it as the end of that month’s play. Never deposit to rescue a bonus or a losing session.

Free, confidential help

If someone close to you gambles

You can get support in your own right, whether or not they are ready to ask for help. Gam-Anon runs meetings for partners, relatives and friends, GamCare gives advice to family members, and the helpline takes calls from anyone affected. Protect the household money first: moving the bill money into a separate account is a sensible step this week.

If you self-excluded and a site still took your money

Treat it as a warning sign, not a loophole. Stop today and do not deposit again. Write to the casino and ask it to close your account and exclude you. Switch on your bank’s gambling block and install GamBan on every device. Then call 0808 8020 133 to talk it through: the helpline can help with the money side as well as the gambling.

How this site handles safer gambling

Every page is for adults aged 18 and over and ends with where to find help. The licence behind every offer is stated plainly. The site has no section on casinos outside Gamstop, and no page explains how to get round Gamstop, GamBan or a bank block. If you think a page falls short, tell us through the contact page; how we judge offers in the first place is set out on how we rate offers.