Responsible gambling

Let's get the most important sentence on this site out of the way: gambling is not a way to make money. Slots have a built-in house edge, which means the longer you play, the more the maths works against you. Treat every deposit as spending — the price of an evening's entertainment — and never as an investment, a strategy or a way to win back what you've already lost.

Tools that work before there's a problem

• Deposit limits. Every UKGC-licensed site must offer them in account settings. Set one before your first deposit. Lowering a limit takes effect immediately; raising one is delayed 24 hours, which is the point.
• Bank gambling blocks. Monzo, Starling, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest and most other UK banks let you block gambling transactions on your card from inside their app. Many include a cooling-off delay of 48 hours or more before the block can be removed.
• Time-outs. Licensed sites offer short breaks from 24 hours up to six weeks. Useful as a circuit-breaker after a bad session.
• Reality checks. On-screen reminders of how long you've been playing and your net position. Switch them on; the numbers are usually sobering.

If gambling has stopped being fun

• GAMSTOP — free self-exclusion from every gambling site licensed in Great Britain. One registration covers them all, for one to five years, and it cannot be reversed early. This is the single most effective tool available to UK players.
• GamCare — runs the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, free and confidential, open 24 hours a day, every day. Live chat is available if you'd rather not phone.
• GambleAware — self-assessment tools and referrals to free treatment, including NHS gambling clinics across Great Britain.
• UK Gambling Commission — the regulator. Use its public register to check any operator's licence, and its complaints guidance if an operator has treated you unfairly.

Signs worth taking seriously

Chasing losses. Hiding sessions from people close to you. Gambling with money set aside for rent or bills. Feeling restless or irritable when you try to stop. Any one of these is a reason to use the tools above today, not after the next deposit. Asking for help early is cheaper — in every sense — than asking late.